Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-06-28

backed their belief that she would win
with pretty heavy stakes. However,
the friends of the Montezuman fairy
were largely in the minority, and
greatly feared there would be foul
play which they would be unable to
prevent.
IL went to the grounds the following
afternoon with no intention to take
any part in the festivities except as an
onlooler. The track was straight
one, half mile long, just outside the
town, and when reached it found a
great crowd assembled there, Mexi-
cans, cowboys, Indians and the entire
American population of the town, at
that time small. Matt Parker was
there, fourishing roll of greenbacl1s
and loudly soliciting bets on the horse
races, but more particularly challeng-
ing anyone to post money against his
girl in the foot race.
"Noting a crowd collecting near by
where 1 stood 1 stepped forward
through curiosity to see what was at
tracing it and learned that the Next
can girl was there with her friends,
who seemed to be expostulating with
her. When I had elbowed my way
through the motley crowd near to her,
l could not but stare in amazement
had expected to see rough-looking,
dark-skinned, lily clad girl such as we
so often see in the Mexican towns, but
instead found her rarely beautiful
young creature with large tender eyes,
and evidently of a very timid DISPOSE
ton. There were tears in her pretty
eyes, and her voice trembled as she re-
piled to the half angry words of those
about her.
"A great big fine-looking cowboy
stood near me, (there he is now out by
the branding chute, God bless him
Big Tom, my foreman, and he will be
my foreman as long as | run a ranch),
and turning to him asked the trouble.
He understood the Mexican tongue,
and with somewhat dangerous light
in his eyes he replied:
'''Some o. Matt Parker's sneakin
dogs have been threatenin' the gal,
an have got her so skeered up she's
afraid to run. There's crooked work
a-goin' on here, an if wasn't afraid
il ID bring on row an that somebody
that didn't desarve it ID git hurt I'd
pull my gun an claim fair play if. got
downed fur it.
THE horse and donkey races were
soon over, and Parker's winnings were
so small that he was in a decidedly
bad humor. The girls were then
called to the scratch for the foot race.
BY this time I had become deeply in
terested in the contest, and want to
to say right here, Jack, that it has al
ways been my nature to take the part
of the under dog in the fight, no mat.
ter what odds may be againstlit. I
felt my whole soul go out in sympathy
to that frightened little Mexican
jewel. and when heard Parker and
his followers decrying her .sprinting
merits and doing all they could to
create a feeling against her and SO en-
barrass her that she could not run as
she would under more favorable CIR
cumstances, felt the Old Nick spirit
that's in me struggling to the surface.
'The girls came onto the track, the
Parker girl an ill-looking, ungainly
creature, brazen and sefant, the Mex
lean timid and c4lting appea ling
chances into the fkces of the great
crowd, and the Indian maiden quite
unconcerned and seemingly without
interest in the contest. The Parker
girl was dressed in skirt of flaming
red, scarcely reaching her knees, and
beneath it wore white stockings and a
pair Of gaudily ornamented dancing
slippers. Marta, the Mexican, was.
clad in plain gray of7neat and modest
cut, and was barefooted. The Indian
girl, after she had thrown off her
blanket, wore but little more than the
look of unconcern which / have de-
scribed. The distance to- be run was
two hundred yards, and there were to
be three heats should two not be won
by one contestant, the party distanced
in the first heat to drop out and leave
the SlAsr two to finish the race.