Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-04-30
A DEFERRED AFFAIR.

broncho, cantered lazily down the dust
earpeted trail with dropped head and
thoughtful brow. His short carbine see.
sawed across his left leg, which hung
slouchily over the horn Of his big Mexi.
can saddle. His whole attitude was one
Of relaxation. His eyes were half closed
and bis thoughts were wandering
dreamily back to the days before a spirit
Of deyiltry had induced him to leave
his old home in the blue grass region Of
Tennessee to seek excitement and ad-
venture on the Texas prairies. The sun
blazed down in vertical rays and tremu-
lous heat waves rose from the powders
scattered here and there.
Suddenly Stanhope came to his senses
and jerked at his Bride so violently
that his horse reared on his hind legs
and snorted Stanhope didn't know
what caused him to stop lie felt vague
ly that something was wrong, but he
had no idea what He looked about.
Wonder where them fellows are?"
he muttered. Reckon they stopped
back up the trail bit. /" Stanhope
turned his broncho's head and rode back
to where a elump of scrub oak and
ohaparral hid the winding trail from
view. Rising in his stirrups, he looked
about There was not living thing in
sight. The unduating prairie, brown
and hot, dotted with an occasional bit
of timber, stretched away in every di-
reetion.
"Well, I'll be id" exclaimed
Stanhope half aloud, "ef this don't beat
me- Where kin them fellers be?''
He rode to the top of the highest
knoll in the vicinity and, shading his
eyes with his hands, again looked care
! fully about. He had taken unnecessary
| trouble No one was in sight.
You'd "a thought Bill Childress
would "a had more sensel" Stanhope
said, addressing his pony. The pony
was accustomed to being talked to by
| Stanhope when they were alone togeth-
| en- He may not have understood what
/ his master said, but he knew that he
was being talked to, and he worked his
! intelligent ears energetically by way of
reply.
GAS for that young cub that come
down from San Antoine" Stanhope
went on, 81 never did think he was top
1 heavy with sense Maybe they stopped
at that 'royo we crossed two mile back
| to look for some water.
! The bronchos ears worked again, so
| Stanhope rode back down to the trail,
unsaddled and tethered his horse and
lay down under the shade of scrub oak
with saddle for. pillow to wait for
his companions to catch up.
1t dld not occur to him that anything
might have happened to Childress and
| the cub, who was young man recently
come from the States impelled by the
same thirst for adventure that had
| brought Stanhope to Texas. There were
no Mexican cattle litter that he knew
of in 100 miles, and Colonel Upton S
road agents had, he thought, been
wiped out by some of Captain Hays
rangers fortnight before.
At least report to that effect had
reached San Antonio few days before
| The Matamoras stage driver told him
| about it that morning when the stage
! passed him and his two companions, 20
miles or more back up tho trail. He
and Childress and the tenderfoot-Wal-
lace was the tenderfoot's name-were
ON their way to join Hays camp at the
Redbank ranch.
Stanhope as he lay under the oak,
watched his pony nosing about for a
green tuft of grass until his eyelids
gradually dropped, and he sank into "a
| pleasant sleep. He had scarcely closed
his eyes, he thought, when he suddenly
sat up. The sun was sinking red behind
feathery, crimson clouds over the west
ern hills, and the purple tinge of even
ing was gradually creeping across the
sky. a cool wind swept up from the
gulf, 200 miles away.
Opposite Stanhope sat swarthy,
muscular man, with shaggy hair and a
shaggier beard looking quizzically at
him. A rife rested across his knees. A
blood stained piece of cloth was bound
tightly about his left hand.
"Tipton, by the Lordr' yelled Stan
hope, instinctively reaching for his rifle.
The shaggy man grinned. Needn't
trouble to look fer your gum" he
drawled. eve moved it,
Stanhope boiled with rage and cha
grin He tried to say something, but his
tongue refused to perform its functions.
Upton saw the effort and smiled again.
"You're fool, Stanhope he OBJ
served briefly.
You're right there" snapped the
other. "I'm the biggest fool out Of hell,
or the buzzards would "a had your man
gy carcass picked clean before this. -
"Yaas. know" replied the shaggy
man, with exasperating elaboration.
"You did overlook bit when you for
got to scrag me that night on the
Nueces. You know I'm purity slip
perry cuss Better be prompt the next
time-that is if there's goin to be- any
next time.
Stanhope had cooled down considera-
bly,. He looked steadily at the shaggy
/ ,,,o,, aud tbap griuupd Thprp WAS Soma.