The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-25

MACEDONIA FRAUSTO.
He never dies afraid But when his fntc
is pronounced he blows resignation out
with every cigarette puff.
They say he Is insane. 1t is not true
He is only Indian. His eyes arc piercing,
not soft His nose is high, not small and
rounded.
Macedonia Frausto was cowboy on
tho Rancho del Matzos, 90 miles from M
dadores, in the province of Goa, Mexico.
Tho Rancho del Matzos belongs to the
Mojas family. macedonia was just II plain
cowboy. He could ride anything that
wore hoofs, but any other cowboy on the
Matzos range could do that. Ho could
drop his lasso over steers horns at 40
feet and throw and tic his beef inside of
two minutes. But that is just journey
man work on cow ranches in that country.
Macedonia Frausto is only II years old,
but that is old enough in Mexico to mako
boy u man. He was also old enough to
fall in lovo with the pretty daughter of his
employer.
Anita Mojas is 16 years old and n
beauty according to Mexican ideals. 1t
was not surprising that Macedonia, tho
cowboy, should fall in love with her, nor
possibly was it remarkable that she should
bo interested in tho dashng young va
qucro with the eaglo face. But those
things arc arranged for young people in
Mexico without their being troubled about
it, and tho views of the rest of the Mojns
family did not coincide with those of tho
girl and her cowboy lover.
Anita's brothers had undertaken to ar
range her life for her. A companion OF
theirs, Ramon Sanchez, tho son of u pros
porous Chile farmer, was their choice for a
brother-in law.
He gamblcd with them rode horse races
with them and was of their class, so they
told Anita she'was to become Sonora San
chez, and that ought to have been the end
of it.
Anita mado no protest. Sho knew bet
ter. Mexican girls are not likely to object
to their brothers plans openly. Just tho
same she Snubbcd young Sanchez when
ever she could, and whenever her cowboy
lover was riding herd near the home ranch
she managed to sec him.
Probably they had no plan to thwart the
family arrangement then, but another
cowboy surprised them at their rendezvous
and told Anita's brothers of the clnpdes-
tine meetings.
OF course tho brothers wero furious.
Your Mexican ranchmnn is not the kind
Of n man to DO thwarted by n woman, par
ticularly ono of his own family. Sanchez,
like good fellow, agreed to overlook the
Anita to prepare for an immediate mar
| riagc.
Sullcnly the girl obeycd. Tho laces of
her mother, who had got them from her
mother, and so on back n century or more
were taken from the chest. The linen
that had been accommodating for Just this
event almost from the date of Anitn's
birth was overhauled. Couricrs were sent
out to bid the neighbors come, and the
cookhousc smoked night and day in prop
aration for tho wedding feast
| How sho got word to him no other MAJ
knows, but in just the length of time u
| swift horse could get over the range to
where Macedonia was riding and back the
young cowboy gallopcd up to tho hacienda
| This was on Wednesday evening. Tho
| marriage was set for tho next day, Thurs-
| day May 49,
At tho gate he met Juan Mojas, the cid
| or brother. There was no ooh, como YOU
| in peace or como you in WARP" in the broth
er's greeting. He demanded what Mace
donio was doing away from his bunch of
cattle, and tho answer, so far from salts
| flying him, made him bitter.
go marry the carbonera's daughter if
you want n bride" said Juan Mojas, and
he followed up tho taunt by 6ischarging
| the presumptuous cowboy.
|
dend ut the gate. In tho flashing of an
eye the boy had shot him through tho head
and through tho body.
| Out of tho house rushed the other broth
er, Feliciano Mojas and his brother in law
elect. They had been anticipating the
feast of the Iexu day. At the gate Mace
Gonio Frausto stood, his smoking A in his
hand, tho body of Juan Mojas ut his feet.
The two rushed Mt tho murderer.
Feliciano plunged forward, and his face
scraped tho dirt of the house yard Among
tho accomplishments of the young cowboy
was peculiar accuracy in shooting.
One shot killed Feliciano, but the pro
posed husband took more killing The re-
maining shots in Maecdonio's revolver
were fired Mt young Sanchez, but he did
not fall. Macedonia sprang to meet him.
The revolver was back in its holster and
the long bowie knife that balanced it in
the cowboys belt was in his hand. Men
do not keep their feet when nino inch
knife is plunged into thcm The crazed
cowboy knclt on his PROSTATE rival, twis.