Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-09-26
LUCKY BULLET,

Anu IL lucy OOn Sne III nOat.
THAT LUCKY BULLET.
BY HENRY stBROOKs.
l run a small coach from Bidwelrs Sta
ton to Places Flat. Bidwell's station Is at
the head of the San Joaquin Valley. Places
Flat lies about q thousand feet higher.
They are mostly ranchmen living along the
line of the road; they keep few cattle,
raise a little hay and perhaps a few pota-
toes where there is q patch of moist
springy land. Most OF them manage to
scrape a living out of the increase of their
stock l suppose. Some of them do a little
horse trading, or the boys chop wood for
the railroad people, to help out q little.
They are an easy going lot, that is the men
are-their women have q pretty rough
time Of It though; but what can they do
poor things, except slave from morning
till night, cooking, washing, milking, aud
plenty other things . sight rougher, when
the men don't feel like work, which l
would say Is pretty often.
But the girls and young fellers try to
have . good time when they can. and since
Johnny Cogswell, Ut the station, built Q
dance house back Of his place. they get up
strawrides all along the line, and l tell you
there's q heap of fun going those times.
There is nothing like . strawride il you
want to make up to . girl. As soon as
they are fairly landed in the dance-house
they stifen out and sit In . row as prim as
. lot of Quakers. No q would believe
they were the same girls. But there was
one girl, l tell you she was q staver,
though some wouldn't allow that she was
quite white. She lived with her father, an
old Portngee. Don Fernando Soto. on q
bit of q vineyard he had raised, up neat the
Flat. There were only the two Of them
and an old cOlOred woman, who couldn't
speak a word of English. The old man
was rich. so everybody said anyway, hut a
meaner, stiDgier, more excitable old cuss
no one ever see; and he was mighty ready
with a knife, too. Mariguita Soto was SO
pretty and clever, that lots of boys would
have Ioafed around If they had dared. but
the old man had cut two or three of them
and the rest SHE'D. Some of them would
nave laid the old fellow out, but Mariguita
was that fond of him, when they wereM't
quarreling OF splitting fire at one another,
that they had to drop all bottoms of getting
There being no neighbors nigh for
Mafiguita to get into the straw rides, she
used to ride down with me on the box seat.
whenever there was to be a dance at the
" w, che hoI nc.,,n r., ouxA
sort OF a compromise with the old man. She
prOwl around the hill, aud he was to let
her 90 to the station whenever there was
any heel and toe going on. The first time
she rode down I struck the old fellow for
the stage fare, but he few at me in a fury.
When he was mad he looked like one OF
the wild apes in the Zoo, and l tell you he
showed his teeth. He had a forked beard,
and at the end of each fork q big white
patch of hair, like a ball of cotton, while
just above, the hair was still nearly black.
His eyes glittered like live Goals. You
can bet he was q Tartar. Of course l took
the girl. She knew l wouldn't leave her.
and stood there laughing and enjoying 1t,
the witch. When she got down to the
station she carried everything before her
with her brilliant color, swapping black
eyes, and easy grace. The rest of the
girls couldn't talk worth a cent after they
got their skirts Strengthened and prim In
the dance-hall. but Mariguita kept the
young fellers buzzing around her. and
talked to them all at once. And cleverl
Why you could see the boys grow an inch
as she said something to each one of 'em,
to tickle his fancy and perhaps encourage
his pride q little, for she liked to have
them all running after her, and they would
run the best of them, for . glance out of
the corner of her eye. l tell you / ought to
have had that gal, and would, too, IL / had
been quite sure she was white. l nesel
knew Just how to take her though. She
was the most b%ewitching little devil one
minute, and the next-even the old Don
himself couldn't bear her-of course II
wasn't reasonable to suppose that 1 would
drive her up and down all the time just
for q sweet smile, and to have her snug
gled up close to me on the box seat. So,
u trip, when she had been as sweet rs
honey, and there wasn't another soul on
the stage, I put my arm around her to
steal q kiss. aud the next minute l had q
s~tiletto, l think they call It, pricking me
mighty sharp In the neck. and although Il
was dark. I could see her eyes glittering
ike y WIN Vot n AVOt UuOu WOUAU have
dropped her after that, but the next trip
she stood waiting fCr me in the road show
ing her pretty white teeth and locking 80
bright and dainty that / couldn't think Of
leaving her; and she snuggled closer than
ever. l tell you, gentlemen, you never
know how to take . Girl till you try, and
not always then.
OF course she had her faucy like other
girls. This was Doc. Lanier. . young
mediCO from Alabama. A very clever doc
tor, everybody agreed, and . good fellow.
He would drink . little too much some
times, and that hurt him. You see that
sort Of . thing may do for some men. but
not for . doctor. He might take OF the
wrong leg sometime. Ones, up In the
Flat, they sent Tor him 10 attend . man
who had been injured. Tho Doc was
pretty ~full-quite full l ~guess-but he was
able to ask where tho fellow WAS hurt, and
when they told him In the head, he said,
ssWell, let me 80 his feet!" His idea wa
that Il was enough for him to zee any pa
TENTS big toe! hut they didn't look ct II
that way mp ct the Flat, and - they kk The
Doc out for awhile. But he was only SOW.
ing his Wild Oats. ] gueeA, for he could 10
Der up whenever he liked, and then there
wasn't . brighter man to b found any
where.