The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-04-26
A DEFERRED AFFAIR.

John Stanhope, ranger, on his shaggy
bronoho, cantered lazily down the dust
oarpeted trail with dropped head and
thoughtful brow. His short carbine see.
sawed across his left leg, which hung
slouohily over the horn of his big Mexi-
can saddle. His whole attitude was one
of relaxation. His eyes were half closed
and his thoughts were wandering
dreamily back to the days before spirit
of deviltry 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. He 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 a bit. /" Stanhope
turned his broncho's head and rode back
to where clump of scrub oak and
ohaparral hid the winding trail from
view. Rising in his stirrups, ne looked
about. There was not living thing in
sight. The undulating prairie, brown
and hot, dotted with an occasional bit
Of timber, stretched away in every di-
rection.
"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 sense I" Stanhope
said, addressing his pony. The pony
was accustomed to being talked to by
Stanhope when they were alone togeth-
er. 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
heavy with sense. Maybe they stopped
at that 'royo we crossed two mile back
to look for some water.
The broncho's ears worked again, so
Stanhope rode back down to the trail,
unsaddled and tethered his horse and
lay down under the shade of a scrub oak
with 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 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 a 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 the trail. He
and Childress and the tenderfoot-W
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, 900 miles away.
Opposite Stanhope sat a 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 Lord" yelled Stan
hope, instinotively reaching for his rifle
The shaggy man grinned. Needn't
trouble to look fer your gum" he
drawled. GIVE 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. Pm the biggest fool out Of hell,
or the buzzards would "a had your man
gy carcass picked clean before this. y
"Yaas, l know" replied the shaggy
man, with exasperating deliberation.
"You did overlook bit when you for
got to scrag me that night on the
Nueces. You know I'm a 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
man and then grinned. There was some.
thing infectious in Upton $ good nature.
"Well. you've got me, haven't your"
he said.
lyon alters was a young man of
powerful discarnment, replied Upton,
"but this time it amt a question of
what I'm goin to do to you. I'm not
the doer in this here game. There's 9TH
ers that holds better cards nor men or
you in it.
"What d'you 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 Red
bank ranch and come pretty nigh KILN
off all his men,"
Stanhope rubbed his eyes in amaze
ment The shaggy man went on:
"He run 'orost what Captain Hays
In his wisdom and generosity left of
my command last night, and I'm the
result.
"See this" ard Upton held up his
bandaged hand. "There s a slug o. lead
as big as the end of your thumb went
through 1t"
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.
81 b'lieve you are as close to the
truth as you ever get, - he said to Tip
ton.
The shaggy man 1ared up, and STAN
hope could see a dangerous glitter in
his gray eyes.
None of that" he growled. "This