The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-11-08
BEAT A SMUGGLER
But Don Mauricio Slew HIS Only
Daughter in Doing Il.
An Interesting and Thrilling Tale of ths
Southwestern Frontier-An Episode OF
Summer Day Down in the Mes
quite Country.

Billings was sitting delicatelv poised
on chair that had passed through
its transitory cane bottom stage and
had entered upon the enduring era OF
rawhide. His heels, somewhat above
the elevation of his head, rested
against the mesquite corner post of the
veranda, as we euphemistically called
the brush shade in front of the ranch
house. Saddles, blankets and other
equine paraphernalia hung upon pegs
driven into companion posts, and Edge
worth and ] were repairing some OF
our horse furniture preparatory to
riding out. Within the kid" was
doing what he called sweeping out;
not as woman sweeps, but with tre-
mendous strokes of his implement
that drove the more solid aggregations
of dirt before it, as shots from a cata-
pult, while the smaller particles of
tiustrose about him like dense swarm
of gnats, angry at being disturbed,
and.settled back again as the sweeper
shifted his position. Edgeworth was
an Englishman, and the Kid" Hins-
ley, by name, was some relative of his,
who had recently come out from the
old country to try ranch.ng in south
west Texas, and differed not from
other youths of his illx in verdancy
and general uselessness. He had, or
had had at the time of his coming,
the usual ideas regarding the dragons
and chimeras dire which he would be
called upon to encounter in the remote
occident. and Edgeworth, not to
thwart his aspirations, benevolently
allowed him to cook, make beds and
sweep out as an initiation to the ro-
mantle life of the frontier.
We made it a point to do those
things that ought to be done during
the cool OF the morning, and followed
the Mexican habit of sleeping, or pre-
tending to do SO, during the heat of
the day; all save Billings, who had an
nnholy doctrine that since a part of
the day was to be devoted to loafing,
The loafing should be done at a time
when you could enjoy it, which you
certainly could not do. he argued,
while the perspiration rolled off you
as you lay on your blanket and the
flies, legion of devils from the pit,
pestered, you into a state of homicidaI
ferocity.
He carried out this doctrine-much,
we secretly held, to his own discom-
fort-by being exasperatingly indus-
trious during the hours of the siesta,
hnd correspondingly indolent while
ho IF Mt rrrc,.ey 4ba,,ph
Is not TO be inferred that any of us al
lowed the primeval curse to press very
heavily upon us.
So, in the morning of which write,
Billings was doing nothing, and doing
il IN manner to reflect credit on one
OF Mr.. Gilbert's lords. He seemed To
be absorbing the weird beauty of the
wide view that lay before us in the
6ne, dry air. Near at hand level,
pinkish-gray stretch, dotted with
rlumps Of mesquite; half mile away,
beginning TO simmer in the increas-
Ing heat, little knob of hill, the Som
bretillo, ct the base of which the Rio
Bravo del Norte, pouring from the
west, turned sharply with tumultuous
rapids to the south; beyond, the roll
Ing hills of the state OF Tamaulipas,
rovered with chaparra prieta, and be-
ginning to grow purple in the dis
sance: and beyond-nothing but the
clear, pale blue of the sky dome, where
II rested upon the earth, unbrohen,
rave where, some sixty miles to the
southwest, a huge mass of deeper tint,
Thrust sharply into it, marked the
hountai of Lampasas.
Edgeworth and myself purposed rid
Ing to the south five or six miles.
where our fence came down to the
river, to straighten a loose corner post,
reported by vaquero the day before,
snd tighten the wires. We had not
vet completed our preparations when
Billings observant eve remarked some
body riding from the northwest along
The road which curved round the base
pf the SombretiIlo on the side away
from the river. Whoever it might be,
be was riding at a rapid gait. as the
horses hoOfs were raising a cloud of
Dust that hung in long trail in the
breathless air along the winding road.
As it was probably some Mexican cow
boy, Edgeworth and paid no further
attention to the approaching figure
beyond the first glance. Billings. hav-
jng nothing more pressing 10 engage
his attention, kept idly watching the
horseman as he drew nearer, when
presently he remarked:
at looks as if there were two on
that horse"
Now, there was nothing Unusual in
this. The robust conscience of the
Mexican permits him 20 ride double,
not lntrequently triple, upon a beast
To which the burden of its own exist
ence would appear to be sufficient
load.
''Gne of EN- a woman. by Jove." con-
tinued Billings, after an interval of
observation.
This was interesting Not but what
I'VE might any day see n Mexican with
his fat sonora in front or behind him,
plodding at sobre paso gait along the
dusty road that ran in front of our es-
1ablishment But going at full gallon,
rhat was different. Any little Incl
dent, however tri~ial, is a welcome
break in the loneliness of ranch life,
and we accordingly eyed the approach
fng couple with some curiosity. The
Kid" seeing rs gazing up the road.
ceased his performance with the broom
Rnd came TO join US
AS they rode up they slackened their
speed and turned in towards the house.
The pony upon which they were
mounted had plainly been ridden fast
and far, He was covered with sweat