The herald., 1898-04-08
AN UNSETTLED AFFAIR
t*++f*4 4+*4+4++++++++a

carpeted trail with dropped head ant
thoughtful brow. His short carbine see
sawed across his left leg, which hunt
slouchily over the horn of his big Mexl
can saddle. His whole attitude was ON
of relaxation. His eyes were half closed
and his thoughts were wandering dream
lily back to the days before spirit OF dev
1ltry had induced him to leave his nome
in the blue grass region OF tennessee u
seek excitement and adventure on tn'
Texas prairies. The sun blazed down II
vertical rays, and tremulous heat wave:
rose from the powders scattered here
and there.
Suddenly Stanhope came to his senses
and jerked at his bride SO violently ina,
his horse reared on his hind legs anc
snorted, Stanhope did not know wha'
caused him to stop. He felt vaguely tha'
something was wrong, but ne olo MOI
know what.
"Wonder where them fellows are?" he
tnuttered. "Reckon they stopped BACK
up the trail Bit" Stanhope turned MS
bronco's head and rode back to where =
clump of scrub oak and chaparral hio
the winding trail from view. There was
not a living thing in sight. The undu-
aating prairie, brown and hot, stretched
away in every direction.
"Well, I'll be damned" exclaimed
Etanhope, 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 carefuiiy
about. He had taken unnecessary
trouble. No one was in sight.
"You'a "a thought Bill Ohildress
would "a had more sense'n" Stanhope
said. addressing his pony. The pony
was accustomed to being talked to by
Stanhope when they were alone otgether.
He may not have understood what MS
master said, but he knew that he was
being talked to, and he worked his ears
theoretically by way of reply.
"As for that young cub that come down
from San Antoine" Stanhope went on, Il
never did think he was top-heavy with
sense. Maybe they stopped at that 'royo
we crossed two mile back to look for
some water"
The bronco's ears worked again, so
Stanhope rode back down the trail, un-
saddled and tethered his horse and lay
down under the shade of a sA'ub oak,
with a saddle for pillow, to wait for
his companions to catch up.
1t did 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-lifters that he knew
of in a hundred miles, and Col Tipton's
road agents had, he thought, been wiped
ont by some of Capt. Hays rangers a
fortnight before.
At least a report to that effect had
reached San Antonio few days before.
The Matamoras stage-driver told him
about 1t that morning when the stage
passed him and his two companions
twenty miles or more back up the trail
He and Childress and the tenderfoot-
Wallace 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 grad
ually dropped and he sank into pleas
ant 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, two hundred miles away.
Opposite Stanhope sat swarthy, mus
cular man with shaggy hair and shag-
gier beard, looking quizzically at him.
A rifle rested across his knees. A blood
stained piece Of cloth was bound tightly
about his left hand.
"Tipton, by the Lord!" yelled Stanhope.
lnstinctively reaching for his rifle.
The shaggy man grinned. Needn't
trouble to look for your gun," he drawl
ed. 1--WE moved it,"
Stanhope boiled with rage and chagrin.
He tried to say something, but his tongue
refused to perform it's functions. Tip
ton saw the effort and smiled again.
you're fool, Stanhope," he observed
briefly.
you're right there" snapped the 9TH
er. "I'm the biggest fool out O. hell or the
buzzards would a. had your NANCY car
cass picked clean before this"
"Yaas, I know" replied the shaggy
man, with exasperating deliberation.
"You did overlook bet when you forgot
to scrag me that night on the Nueces.
You know I'm pretty slippery cuss.
Better be prompt the next time-that is
II there's goin' to be any netx time"
Stanhope had cooled down consider
ably. He looked steadily at the shaggy
man and then grinned. There was some-
thing infectious in Tipton's good nature
"Well, you've got me, haven't you?"
he said.
"You alters was man Of powerful dis
cernment," replied Upton, but this time
1t amt a question of what I'm a goin' to
do to you. I'm not the doer in this here
game. There's others that holds better
cards than me or you in it,
"What dye mean?"
"Oh, nothin', only that greaser cuss,
Gonzales, he's got 'crost the Grande and
is raisin hell all through these parts.
He surprised Hays at the Redbank ranch
an come pretty nigh KILN off all his
men,"
Stanhope rubbed his eyes in amaze
ment. The shaggy man went on:
"He ran 'crost what Captain Hays, in
his wisdom an generosity, left O. nv
command last night, an Pm the result.
"See this!" And Upton held up his
bandaged hand. "Theres a slug O. lead
as big as th' end O. yer thumb went
through it,"
The sun had disappeared behind the
hills, and in the dim twilight Tipton's
shaggy outline looked shadowy and in
distinct to Stanhope, so astonished was
he. He whistled softly, and the pony
pricked up his ears.
II blieve you are as close to the truth
as you ever get" he said to Upton.