The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-06-01
JAKE RINGERS sQUAW.
nx GERTRUDE Is. n1ILLARD.

NssFHen SLOOO IN inc door OF the COOK
house, her hnnd shading her eyes, and
gazed intently over the prairie toward
the west. The level rays of the sun
cast a rosy glow on her brown cheeks,
and gave reddish tinge to the coal-
black hair falling straight over her
shoulders, after the manner of married
women of her tribe. Carmen was a
Spanish Indian hnlfbreed, and q
beauty. She was kn own at Star camp
as Jake Ringers squaw. When Jake
came back from NJ .xico, after the
trouble about his knit ng Longhaired
Ike had blown over, he brought this
woman with him.
questioned. He kept his affairs to him
self. and his hand was ever ready to
his pistol when he was pressed beyond
his liking; but it was whispered among
the boys that he had stolen his dusl<y
bride from her mothers lodge on the
night that was to have consummated
her nuptials with Big Grizzly, the
young Apache chief. Jake was kind
to her in a fashion that decidedly as
tonished tho men best acquainted with
his fierce and gloomy character. AS
for Carmen, her soft, brown eyes fol-
lowed her rough lord with the steady
faithfulness of a dog; no white wife
could have been SO gentle or SO helpful
as this savage girl.
She had been alone for q week now,
while the herders were off on the
range. rounding up the horses for their
yearly branding. Tonight she looked
for them home. There was a sound of
bacon sizzling in the big frying-pan.
The brown-jacl<eted potatoes peeped
from their hiding place in the hot
ashes, and Carmen left the door for a
moment to peep into the oven at
the biscuit coloring delicately in-
side. Carmen cooked we'll, and
<Ha1 ><Nv 1,r 30
one. freeing them of irksome stcvving
over the stove when they rode home
tired and hungry.
She glanced through the window as
she rose from her biscuit inspection,
then hastily returned to her post in the
doorway.
Far off on the edge of the prairie
tiny moving cloud made its appearance.
creeping snail-likc toward her; grad
ually it rolled and swelled and came
rushing over the intervening plain,
taking shape into rounded pufs ever
falling and renewing.
LA caballadav' she murmured, in q
satisfied tone.
At last there came a thunder of
quick hoof beats, and then the excited
herd dashed after their leader into the
big corral. The heavy gates banged.
tho chain ratified over the staple. Five
hungry men sprang from their saddles,
md. hastily picketiug their ponies,
made Decline for tho cook house:
They greeted Carmen with boisterous
jollity, flung themselves npon their
benches md without further ado be-
gan to devour the food set before them.
''Hey! this coffee Is prime. my Car
men!" ''Some white woman taught
yer ter make biscuits, gal!' ''Say, Jake,
you bet it's fine to get back to Garments
cookin'l" vocifcrated ono and another,
US, the edge of their appetitcs-dulled,
they began to ply their knives more
slowly.
Carmen paid no attention to their
rough compliments. She was standing
behind her husbands chair, acting as
waitress when. occasion required, at
other times lingering in sombrero or
timidly touching his touseled cur1s.
Each man was duly supplied with edi-
b1es, but the crispest bacon and brown
est biscuit found their way to Jake
Ringers plate, until finally he looked
up and announced: ''I've had enough!
Now eat, yourself"
The men rose from the table and
scattered to their evening occupations
Only jake remained. smoking in the
doorway, while Carmen sat down to
her meal of fragments.
As the last slouching figure vanished
toward the cabins he turned to the
woman with a slow smile and asked, in
Mexican: HAS it been lonely these
days, cara Datd?"
''It is always night in my heart when
thou art gone, o, my husbandI"
Then, in the soft Mexican tongue, they
talked together of such things as made
up their llfe-of tho range happenings,
of the morrow's work, of what they
would buy in Almito when the herds
were driven in to be sold.
Lastly, as Jake rose and knocked the
ashes from his pipe, he remarked in
Enplish:
'To-morrovv and Fridays tho brand
in but Saturday I'll mako the boys get
out the plow en- fix us fire-break.
The grass is uncommon long jest
now, en- it's dryin' fast. Eff we don't
| look out, we'll have the whole camp
goin' up in smoke"
He strobe through the starlit dusk
| toward his sleeping shack, and Carmen,
shutting softly the door of the cook
| house, followed slowly in the same di-
| rection.
The air felt sitting and oppressive.
| a stiff breeze came out of the south,
but its hot breath filled the frame
| with uncomfortable languor. Old Tom
Griffin, standing in the door OF the
boys shack, hallooed to Jake as he
passed him. Carmen slipped by them
| and into her own little shanty.
"Looly here, jake" growlcd old
| Tom, in an undertone, 1.-THE boys is
| snoozin' already, but I can't turn in
fer thinkin' cr that pesky long boss
| feed outyander. With thishere breeze
a fire cud come a-gallopin'-what
| DIVER saw ter you'n me goin' out now