Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-11-04
mrs. Driftet a
. I;as Fer Say.
She Found Wild Bulls, Dry Rivers,
and Chigres in Texas.
NNRs. DRIFTER grew confdentiol

Nv
er's friends had called. and the subject
of his adventures in the south came up.
''0f course. it is all right" said Mrs
| Drifter, flor Drifter to tell about the
trials he endured when he was the edi-
tor of paper in Texas. | never put in
such a time in my life. / expected that
Drifter would come home 10 me shot
full of holes some night. When ] was
down at his Office reading the proofs OF
that cunning little daily paper he got
out il used to make my blood run cold
to hear those men talk about gun plays
so and so had made up in somebody's
saloon.
"Drifter treasured me by telling me
| that the crack Of pistol did not al
ways mean that somebody had been hit.
| bat you know what brave man Drfter
is. No, you don't either. You say You
| don't know anything about the time he
saved our lives down in Texas2 don't
/ think ever realized before just how
courageous Drifter Is. You know had
not seen ranch nor a herd OF cattle
since I arrived in Texas, and / begged
Drifter TO take me where the real Pam
/ handle cattle could be seen, so he took
me out to the stock yards beyond Fort
Worth
Times were very, very hard down
| there, and the packing house was
closed, and there were no signs of life
al the stock yards We walked around
and around the huge incosure, and
tried to imagine what IL must be like
when the herds OF Texas steers came in
from the Panhandle. We had gone quite
little distance from the high board
| fence, and were admiring the scenery,
when some cows come strolling along.
We stood watching and admiring them
until about so or rs had passed us when
all at once there doomed up before MS
an immense Texas bull. His manner
was dignified and masterful. He looked
at US, elevated his head, shifted and my
heart gave jump.
"That was when Drifter and his in
born bravery came TO the front. II Is
needless to say that ! was frightened.
| thought my last moment had come.
The fence OF the stock yards must have
been 50 feet high; at least il looked so
TO me. Drifter afterward said that Il
was not more than 10, but know that
the trees around it were not so high as
the fence. lie grasped me by the hand
and said:
Little girl run for the fence. viii
stay here and protect YOU.
Il was brought up in the country, ano
know it is the height of foolishness 70
run from a wild animal, SO fatty re-
fused If we are going TO die, we VIII
die together, Drifter,' said J, 'hut the
best thing TO DO is 20 back slowly AWAY
from that awful bull We backed
toward the fence. and the bull paced
toward us, never taking his eyes of ps
| know could hear DrifteT's heart beat
but il must have been anxiety for mo.
Cor he is not afraid Of anything.
"'Get behind chat tree be said. and
his voice sounded as IL ii wSs away oE
somew here, and | felt as IL we were e
he separated forever. Reas-uringly We
said
II will see that lac does not touch
YOU. with that he took out his little
pocket knife, opened the blade, which
was not over three inches long. aud
said: 'There, with as much defiance
in his tone as il he had been behind q
stone barricadc and armed with a
Martini rife. Somehow or other we
got to that fence at last u was eVl-
dent that Drifter would not let me |
take any chances alone, for he got |
there as soon as | did. and if you ever
saw two people climb a high fence |
in the quickest possible space Of time,
il was Mr. and Mrs. Drifter
1--WE sat there on the top of the fence |
until dusk. and Drifter never let go |
of the knife. really believe that if the |
bull had attacked me Drifter would |
have stabbed him with that penknife.
In the evening. after | had mustered
M courage enough. we made our way. |
keeping close by the fence, until we
reached a little hotel connected with
the stock yards Drifter never said
word about the adventure, and you
would not have thought he had done
ythiug at all remarkable, but know
that he saved my life from the wild
Texas bull"
1t took Mrs DTifter's friends some
time to rise to a proper appreciation
of the courage displayed by her hus
band in that time Of danger, and after
she had famed herself vigorously, She
continued;
"You ought to get Drifter to tell you
about the time we went out TO the lake
near Fort Worth ! was just dying for
a sight of body Of water. IL did seem
to me as if / would dry up there in Tex
as unless | could get within sound OF
the oceans roar. so Drifter did the best
he could. He took me out TO pleas
ure resort about five miles from the
city, at place called Arlington. The
trolley cars ran there, and the com
pany made great fuss over the Airing
ton lake. told Drifter | would be sat
isfied if / could spend few hours in
a sailboat out there. At any rate,
would STE a body Of water once again