The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-18
A WOMAN'S NERVE.

knowledge of the vices of two continents
and an utter willingness to be ignorant of
all other things. Americans in New Mex
leo tolerate him as necessary evil, just as
they tolerate Cinnamon in California or
negroes in the southern states. He is
cheap, even if he is nasty, and he makes
farming possible by his exceedingly low
self valuation.
Sometimes he shuffles off his servility
and becomes a Spaniard- Then it re-
quires nerve to deal with him and also a
quick hand on the trigger. 1 became
aware of that fact a few months ago,
when I was staying with Jack Henderson.
Jack went out to New Mexico five years
ago with a bride and dream and 50 900.
When I saw him, the bride had become a
mother to the extent of Jack Jr., aged 8,
the dream was on the verge of evanescence,
and the 49, 600 had gone.
Jack had settled on what purported
eventually to become a fruit farm, when a
company had worried out an impossible
irrigation scheme, 80 miles from Santa Fe
and miles from a white man. There
were far mountains to the east with white
tops that purpled at shutdown All round
him was the dreary prairie, monotonous
as the sea-Inile beyond mile of brown
parched grass, with here and there bunch
of crawling bushes.
Roads, in the English sense of the term
there were none We rode to the place
over the TAXED mud tracks, seemingly
without end or object, past the greasers'
t'dobies,'' as they call their little hoInely
mud huts, past lnyriads of prairie dogs,
scampering into their holes as we ap-
preached. And then at last we reached
long, low farmhouse of planks, sitting in
the midst of a vegetable patch that had
literally fallen into the scar and yellow
leaf. That was Jacks home, and present
~ came Mrs Jack with Jack, Jr., cling
ing shyly to her shirts, to give me well
come.
1t was broiling next day, hot after a
fashion that we in a kindlier cline COM
prehend not whit. No white man could
lift his hand to his head without a weari-
ness resulting therefrom- Only the olive
hued greaser was available, and indeed
Jose seemed, from the short period of my
observation, to be more on the Qui vive
than any other living thing.
Jose was Jacks cook, moist, uncOm-
Portable looking greaser, with a quivering
paunch and long limbs that seemed made
quate to support the superstructure. l
ventured remark upon his unprepossess-
ing countenance, but Jack became elO
quent upon his culinary virtues. Even
Mrs. Jack had something to say on the
subject, and 1 felt at once that was inter
fering with u family idol
When, therefore Jack told me later in
the day that he had been obliged to dis
charge Jose, with instant orders to depart,
it was matter of no small establishment
to me. 1 felt however, that it was deli
cate subject, and to this day have no idea
what was .Joses cause of offense. con-
lecture that Mrs Jack was concerned, and
that the insult was deep, for Jose's accom-
plishments were unparalleled, and no slight
matter could have caused his deposition.
In the evening the temperature grew en-
durable, not that it was cool or pleasant or
anything like an English version of a sum-
mer evening, but there was an Intellectual
breeze, and the ''dObies cast long shadows
as the sun died.
Jack and 1 decided upon ride. We set
out upon our way, talking so earnestly of
I know not what that we barely noticed
Jose as he mounted his pony at the back
door of the house.
When we were 20 feet farther on, there
was a whirring noise with sort of muffled
thud. Jack was delivered of sound that
appeared to have begun life an oath and
turned aside to be gurgle; also his horse
jerked itself on its launches and seemed
to stagger helplessly.
BY the time 1 could turn my head Jack
was half way out of his saddle. A leather
thong was grit around his elbows, pinion-
ing his arms to his sides. Its other end
was fastened to the pommel of Jose's sad
die, and Jose was bending over his horses
neck with a devilish sheen beneath his
heavy eyebrows.
Jack had his fingers on his revolver in
an instant, but crippled as he was by the
thong that cut deep into his flesh he was
as helpless as though his arms had been
broken.
I looked at him, frozen to my saddle, as
useless to move to his rescue though the
lariat was bound about me.
Then there was a crack that startled me,
and the whole fascination dissolved. Jacks
i To-6 for1 lo6 n
in a confused mass of pony, harness and
man.
AS the pony fell there appeared behind
its body the figure of Mrs. Jack, pale and
/ quivering, with the lips set and sort of
horror in the eyes that was revelation to
me in my study of expressions. In her
| hand was a revolver, with a thread OF
smoke trickling from the barrel as it hung
from her limp grasp She swOOned after
| ward and I lifted her from the ground.
| Before that time, however, Jack had re-
leased himself, and when 1 looked round
/ he was standing over the PROSTATE greas-
/ or, with his watch in one hand and his re-
| volver in the other.
Jose" he remarked as placidly as
| though he had been ordering dinner, Gin
! just three minutes am going to kill you
I shall tell you as the minutes pass.
1t was an unpleasant scene to look at
! The fellow howled like a hurt beast. He
| chung to Jacks knees and prayed for mer-
! cy in the name of all his saints.
Its no use, Jose. I'm going to-two
minutes-kiu you. I have no use for such
as you, and don't see how any body else
can have
We buried him a little later, and then
Jack collapsed also. 1 had my hands full
for awhile bringing the couple to rea-
sOnable condition OF nerves.
| did not understand until day or two
| afterward, when Jack was willing to talk
about it, the full extent of Mrs Jacks her
oisn. In the instant granted her to ap-
/ preciate the situation she had seen that to
kill Jose would be useless, for the pony