El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-22
.'TwO Bits"

''Hello, you have goS giant here"
| said to my blue-coated guide as L
wandered through the little military
graveyard at Camp Downing, and
stopped by a big mound all alone in one
corner.
The old fellow touched his cap in
salute before the tall, white maidstone
and dropped a handful of smoke-bush
blossoms on the grave.
''Taiu't no man. sir-it's Il boss; it's
old Two Bits "
'sBut why is he buried here with the
soldiers?" l questioned.
''Buried here, sir? Why you must be
stranger sure: thought everybody
knew about old Two Bits, an his saw
in company A.
1T was two years ago when them
| Apaches, that eastern folks thinks so
| much of, was raising the devil. They
raided the ranches below here an killed
| lot of women and children, an ran
| off all the stock; an company A was
sent out after 'em.
| ''They ambushed us at Dirty Creek.
more'n twice as many of 'em as we
thought was this side of San Carlos:
| hut we managed to git into a little
| clump of scrub oaks an held 'em Off till
shutdown.
| ''Then our captain see nit was all up
with us if help didn't come from the
|
ride old Two Bits, past them devils
an carry the word.
| IS Two Bits had been on the track
| in his young days, an held the belt for
long winded runnin.' Many's the IN
I've seen Cap clean up a hatful OF Mex
lean dollars racin' him ag'in the cow
boys ponies. He was big chestnut
sorrel, with white feet an a white face
an him an Cap loved each other like
| hrCthorS Two kpOUeH Gan Tn on
hungry lots of t mes scoutin,' SOS old
| Two Bits could have his bareback;
an he'd hold up his head an drink
out of a canteen like a reg 'lar-you bet
it was mighty dry times if that old hess
didn't git his share.
| "Well, more dozen of the boys Of
fered to go, but Cap picked out Curly
| White, the toughest an lightest man
in the lot, to do the ridin.'
"While they was gittin' him ready
| Two Bits just stood an rubbed his
| nose on Caps arm like he was sayin'
] that if we didn t hear the old troop
| bugles before mOrnin it wouldn't be
his fault
| s'Then Curly grabbed his gun an
swung into the SADDLE: an we all hol-
Tered an yelled an made a break for
| the Injun lines on the side away from
the post, like we was bound to go
through. That give Curly a chance,
an he took it you bet. Old Two Bits
shot up that valley like a streak-but
there was trail of Apaches behind
him. We see Curly drop the reius
an go to shootin', an the Injuns fell
back little.
''The race was nip an tuck for a
mile, an'.once we see old Two Bits
stag ger like he was hit: but he kept his
| feet an passed out of sight in the hills.
| Then the dark came down an we wait
ed. No, we wasn't Injun bait that
| time-the bugles of the old Third was
a-ringin in the valley by daylight, an
| them Apaches got lesson they'll be a
long time forgittin'.
An Curly an Two Bits? Well,
| Curly was shot clean through, but he
lived an is wearin' shoulder straps to-
day. An Two Bits? Poor old Two
Bits. He carried the world, an he
carried two big balls from an Apache
rifle till he fell dead at the colonel's
door.
1.-The men be saved put him here:
an L don't reckon none o. them that's
sleepin' longsioe grudges him his
room. ''-Sharlot M. Hall.