Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

&SS
MACEDONIA FRACsTo.
He never dies afraid. But when his fate
Is pronounced he blows resignation out
with every cigarette puff.
They say he Is insane. It n not true
He is only Indian. His eyes are piercing,
not soft. His nose II high, not small and
rounded.
Macedonia Frausto WINS a cowboy on
the Rancho del Matzos, go miles from Ma
dadores, In the province of Goa. Mexico.
The Rancho del Matzos belongs to the
Mojas family. Macedonia WINS just plain
cowboy. He could ride anything that
wore hoofs, but any other cowboy on the
Matzos range could do that. He could
drop his lasso over q steers horns at 40
feet and throw and tie his beef inside Of
two minutes. But that Is just journey
man work on COW ranches in that country.
Macedonia Frausto n only IL years old.
but that IL old enough in Mexico to make
q boy man. He WINS also old enough to
fall in love with the pretty daughter Of his
employer.
Anita Mojas is 10 years old and .
beauty according TO Mexican ideals. IL
WINS not surprising that Macedonia. tho
cowboy, should fall in love with her, nor
possibly was it remarkable that she should
be interested in the dashing young va.
quero wit: the eagle face. But thoss
Mexico without their being troubled nbout
1t, and the views Of the rest Of the Mojas
family did not coincide with those of the
girl and her cowboy lover.
Anita's brothers had undertaken 30 ar.
range her life for her. A companion Of
theirs, Ramon Sanchez, the son Of . pros.
porous Chile farmer, was their choice for o
brother-in-law.
He gambled with them, rode horse vaces
with them and was Of their class, 20 they
told Anita she vas to become Senom San.
chez, and that ought to have been the end
of it.
Anita made no protest. She knew bet.
ter. Mexican girls are not likely 70 object
to their brothers plans openly. Just the
same she snubbcd young Sanchex when
ever she could, and whenever her cowboy
lover was riding herd near the home ranch
she managed to sec him.
Probably they had no plan TO thwart the
family arrangement then, but another
cowboy surprised them mt their rendezvous
and told Anita' q brothers Of the clandcs.
tine meetings.
OF course the brothers wcre furious.
Your Mexican ranchman IL not the kind
OF man to DO thwarted by a woman, par.
ticularly one of his own family. Sancbez,
like q good fellow, agreed to overlook the
girls indiscretion. and tho brothers ordered
Anita to peepare for an immediate mar.
riage.
SuIlcnly the girl obeyed. The lnoes Of
her mother, who had got them from hef
mother, and SO on back n century or more.
were taken from the chest. The linen
that had been accommodating for just this
event almost from the date Of ADitn's
birth was overhauled. Couriers were sent
out to bid the neiehbors come, and the
cookhouse smoked night and day In rtep'
srntion for the wedding feast.
How she got word to him no other man
knows, but in just the length Of time q
swift horse could get over the range q
where Macedonia was riding and back the
young cowboy galloped up TO the hacienda
| This was on Wednesday evening. Thu
marriage was set for the next day. Thurs
| Jay, May 10.
At the gate he met Juan Mojas. the cid
or brother. There was no "Oh. come yot
| In peace or come you in warf" In the broth
| ef's greeting. He demanded what Aarc
donio was doing away from his bunch o.
| cattle, and tho answer, SO Tar from satts
| flying him, made him bitter.
| go marry the carboncra's daughter ]
you want q bride" said Juan Moj.s. an<
he followed up the taunt by cischargin,
the presumptuous cowboy.
Juan, Anita Mojas' brother. droppct
dead as the gate. In tho flashing of 81