The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-06-30

backed their belief that she would wiz
with pretty heavy stakes However,
the friends of the M~ontezuman fairy
were largely in the minority, and
greatly feared there would be foul
play which they would be unable tc
prevent
Il went to the grounds the following
afternoon with no intention to take
any part in the festivities except as an
onlooker. The track was q straight
one, half a mile long. Just outside the
town, and when / reached 1t l found Q
great crowd assembled there, Mexf
cans, cowboys, Indians and the entire
American population of the town, Al
that time small. Matt Parker was
there. hourishing q roll of greenbaeks
and loudly soliciting bets on the horse
races, but more particularly ehalleng.
ing anyone to post money against his
girl in the foot ace
Noting q crowd collecting near by
where / stood 1 stepped forward
through curiosity to ~ what vas at
tracing il and learned that the Mexi-
can girl was there with her friends,
who seemed TO be expcstulating with
her. When / had elbowed my way
through the motley crowd near to her.
] could not but stare in smazement ]
had expected to see q roughlooking,
darkskinned. lily clad girl such IS we
30 often see I'm the Mexican towns, but
instead l found her rarely beautiful
young creature with large tender eyes,
and evidently Of q 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 hnelooking cowboy
stood near me, there he is now ont by
the branding chute, God bless him
Big Tom, my foreman, and he will be
my foreman as long as I run a ranch).
and turning TO him i asked the trouble
He understood the Mexican tongue,
and with q somewhat dangerous light
In his eyes he replied:
Some o. Matt Parkeris sneakin'
dogs have been q 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
&c d bring on \ row an that somebody
that didn't desarve IL d git hurt I'D
pull my gun an claim fair play II / got
downed fur it
The horse and donkey races were
soon over, and Parler's winnings were
20 small that he was I'm . decidedly
bad humor. The girls were then
called to the scratch for the foot 20
BY tits time l had become deeply In
terested in the contest, and I want to
10 say right here, Jack. that Il has al
ways been my natere to take the part
of the under dog In the fight no mat
ter what odds may be against it 1
felt my whole soul &c ont in sympathy
70 that frightened little Mexican
Jewel. and when I heard Parker and
his followers decrying her sprinting
merits and doing all they eo1ld 70
create = feeling against her and 70 sm-
barrass her that she could not run a.
she would under more favorable cir
eumstanees. I felt the Old Nick spirit
that's In me struggling to the surface
The girls came cato the track, thu
Parker girl an Unlocking. ungsinly
creature, brazen and defiant the Nor
lean tfznid npd casting appealing
Chances into the faces 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
rcd. scarcely reaehing her knees. and
beneath Il wore white stockings and .
pair Of gn1dfly 0rnanented dancing
slippers Marta, the Mexican, was
clad in plain gray Of neat and modest
cut. and was bzref0oted- The Indian
girl. alter she had threnn OF her
blanket. wore but little more than the
look Of unconcern which I have de-
seribed The distances 20 Be run Was
two hundred Yards and there were 10
be three heats should two not Be won
by one contestant the party distaaced
in The hrst heat 10 drop out and leave
TIE other two - anidh the raeS