The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-01-20

mustang, on which was glrted an old
Spanish saddle.
The snddle, which was of exquisite
workmanship and gaily decorated with
plaits of colored leather, looked
strangely out OF place on the raw
boned pony and in the possession OF
the rough Iudian. / afterward learned
that it was the one pride of Shauk's
life, and that he refused to attempt
any unusual feats of horsemanship
when not seated in its eapacious
depths. When he had vaulted easily
into it, without tho aid of its huge
stirrups, it seemed MS if saddle and
man became one piece.
As we rode homeward, tried TO en-.
gage him in q conversation; but as |
got only grunts in reply to my efforts,
gave it mp, and amused myself by
noting his apparel. His leather
breeches were blackened aud gIe easy,
and his flannel shirt, which he wore
open at the throat, was grimy with
dirt. On his head was comparatively
clean sombrero, from beneath which
his long black hair fell down to his
broad shoulders. he wore q
pair of old cowboy boots, upon
which were buckled the inevitable
spurs, changing and iingling in time
to his mustangs quick little steps.
He rode along as though indifferent
to all surroundings, and before we
reached home found myself wonder
ing what pleasure there could be in
G.. e. a. t,,A Ia
hopes, his isambitions-or had he either?
At supper that evening told Lease
of Shauk's extraordinary statement,
and asked if he was in the habit of
drinking. To my surprise Lease said:
"He was not drunk; it's so that he
is to be hung then. He killed another
Indian over at Longs Ranch in De-
cehber. The man he killed warn't
worth the powder it took to shoot
him, hut they convicted Shauk of
murder in the first degree. There
amt no Jail in Gordon County, SO
they let him go free till then"
remembered the storekeeper's
question whether was an officer, and
knew that what Lease told me was true.
''But will he stay-will he be here
then?" / stammered.
'.Never knowed but one to skip out
yet, and he was horse thief" said
Lease, going on with his supper.
From that time I felt lively if
not altogether pleasant interest in
Shauk. He was the best
ranch hand / have ever seen.
There was no work about the place that
he did not thoroughly understand, and
as horseman he WAS uhexcelled. The
other cowboys treated him with the
respect his skill commanded, and none
of them seemed to regard the fact that
he was TO be hanged for murder as any
thing to his discredit.
81 guess we'd better put that Indian
on the north range" said Lease.
"That's the worst herd on the place
up there. They come near gettln' away
from the boys twicet already"
can right" said /. confess that /
did not like the idea of having a con.
demned murderer about the home
range. 1t made me shudder every tlmo
| saw him.
The months passed away, and I
ceased to think OF the horrible fate in
store for Shauk. had other more
pleasant things of which TO think. Ell
inor-my Elinor-had answered one
of my rash letters with delightful
frankness, saying that she would be
most happy to come and live with me
at the ranch--or anywhere else, for
that matter--and that life without me
was not worth having. She would not
allow me to come East Tor her, she
said As had been so ungallant as
not to ask her to accompany me on my
first trip, she would come to me, and
we would be married at Santa Fe.
| When first received that letter, /
was simply dazed. Then, as realized
its full import, threw up my hat and
shouted until the cowboys thought /
WAS crazy. And 1 must have been,
too, or l should never have allowed
her to come; but how could l help it
when she wrote as she did2 So it
happened that on the 1st of August l
drove to Santa Fe and there met Eli
nor at the depot. We were married
at once in the parior of an uptown
hotel. and the next day we started in
carriage for the ranch.
The momory of that two days drive
will never leave me. The first was
one OF those rare cloudy days that dc
sometimes come in the middle of sum-
mer, even in the New Mexico plains,
and we drove ioyously along till we
reached Juniper Creek. Here we
spent the night, and Elinor seemed to
enjoy her rough, strange surround
ings. On the second day the sun beat
down on us numerically, but neither
of us noticed it. As we rode along
tried to persuade Ehnor to look out
upon the desolate prairies and tc
accustom herself TO their monotony
before she reached her new home.
pictured the ranch house as
the most wretched OF habitations,
80 that its small claim to comfort
might surprise her. made dispar
aging remarks about Che country il
general, and beneath all my testing
seriousness was a lurking feeling Of
having done wrong to allow this deli
cate woman to come TO such a desert
But Eiinor refused TO be made mis-
cradle by my dlseouraging talk. The
prairies, she said, gave her a feeling
of freedom which she had never before
felt The heat waves rising from the
sun seCrohed grass made it look like 6
great yellow sea, of which she could
never tire. She turned from it, ant
with her great blue eyes looking intC
/ 4 .h. 4 4 o. rl.,,.t L.