The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08
MRS. DRIFTER HAS HER SAY.
SHE FOUND WILD BULLs, DIRT
RITERS, AND CHIGR ~ TEXAS.
vyireiy Admiration Tor IIrave Nr. Drirtrr. who
stood ON u Bul-The Lab without Water
ut n Summer Rrsori-How the Tetns Ma
tives Rob the ChiEre OF its Stag.

INK. Spblc II bElILCE > lTlclll- hAA thllt'l' tilA Nho
subject Of bis adventures in the South came NJ.
course. It IS ell right" said Mrs. Driftcr,
'for Drifter to tell about the trials he endured
when he was the editor Of " real populi-t paper
IN Texas. | never pus in such a time In my
life. I expected that Drifter would come home
to me shot fnll Of holes some night. When |
was down Mt his office reading the proofs OF shat
cunning little daily paper he got out It 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.
"Driftcr treasured me by telling me that the
rack Of a pistol did not always mean that some
body had been hit, but you know what a brave
man D-ister IL. No, you don't either. You say
you don't know an thing about tho time he
saved orr lives down In Tcxasl don't think
I cver realized before Just how courageous
prif:er "a. Noa know I had not seen n ranch
nor n herd Of cattle since l arrived in Texas,
and / begged D-itter TO take me where Ito real
Panhandle cattle could b. seen, 80 he took mo
ont 10 the stock yaris beyond Fort Worth.
Times were very, very hard down there, and
the packing house was closed. and there were
no signs or life at the stock yards. We walked
around and around the huge inc!osure, and |
tried to imagine what 1t must be ike VIXEN
the herds Of Texas steers came in from the
Panhandle. We bad gone quite u little dis.
lance from the high board fence. and wcr, ad-
mirins tho scenery, when SOME cows came
strollins along. We stood watching and ad-
miring them until about atty or scventy.tve
had passed us, when all ut once there doomed
up before ~ an Immense Texas hull. His man.
her was disnihet and mastcrtul- He looked
at Us, elevated his head, shifted. and my heart
gave L jump,
That ms when Drifter and his Unborn
bravery came 10 the front. 1t is needless to
say that | was frightened. l thought my
last moment had come. The feHrc % the stock
yards must have been ftty feet high; at least
it looked so 10 me-. Drifter aftcgrard said that
il wls not more than fifteen. but | know that
the trees around it were rot 50 high as the
fence. He srnsped me by the hand lni:,aid:
" Little girl. run for that fence. l will stay
here and protect you.
Il was brought up in the country, and 1 know
it +, the height OF foolishnc,, 10 rua from Il
wild animal, so l fatty refused. II we are
going to die, we will die together. Driftcr.' SAID
|. but the best thing 10 do IS To back slowly
away from that awful bull. We backed toward
the fence, and the bull paced toward Us. never
taking his eyes otf Us. l know | could hear
lrlftcrs heart beat. but il mast have been
anxiety for me. fox he j. not die3,i4 VI anything.
Get behind that tree, be aid. a.i his
voice sounded AS II il was away oil somewhere.
and | felt a. II we were to BE- separated forever.
EeaSsuringly he said:
~ will see that he does not touch YOU.
With that he took out his little pocket knIte,
inches long, and said: Their. with "a much
defiance IN his tone ~ IL he had been behind
n stone OarricaGe and armed with 4 Martini
rifle. somehow or other we got to that fence
at las. II was evident that DriftCr would hot
let me tGSe any. chances Alone. for he got there
~ soon a. | did, and II yor ever saw two people
climb a high fence IN the quickest possible space
OF I.ne. IT was Mr.. and Mr.. Drifter.
W t sat there on top OF the lei, u until dusk.
and lbrlffer TeEeT let ~ OF the knife. really
believe that II the bull had attacked me Drift
| er would have stabbed nim with that prnknitc.
In the evening. AFTER | had mustered up cuG--
age enough. we made our wav. keeping close
by the fence, until we reached a little hotel
sad a word about the adventure. AMI y.4
would not have Thought he had done any hing
~ all remarkable. but ! know that he saved my
life rom that wild Texas bull
Il took Mrs. Urifters friends some time to
/ rb.yed by her husband in that time OF DANCE,
ami after she had tanned herself vigorously.
she continued:
You ought to get nrittor 10 tel you about the
! tiire.Nc went out to the AXE near Fort Ortk.
! Wa ius- dying for a sight 81 q body Ot water.
/, did -r-m Ia me a. If | would dry up there
ocean. roar. - Dritrcr DID The best ne could.
II" cook me- out 20 "a pleasure resort about live
Tie 'roiiry cars ran there. and the company
/ made . great tu.- over '-r Arlington Lake. |
| told Drit'er | wuI.t be satisfied II | could
spend a fe" hours In a -'..boslt out there. At
an, rate. | would SEQ 4 body Of water once
H-A!H IN my NE.
Wei, va had our dinner At the hotel. and l
sad: Vow. Dr.f,er. IT,, u. -, right out on that
iahe as quick y possible The people in tn
u the ItSe, and We wa.ket. We kept on walk
iuE. and not a sign u a lake Was 70 De- seen.
Al last we found or way back 70 the trolley
line, and asked one u the railroad men where
the Arlington Lake was. ,
oh, lie satd, I guess they have not turned
The water on Yet. There in I mach Of a crowd.
Last sunday there wa, \ biz excursion, then You
c".t& have seen The lake full Of water. .
Turn the water on. | exclaimed. thought
they, advertised ~sailboats and pond lilies and
AL that -ort Of thing.
so they do, ma am aid the trolley man,
here. and tEev can't afford to waste wat, on
thli lake unless there = crow,i. prifggr bril-,
where the ItAa i, when there T.. any wafer.
The trolley man Wa accommodations lie
called Il hill, and then po.nted our a hole in
dry a; The hotel ,i%rra. u corr 1 was
Never mind aid IrltLer. | Will take
you for q 'ai On the Trinity iy'cr some after,
OF boat, mp the Trinity from galveston, and il
viii seem IKE old times 70 get on = real big eY-
For The next week or two Trinity River
navigation was thoroughly A-ita,ed IN the
the prin tpal difficulty seemed To be tbat tlcy
were g.rar4r- the river ~ -u"-r. read tt'it
."ne bat ~ had a'.o.pl,.hs. "o"IeI' i
that >nAS boat ~. : hal (u>t eft lIa'.a,. and
fairy %rrVctlrt "a th" ANTICIPATION Df 4 Trip 3n
the broad bosom Of the Trinity. Then tha
n"w,u,.pers began 10 print columns about t"e
need Of rain, and it wR- reported that he slag
boats wcr" tied up. owing To the drought.
one day Driftcr tpuN me on the train over ~
Ia" banks u the Trinity, sure enough. therg
WAS thc boat, al excursion steamer On a small
scale, 10 he sure. but - boat, nevertheless.
Believe me-, there was not two feet u water
ia the deepest part ~ that wonderful river
one ot the Texans got real mad whom DgiftcI
suggested that II would be a good idea TO put
the boat on trucks, 80 As to give an tNGurrlOu
up and down the river on wheels, AZ any rate,
"NuU wait until We have rain. said one OF the
Texan, then yoG wont poke any fun ~
Trinity River nayigat!ou.'
The rain finally came. and there was cnGu-1
Of il 70 satisfy al. Texas. Sow We will AAv" 81:
boat ride. SAID Drlftnr, and wr hurried ovrr III
Dallas. Ala, Tsinity River vas Then :" h!Ia
that the excursion boar would either HAY g.
be pulled over the bridge ur stay NJ H. docs
They couldn't AFFORD to cat u hole ia n" BRIDE,
you zee, just Tor an excursion, and the river
Lad risen 20 the level Ot the bridge,
al last accounts the Trinity It.yer excursion
had been abandoned, Driftrr told me that the
boat couldn't make uiucL a~ea.tway IN account
~ The d4-t ia tue river tu.iuu. and | believed
hin Why, actually 'h"y have 1" wait i'F u
ra.n-torM down here before tuuF could nave
outdoor baptl-m services, fur you zee, ~