The age-herald., 1898-08-13
STORIES OF THE
 ROUGH RIDERS

bone stickin' out below ms ear hhs he dislocated a chew of tobacker, he was set ting his teeth down so hard to keep 'em from rattlin'. I seen him snap his gun twicet before he noticed the magazine was empty, an his hair had lifted his hat plum ofr'n his head. l notice he hasn't found 1t yet"
 You're a liar" retorted the person re- ferred to, calmly. ''You never was any thing else but liar, an you never Will be. You was too busy maxim up what does you for a mind whether you had sand enough to dodge the bullets an run to mo- tice me: but you've accidentally got in shoutin distance of the truth this time. I was good an scared"
 A group of rough riders of troop G were discussing the events of the fight at La Guasinas as they were camped on the plateau they had so dearly won It was bright moonlight, but there was already slight chill in the air, and the handfuls of fires dotted here and there among the shell ter tents looked cheerful Most of the men
 were sleepfngly soundly, and their deep breathing sounded curiously distinct in the pauses in the conversation. One could hear, too, the tread of the sentry on the gravel in the road below and the rattle of the thickly lying cartridge shells as he kicked them aside in his walks.
 "I'd have given six months pay and pound of smokin' tobacker to have been In the milk cellar my ranch said third George Roland was near me when he was
 hit, an thought my time had come, sure. Then we passed that L troo ptrumpeter | the next rush. Who's seen Heffner? some one said he was wounded"
 Killed" said the first speaker, and there was silence for a minute.
 "I was never scared so bad but once be- fore" remarked a slightly built boyish- looking young fellow. That was when l was working for the Turkey Tracks two years ago last September. I'd been huntin' horses over in Peabodys canyon, an hadn't found hoof, an along about sundown l come 10 a little dobe house with a slab corral didn't reckon there was any one 1 in, for I hadn't seen no smoke as I come along So I put my cayuse in the corral an shook down a forkful of hay for him to bite on, an then opened the door an walked in.
 q made for the flour barrel first thing an I found it was empty, all but couple of stale biscuits. There was some coffee on the stove, though, an it smelt toler'ble | fresh, so I built little fire in the stove 1 an warmed it up. That made me a supper, an when that was done I prospected around some more an found a bundle of | illustrated papers an the best part of candle. That was puddin'. l d'no when had seed so much readn matter before. | Well. before | turned in to read em l started to look for lantern sod I could go out an look after the cayuse but couldn't find one high ner low. Then it oc- CUTS ter me that the fellow that owned the ranch might have put it under the bed. an I took hold of the foot an hoisted it around, an there under that bed was man lyin with his throat cut.
 No use talkin', was stampeded I didn't stop ter open the door-I just went straight at it an busted it off its hinges. I hadn't time to git my pony. l lit out on the keen run, an never stopped till l got to Santa Clara.
 "Then I began to feel that I had acted like locoed hen, an I reckoned at first that I wouldn't take no one into my con- fidence, but when I got inter Henry Mar tvs place I seen Charley Simmons, the sheriff, an I took him outside an told him. He thought the best thing to do was to go out to the ranch an investigate an invited the crowd to go with him. All their horses was tied outside, an I never thought for moment, but started to hunt for mine. | Then remembered. Where's your pony" says Charley. I left him in the corral at the ranch I says He was tuckered out, an there wasn't no hurry, so concluded I'd walk in.
 Charley didn't say nothin', but he com | menced to holler and laff, an the rest of 1 them joined in, an just had to take it. Well, I got another horse, an we started l out, but when we got up to the top of the l hill we saw a red light in the sky over by the ranch.
 "'The kids set the place afire,' says l Charley. We'll sir, that's just what I'd done. I'd thrown the candle over on the bed or somewheres, an when We got there l there wasn't nothin but the four 'dobe l walls left. There wasn't enough of that | dead man left to hold an inquest on. Maybe l they didn't muse themselves with me good | an plenty. They got out story that | d killed the man an then burned the house | to cover up my crime, an a darned fool prosecuting attorney they had in that | county wanted to take it up. l had my troubles over that
 "It was a good joke on you.' said Troop 1 CT Jim "Who's got any water in his can teen?"
 There's a good cold spring about a | quarter of a mile down the road" observed | the kid" "You cant miss It. There's a
 1 dead Spaniard rod above an the watkins 1 good"
 Around headquarters there was no story 1 telling that night Everybody was think ing about the battle and of those who had l fallen. Expenditures had not yet come. l Allyn Capron's death seemed a personal | loss to each one of his brother officers. | Each one had something to say that l showed his admiration and affection for 1 the gallant young soldier. Church broke | down as he told of his last moments ''I
 l done for he had said, when they raised | him up "You can't help me. Old man. l to Dr nt-you-please wri e I to my wife?" Then, as he was suffering
 intense pain, the surgeon administered CO., | caine, and he became mercifully urc h. | scious
 l "It was the death he would have chos- | en-" said one. "He was a soldier throue h and through"
 l But few days later the dead appeared l to be forgotten. I say appeared" They 1 were held no less n affectionate rsmem- 1 brance in one sense, but amid such SC n | as are enacted in war one lives years in a