Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-26
A FIGHT FOR A WIFE.

Ono day | walled about orr camp, in
tercsted In contact and intercourse with
these semlsavages, whose wild ways and
legends had always been an attractive
study. when my eyes fell upon the face Of
Il young girl OF their band. 1t was most
wonderfully beautiful ind fascinating
The girl held herself strangely aloof
from tho rest Of her people.
One dry happened to be near one Of
the mess fires when the men were cooking
supper, and one OF them used some coarse
ribnldry in his reference TO Mnratn, for
such was her name
Quick as flash one OF his companions,
Edward Robson, ayoung giant OF plains
man, sprung Mt him with the fcrocity OF
tiger, aud thonceiorwHrd the careless Jest
err carried gap In his teeth us u mcmcnto
of his rashncss
One duy late in July the sun had drop
ped SO low that we were in the grateful
shadow OF the hills to the westward, and
the small mess fires were beginning to
show their yellow glare among the trees in
preparation for the evening meal. Robson
was talking earnestly with Maratn.
"Am | never TO see You whore l can
talk to you rs / WANT" he asked in the
Navajo tongue "Yuu know | love you,
y
wife when l get my discharge, and We
shnll bc happy then together But It is
Zoo long TO wait. must see you and talk
10 YOU Of tho plans have for our lives.
uc told her that he was to bc on picket
duty that night. and she consented to join
hin, md fly with him. Their signal was
to be the howl of coyote.
When they were como. another figure.
crouched in a clump Of bushes, straight
ened itself from its cramped position and
raised It's hand with savage gesture.
IL was tho Indian Wild Horse, who had
slippcd into this conccalment, whore he
could hear tho lovers intercourse and
Marnta's promise.
When Robson went to his post on picket
that night, it was with heart beating high
and ewes kindled with CLEAN OF satisfac-
ton.
With step ms light MS boys he paced
back and forth, back and forth, humming
to himself beneath his breath the melody
of a feryid Spanish love song.
"only o'clock" he said impntiently
Mt length .'That means n long whit vet
for she snid she would not come until all
VIVA quiet. but | would welt for years il
expected her to come at last.
Uarkl A dreary. dismal howl came to
him on tho night air making his heart
loan Could IL he the siunaIY Yea rbpre
IL cnme npain and arainI Surely IL must
bo Marntn. for tho CRY syyelled and wancd.
long drawn and sad as the cry of the lost,
Robson hid his ri1o I'm n thicket. thon
drew IL out amin
~ must hayo nv rifle In case 1 should
be seen by ono of tho other picliets. - he
said He slunr IL across his shoulder and
stole with stealthy steu out into tho shad-
ows.
"Maratal"
"Uerel" n voice answered him from tho
darkness.
And the impationt lover swung himself
down the cliff with the aid of tho over.
hanrinr, bushes md stunted trees.
"MnrntaVi he called ngnin eagerly.
And again tho voice answered close nj
hand. and he saw n dim figure outlined in
the obscure shadows of the CANYON. where
tho starlight only penetrated fitfully /,
WINS not Naratn. for the dim lirht showed
him nm unified arm and the nnle glitter
of n steel blnde dcsnendinp and no felt III,
shnrn main nj the knife In his shoulder
stunbled and fell. sliding helnlessly dow1
the slone to the bottom OF tho CANYON.
II WINS the fall that saved him. for other
wise his asssilant would have leaned upoi
him. and another thrust of the cruel knit
would have sent him out into the un
known. As 1t was. he had timo to recoyo
himself, stagger to his feet and draw hi
own knife before Wild Horse could swing
himself down the wall of rock to renew
the attack.
Robson's years of frontier service haG
made him as skillful with the knife ns Nh,
Indian himself and he was no less litb,
and strong In body and courageous IN
struggled. wntchful and wary. the woun,