The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-24

! arms tiis very udy. w III y ca iAo.-'
liar2"
In second Fins coat was thrown on
| the snow. and then, of a sudden, the
two became outwardly calm The
/ shadows of the branches fitted across
1 their faces, but the moonlight was quite
| good enough for each to watch the
| others eyes. These, though still yenge-
/ full, were the eyes of practlced boxers
! for, indeed, there were few among the
younger men who could beat the breth-
rem at the gloves. Also each man re-
memhered that if he were so beaten as
to be ashamed to show himself next
day at the little house in the town. the
rival sutton would have won the widow
Therefore they fought, in spite OF their
rage, with science and Self-control- II
was no romantic duel; there was no
clash of swords, the men were no
courtly knights, the lady no high-oorn
maid. The affair was a very vulgar one
two common soldiers of an age 10
know better, of a friendship which
should have been above such folly, pat
tering each other brutality with fists FOR
the hand of a woman whose late nus
band had been a government teamster.
It is to be conceived. however. that the
sneering moon never looked down upon
a combat fought by young lovers with
honest wounded hearts more fiercely
aflame.
! sIn utter silence they fought until the
| snow was beaten and scattered by their
dancing feet. There was no need here
| of seconds. no need of an arbiter OF the
code. Feint. parry, smash; a moments
play for breath. a close, wrestle; up
and come again. The old boys were
strictly honest, and. though none saw
save that flying moon and an occa-
sional Jack rabbit startled in its tracks,
each would have scorned to take an
unfair advantage, to be guilty of foul.
4 Round after round. with all memory or
/ their former comradeship forgotten.
with no thought save the mad ones of
| jealous rivalry. they struggled to-
/ gether. There was little difference IN
| their weights. but Healy was the wiz
/ Ter, and neither mans wind was as
! good as in the days of early cam
| paigns. So it happened that, after half
an hours fierce lighting, when both
were bloody, and both more full of
wrath than ever, they fell together,
and rolled in the trampled snow, too
J blown to spring up. Healy had the
! upper hold, and he cried in Fin Straits
ear:
TEX it back-about the kiss, TEX it
! back an swear ven lave the wildly
/ be-"
Fin gasped a sturdy. fierce defiance,
! and Healy's hand was raised over him,
when there came family thrilling over
! the snow the first clear note of a bugle.
/ Healy's hand dropped harmlessly and
! he raised his head and pricked up his
] ears like a dog at the call of the mas
! ter. More loudly rang the bugIe, and
suddenly the rivals were apart, sitting
| in the snow, listening intently- Clear
and shrill at last, loud, commanding.
/ blood burning, out sang the bugle bold
~, so that the cold air thrilled through
| the cottonwoods. and every living thing
! in the plain stood still to listen. Ere
the trumpeter was half through with
the call, the disciplined soldiers were
on their feet, as they would have
| struggled TO their feet at that call if
sword had passed through the body of
each. All love and jealousy and hate
must wait when thus the trumpets
call.
"'Tis boots an saddlesl" cried Fin.
An me not at the stablesl'
! With that each seized his coat. and,
all regardless of their bruised faces and
blood-stained shirts. they ran swiftly
! to the post. There was rushing of men
! to the corra,ls, the sharp commands of
/ officers, the click of revolvers as they
were hastily loaded, saddling of horses,
! curses of men belated hasty issuing of
ammunition, and at last the cool, clear
voice of the captain of the troop:
ranks!''
The corporal and the farrier were in
their accustomed places. breathing
hard. flushed and bloody. but ready
re- dy as any lance corporal there, the
pride of a first sergeants heart. Then
a whisper passed from man to man
down the line of horsement.
'There's an outbreak on the Sucker
river reserve. They've killed the agent.
and the reds have massacred a ranch
man and his. family
The moon had disappeared. Great
gray clouds had been blown up by the
gathering wind, and once more the
| snow fell. but now more fiercely, more
heavily than ever before. Through it
the little bluecoated column proceeded
at a determined trot to the place some
20 miles away, where the uprisen In
dams were supposed to be gathered to-
gether. a plainsman, who had brought
the news of the massacre and the reg
ular government scout attached to the
post, led the way. AS ranking corporal,
Healy rode on the right of the first set
of fours. the farrier was back in the
column, so that. for a ime, the rivals
were effectually separated. But this
midnight expedition, although it thrill
ed the hearts of the younger men,
troubled the minds of the two -yeterans
little. They rode on as a matter of
duty, just as they would, if ordered,
have gone through the manual of
arms The unfinished fight had left
them with heated brains too full of
jealousy and disappointment and hate
to do more than brood over the fancied
treachery of each. Gone now were all
memories of stirrup to stirrup charges.
of friendly frolics. of pains and pleas
ures shared together. True comrades
ONCE. they were bitter foes aow.
Faster and faster the snow drove in
their faces, deeper and deeper it lay on
the trail. TO be scattered high blythe
! laboring feet of the horses. To right
and TO left, one yard away from the
column, nothing could be distinguished;
a trooper could but fainty see the man
in front of him. Only the half breed
guide and the trained plainsmen could
devise an unerring path through that
storm. In their hands the captain had
to leave his troop and himself. There
was no pause. for revenge on the tribe
must be swift to be sure. At every
clear space, where the freezing wind
had swept the trail clean of drifts, the
guide turnc to the captain, and he
raised his hand. pressing his knees to
his horse. when at once the troop broke
into a gallop, with jingling OF bride
and clash of steel and thunder of hoofs>
So they rode. each man grimly silent.
swiftly through the night and the
storm.
They reached the place before day
light, seeing nothing before them, but
all at once they heard the yapping of
dogs and the shrill voices of squaws,
and the chant and yells of blood-fren-
zied savages. In the fancied security of
the storm. the reds in their tepees were
| celebrating their hideOus triumph TO