Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-02-20
Saint Maru's Beacon
[Continued from 1st Page
THE RANGERS STORY.


tate. As we came up close to
where she was she stopped grinding,
Strengthened up and began to talk
before we said word. / knew
something was up, for Mexicans
are not laxative ussally. ] can
understand Spanish in a kind of
way, but she was too blamed fast
for me. Pablin Coy, though, could
catch what she said, and when she
had talked full ten minutes and
had run down, he told what the
matter was. He had been laughing
all through it, and this is what he
told rs:
well, what do you reckon!
What do you reckon's been going
on here, anyhow? A young Next
can dude came along last night and
stole away old HernahSez's daugh-
ter Anita while everybody else was
snoring. The loving couple put
ont down the road to Carrizo, where
there's a priest and a license to be
got. The whole outfit here has put
out after them trying to head EN-
of. Hernandez is near crazy. The
gal didn' take a rag of her own
clothes, but one Of her brothers is
shy his'n, so reckon she's ri6il'
straddle and passin' for boy her.
self. Love and romance is thick
around here, but / reckon old Her
nandez is too much occupied to give
ANY time to cow thieves
Il thought SO, too, and at once
put aside all idea of help from that
source for a day or two anyhow.
However, ! figured that il any out
laws came up the Garlic road
they'd be sure to meet the Hern-
andez outfit and would be just as
sure to turn to one side. II they
turned to the left, the boys near
the river had a chance to get in
their work. IL they turned to the
right they'd be coming up some
trail to the east Of us. asked the
old woman il there was any road
over in that direction. Yes, there
was a road over there that the Ben
avides ranch folks used. 1t was
ten miles away. ! made up my
mind to go to that road at once aud
spend the day and night over there.
Lord, what tough, sweaty ride
that was. We followed COW paths,
keeping ever to the east. A COW
path is all right under foot, but
cattle don't clear away any growth
at the sides, The thorns caught
us and tore us, the sun beat down
warm as an oven, not a bit of breeze
could get to us in the thicket. The
one or two open sandy places we
crossed were like little spots of
heaven to us. But we got through
at last, and came to the road. 1t
showed a good deal of travel for
that country and was wide enough
for wagons.
BY this time it was near noon,
and we were tired and sat down in
the sand on the shady side, holding
on to the reins. We had water in
our canteens, some ierked beef and
some cowboy biscuits, hard as rocks.
Fatty had thoughtfully brought
along somr ground coffee and a pot,
and proceeded to build little fire
and boil us q cup Of coffee a piece,
Pablo holding his horse while he
did so. We had put our Winches-
tiers awayin the saddle holsters.
We were waiting for the coffee,
when two Mexicans, one on a sorrel,
the other on a roam, trotted around
bend in the road, 200 or 800 yards
below us. One was a middle sized
man, carrying a rifle across his
pommel saddle, and the other
looked like two-third grown kid.
The kid had no gun of any kind.
They saw us, and stopped at once,
sorter turning to run. We rose up,
swung into our saddles, and loosen
ed the Winchesters, Fatty q little
behind, for he had been watching
: the coffee. While we were doing
this we heard the Mexican's rifle
crack, and a bullet whizzed just
over us. l Thought felt the wind
from it. The next second both
Mexicans disappeared around the
bend in the road. l heard Pablo
say:
Here's a couple of d-thieves at
last. 'I'll follow them clean of
the earth but what I get 'em.'
Il gave the sentiment a distinct