The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-20

Today Lucas was riding his sleek lit
tie cow horse, Topo, along the river
road leading to the rancho; but not to-
day would he rope the old blaze-face.
There were others to be broken. Half
way from the bridge he met little Nico-
las, who worked for the senior, and
passed him with "a pleasant 'Buenos
dias! without stopping. He had been
his good amigo since the time he got
him away from the maddened steer
that would have gored him-theTe was
nothing the boy would not do for his
loved Lucas. But Lucas cared not to
stop and talk to him today, as was his
custom; he was thinking of the little
dead 'Stacia, and rode on. A hundred
yards further and he heard the ciatter
of horse hoofs behind him, aIAi Nicolas
calling:
Lucas, Lucasi'
He turned the rein on Topo's neck and
waited till the boy came In the pleas
ant, warm October sunlight he waited
while Nicolas told him that which
would always make him SILVER and feel
cold when he should remember. He
waited even after Nicoias-frightened
at daring to tell his friend-had gone.
The senior and Carmelital 1t wss the
truth-Nicolas would not lie. And he
had listened behind the high fence of
wea Their bleached boards, and had heard
them talk. He and the little stream
that gurgled and laughed had heard
how they-Carmelita and the senior
would go away to the north when the
month ended They two had lOved-the
Senior Metcalf and his Hucas's) Car
melita-fOr many months; yes, before
the little 'Stacia came. The little Sta
ella who was the senor's -. All, he
could not say it, His little Stacia; his
pobrecitai And but that the poor little
one would have been a trouble they
he and she-would have gone away to-
gether before; but the man would not
have it. Now the little one was no
longer to trouble them, and he would
take the mother and go to the new
rancho he had just bought away on the
other side of the mountain.
GO" said Lucas when the boy had
finished telling all he had overheard
go and tell the senior that | ride the
roam stallion now. And-'Colas, give
me thy rata for today"
Lucas had driven the horses into one
Of the corrals. Alone there he had las
seed the old blaZe-face; unaided he had
tied him down. AS he lay there vicious
ly biting and trying TO strike out with
his hind feet, Lucas had fastened a
halter on his head and drawn a RATA
'SiAiN Attl 'OiS anu SbibllS sAS liit AIit
OF a lion) tight about him just back
of his fore legs. Twice he passed it
about the heaving body of the old stall
lion. whose reeking hide was muddy
with sweat and the CRIME and dust OF
the corral The knots We're tied secure
ly and well The rope would not break.
Had he not made it himself from the
hide Of an old toro? From jaw-piece
to jaw-piece of the halter he drew his
red silk handkerchief, bandaging the
eyes that were under swollen and
skinned lids. Then he cautiously I'M
bound the four hOofs that had been tied
together. The horse did not attempt
to move, though he was consumed by a
rage against his captpr that was fend-
ish-the fury Of d wild beast that mas
never been conquered.
Lucas struck him across the ribs with
the enc Of the rope he was holding. The
big roam head was lifted from the
ground a second, then let fall, and he
squealed saYagely. Again the rope
made a hollow sound against the heav-
ing sides. Again the maddened horse
squealed. Whes the rope struck the
third time he gathered himself together
uncertainty, hesitated, struggled an in
slant. staggered to his feet and stood
quivering in every muscle OF his great
body. Ills legs shook under him; and
his head-with the bandaged eyes
moved unsteadily from side TO side
Then Lucas wound the halter rope,
which was heavy and a long one,
around the center post of the corral,
where they were standing.
Just then he heard some one singing,
the voice coming nearer and nearer. y
mans voice it was, full and rich. carol
ing love song, the sound mingling
,t-ith e p1affarirrr hHnfS
Lucas, STOPPING, picked up the RATA
belonging to Nicolas. He was carefully
recoiling it when Guy Metcalf, riding
up to the Enclosure, looked down into
the corral.
Hello. Lucas. Going to have some
fun with the old roam this morning. are
you? Well. you're the boy to ride him.
Haven't got the saddle on yet, hey?
Hold on a minute; soon as tie I'll be
with YOU
Lucas had not spoken. neither had he
raised his head. He went to where lit
tie Topo was standing. Shaking the
moose into place by turn or two of the
wrist. while the long loop dragged at
his heels through the dust, he put his
foot into the stirrup and swung him
self into the saddle. He glanced at the
gate He ran the moose out yet a little
more; then began to swing it slowly,
in easy, long sweeps above his head
while he waited.
The gate opened and Metcalf came in.
He turned and carefully fastened ii be
hind him. He was a third of the way
across the corral when their eyes met.
Then. with its serpent hiss of warn
ing. the circling RATA, snake-like. shot
out. fastening it's coil about him. And
Topo the little COW horse, trained to
such work, wheeled at the touch of the
spur as the turns of the rope fastened
themselves about the horn of the sad
die, and the man-furrowing the hOOf
powdered dust of the corral-was
dragged to the heels of the wild stall
lion. Lucas, giving one hasty look at
the face, earth-scraped and smeared,
and the full lips that were bleeding
under their fringe of gold, saw that
though the quick jerk on the rope had
for a moment stunned him-the blue
eyes were opening. He was off in an
TOpo to hold the RATA
taut-while he began the work of bind
ing the doomed Americana. When he
had done, to the doubled RATA about
the roam stallion he made Carmelita'S
lover fast with the rope he had got
from Nicolas. He removed il from the
mans neck (the senior should not have
his eyes closed too quickly to the VAL
ley through Wnlcn he WOulu pdSS!) anu
put it about the body. under the arms.
Lucas was lingering now over his work
like one at some pleasant occupation.
The halter rope then was unknotted
and the turns unwound from the center
post Next he pulled the handkerchief
from the horses eyes; shouted, and
shook his hat at him. Maddened, ter
rified and with the dragging thing at
his heels, the four-footed fury fought |
man and earth and air about him like |
the very demon that he was, till he |