Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-04
A MIRAGE In TEXAS.
WHAT THE SHEEP MAN SAW AND
HOW 1T STIRRED HIM.

As Truthful Man He Describes the
Scene. but Draws No differences The
Exciting Point at which uo Always
Stops the Tale.
"Mi.roshg" said the old TcSns sheep
nan who WINS doing most Of the talking.
Il don't remember Of ever sccin nirosh,
BUT l econ mi.ridRcs lots OF times There
was one, now, | seen in Encinal county
hat was, you might say, peculiar consid-
lrin other things that happened along
with 1t,
90 these mirages, said the young
man from the Cnst in the striped shirt and
straw hat appear to he reflections Of OBJ
iects in the vicinity, or are they sometimes
phantasmagorln Of unrccognized scenes
from unknown distances, or even Illusions
sonjured up by some mysterious effort OF
naturo that seemed to present objects real
" nonoxistentY'
al told you said the old sheep man, II
never sow no mi-roshes, and don't know
II they cut up cnpcrs such rs you attempt for
to describe or not was goin to tell you
about this mi-ridgo whnt ! spoke about.
lone day was ridin after bunch Of
muttons what strayed of from enc Of my
aocks, and about shutdown found | was
lost. was down in big mesquite fiat
and couldn't see 80 yards in any direction.
You might think it strange for an old
rancher like me to get lost, but the best
of EN- do sometimes.
"Woll, after | WINS sure j was lost
stakcd my pony and laid down for tho
night was too worried to sleep much
for left my wife md S-month old baby
ut home, and knew she'd be awful wor-
ried about me. As soon AS it got light
enough to SEQ | jumped on my boss, and
rode up n hill to sec where was, l seen
Iona Alta mountain, and the line Of the
Frio and / knew In a minute about where
was. l strucl; out, and when 1t got good
daylight | was ridin up the chaparral
ridge on Green branch and seen the motto
OF comm trees that | knowed was Just 10
milo from my ranch.
when got ON top of the hill pulled
my pony up, and liked to jumped out Of
my saddle / seen the Frio river which |
lnowcd was good 10 mile away risin up
and hangin on the edge of tho horryzon,
kind of pale aud ghostlike, but as plain to
DO seen as II it was only quarter Of u
mile OF. i seen the leaves on the live oak
trees that lined tho banks And just
across tho river | seen my house and cor
rails mud every thing about the place lookin
uOO n Dlb luIAnCT on lllNIl kOOu IOlltIlH
distance. seen the woodpilc near the
door, and the ax stckin In n chunk. l
seen our pet sheep a-wnllsln about in tho
yard and seen the saddles ON the fence
and the water barrels in the wagon and
tho milk pans settin ON the shelf under the
trees Everything looked kind of spooly
like and seemed to be drawed out up and
down like you see things in some lookin
glasses what's got flaws in 'em
II say stopped my pony minute and
Just looked. It's kind of funny feelin to
see things that look like you could hit
'em with rock and know they are 10
mile of. / was just about TO stick my
spurs in and be OIL when the back door OF
my house, which was facln me, opened,
and my wife came and stood in 1t with tho
baby In her arms. yelled ut her before 1
stopped to think, and then felt foolish
Just then ! seen n black shadow a-moyin
through the mist and then 1t come into
what l s'pose you'd call the prospective,
and seen 1T WINS big Mexican gettin of
his boss at the gate. He stumbled in tho
yard, and / seen he was drunk My wife
slipped inside and shut the door. Tho
Mexican grabbed the AK out OF the wood
pile and smashed the panel of the door in.
1t was awful to see this, and know them
miles what laid down between me and
that there mi ridge. | never heard a sound,
of course, but seen the splinters fly from
the door, and then | must have lost my
sense for q minute, bein worked up SO.
remember cussod once real low down,
and grabbed my winchester out of its
scabbard md drawed n bead on the infer
nal grcascr and banged away.
My gun sounded like cannon, every
thing was so still, and | cussed myself
az in for bein fool, and l stuck my spurs
in my boss md the gravel flew through
the chaparral like hail.
1.-THE sun was pretty near up, and Just
then the mi-ridge began to got all crooked
and kind Of went up in steam. | covered
them 10 miles in an hour and when
rode up the hill at my home and jumped
oil my boss had tears in his eyes, and he
leaned up against the feed rack and looked
at me reproachful. wa mt thinkin of nc
boss. / yelled for my wife, and ! was
afraid like death she wouldn't answer
When she came tumblin out the front dooI
cryin, but safe and sound, with the kid
In her arms, got ms weak as blade Of
sacuista grass. got en- in my arms, and
as neither of EN- could talk, one on nc
count Of Mysteries and the other from iu
venile disabilities / dragged 'em botI
round to the back door for to zee.
81 seen him.
He was layin there dead as dog witt
bullet hole right between his shoulders
and his sOmhreIo and the ax layin by him
and the busted door hangiu by one hinge
Never heard no gun, my wife sait
when she got her tongue back. Neye
saw nobody after he dropped,
DO you think"- began the younl
man from the east in the straw hat an,
striped shirt
II don't think nothin," said the oil,
sheep man. "Im a-tellin you what hap
pened and not how II done IT, got tn
bullet out OF the greaser and tried 1t In IN
gun"
Did it GtY' asked the young man anx
iously.
Il Glwnys stops that tale, said tn
sheep man, right there. man what
got any respect for his word and bein be
loved cant tell everything lie know,
Right there Is where that mi-ridge stor
stops. detroit Free Press
U8es Of Ani,aals.