The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-09
flrS. Drlfter e
. baS Fer Say.
She Found Wild Bulls, Dry Rivers,
and Chigres in Texas.
MRS. DRIFTER grew eonfidentia

'Of course, it is all right" said Mrs.
Drifter, for Drifter to tell about the
trials he endured when he was the edi-
tor of paper in Texas. never put in
such time in my life. I expected that
Drifter would come home to me shot
full of holes some night. When l was
down at his office reading the proofs of
that 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.
"Drifter treasured me by telling me
chat the crack of a pistol did not al
ways mean that somebody had been hit,
but you know what brave man Drifter
Is. No, you don't either. You say you
don't know anything about the time he
saved our lives down in Texas? l don't
think | ever realized before just how
courageous Drifter is. You know | had
not seen a ranch nor a herd of cattle
since | arrived in Texas, and l begged
Drifter to take me where the real Pan
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
.Iosed, and there were no signs of life
at the stock yards. We walked around
and around the huge inclosure, and l
5ried to imagine what it 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 US
al 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. 1t is
needless to say that 1 was frightened.
( thought my last moment had come.
The fence of the stock yards must have
been so feet high; at least it looked so
TO ME. Drifter afterward said that it
was not more than IS, but | know that
the trees around it were not so high as
The fence. He grasped me by the hand
and said:
Little girl, run for the fence. 1 will
stay here and protect you
81 was brought up in the country, and
Iknow it is the height of foolishness to
run from a wild animal, so [ fatty re-
fused If we are going to die, we will
die together, Drifter,' said l, but the
best thing to 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 off us.
know could hear Drifter's heart beat,
but it must have been anxiety for me,
Tor he is not afraid of anything.
"'Get behind that tree he said, and
his voice sounded as if it was away off
somewhere, and 1 felt as if we were to
be separated forever. Reassuringly he
said:
81 will see that he does not touch
you. With that he took out his little
pocket knife, opened the blade, which
was not over three inches long, and
said: THERE with as much defiance
In his tone as if he had been behind a
stone barricade and armed with
Martini rifle. Somehow or other we
got % that fence at last 1t was evil
dent that Drifter would not let me
take any chances alone, for he got
there as soon as 1 did, and if you ever
saw two people climb a high fence
Il the quickest possible space of time,
1t was Mr.. and Mrs. Drifter
L 1 L, : ~, r.,
until dusk, and Drifter never let go
of the knife. l really believe THAT if the
bull had attacked me Drifter would
have stabbed him with that penknife.
In the 'rening, after l had mustered
up 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 a
word about the adventure, and you
would not have thought he had done
anything 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-
OAHU III lHdC Time Vi udLScI, anu dIleT
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
sight of a body of water. 1t did seem
to me as if would dry up there in Tex
as unless l could get within sound of
tire oceans roar, so Drifter did the best
ne could. He took me out to a pleas
ur4 resort about five miles from the
city, at place called Arlington. The
trolley cars ran there, and the com
parry made great fuss over the Airing
ton lake. ! told Drifter | would be sat
isfi?d if I could spend a few hours in
a sHilboat out there. At any rate,
would see a body of water once again
in my life.
well we had our dinner at the hotel,
and ! said: Now, Drifter, let us get
right out on that lake as quick as pos
sible.' The people in the hotel office
told us in what direction to walk to the
lake, and we walked. We kept on walk
ing, ard not sign of lake was 10
doe seen. At last we found our way back
to the trolley line, and asked one of