The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-05-11
JIM TRENBAR'S LUCK

IN the strong, clear light of the Au-
gust morning the sheriff of Bandera
county and his deputy rode out from
the cumberland that skirted the river
bottom and drew rein. Before them
lay the prairie burned brown by the
sun stretching away to meet the faint
gray lines of the horizon.
The sheriff's face was lean and dark
with the sharpened, watchful look of
His eyes glanced keenly from under
meath the hand which he had raised
to shade them, as he scanned the prairie
long and attentively.
The deputy shifted to an easier posi-
ton in the saddle and pushed the SOM
brero back from his heated forehead.
He was young man with heavy,
stolid cast of features. The curling
ends of his red-brown hair reached al
most to his shoulders. His long, mus
cular throat rose like column from
the loose collar of his coarse wool
shirt.
The stout little broncho upon which
he sat pulled peevishly at the bride
and blew the foam from it's nostrils.
They had travelled far and fast since
sunrise and there was still the prospect
of long, hard gallop before them. The
deputy felt that his strength needed re-
enforcement. This fact was the more
vigorously impressed upon him since
the means of reinforcement was at
hand. He drew fiat, black bottle from
his hip pocket and held it up to the
light. 1t showed little more than half
full. He put it to his mouth and drank
with evident Zest of the contents. The
sheriff took his hand from his eyes and
eyed him thirstily.
"Have some, Bill?" the deputy said,
speaking with his soft, lazy drawl and
extending the bottle toward the sher-
if, who received it without comment
and drank deeply in his turn. The
deputy wiped his mouth on his wrist
and gave hitch to his cartridge belt.
"Well, what's the next move?" he
asked, when the bottle had been re-
stored to its former security in his
pocket.
The sheriff leaned forward, resting
his elbow upon the pummel of his sad
die and rubbing his prominent, un-
shaver chin thoughtfully with the
palm of his hand. His narrow, deep
set eyes were contracted until only a
tiny cleaning line of light showed be-
tween the lids.
Our mans gone north,'' he said, at
length. Struck out straight for the
Rio Grande. He's got good horse
under him and five hours the start;
but" He Strengthened up suddenly
and thrust his feet farther into the
stirrups, "we're after him, and it's
good man that can git away from the
sheriff of Bandera county with hull
skin. reckon he'll make for the North
fork. He won't trust himself to the
open prairie in broad daylight. If 1
can head him off before he gifts thar"
He looked at his deputy, who answered
with a look that said plainly they
could and would.
The sheriff touched his wild-eyed lit
tie mare with the spur. She plunged
forward, with the deputy's broncho
close upon her track. A fine yellowish
dust lifted itself from the withered
grass stalks and weeds and hung about
them as they rode. The sun poured
its level rays full upon the parched
and lifeless prairie and upon the two
men galloping with grim set faces in
the pursuit of justice.
All day long the man upon the black
horse had been steadily making for the
Mexican border. 1t was nearing sunset
now. The mans slight figure dropped
YEARLY in the saddle. His head had
sunk upon his breast and the reins lay
loosely in his relaxed fingers. The
black horse still galloped, but slowly.
His nose was thrust far forward and
either wide nostril gave a glimpse of
the red within. Great flakes of foam
dropped from his bit or foated back
upon the wind of his motion against his
quivering shoulders.
All day long he had galloped-gal-