The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-03

down on wan ilbow. with wan hand on
his chist, an luckin' at me. who was
putin down me KTag to help him, SEE:
'kape poompin', Spot, kape pO0m7
PIN. I'm done for anyway. an We must
thry to kape thin back till tn byes
come out Tor yez
An seem IN blood comm ir spurts
through his fingers an tn film Oh his
eyes. knew he sphoke tlrue. SO wint
on with me rat-shOOtin', kanin' wan
eye on Bill. His lbOw whit slip-slippin'
out on tn rel west grass under him. tiu
his head nodded down in tn crook av
MS arrum loike he were drowsv an
droppln on to Shape. Tn bloody hand
on his chist fell lump-l0ike beside him.
Thin he opened his eyes sleepy Ioika
Wanst an muttered lOike he were half
dreamln'; lis a woman. singiu'u
Ihln ne shut his eyes an dropped
OF alsy. An I wint on with me rat
KILN. Thin heard tn mountain guns
barkin' behind me an tn fire from tn
front slackened I could heard YOU min
thrampiin' through tn dry grass. An
mere 1 am. But Bill-he We're a man
Margarita or no Margarita."
1t was the evening of the dav after
The men OF were leaning listlesslv
out on the easements of the big case
Where the company was quartered to-
catch a breath of cool air. Across the
street there was a native matched
shack. Under its projecting roof the
forms of a man and a woman were
dmiy visible. The woman gently
touched the strings Of a guitar and lust
the suggestion of a plaintive melody
Hoated across the way. The men leaned
further out Of the easements and lis
tened.
The Wall of Margarita.
''Shure," said Sevenspot, "thot little
brown divil. Marg3rita. tuck il hgr'rf
whin we putt away poor Bill tn morn
in. Win III bUgle sounded taps. I
shure thought she'd wape herself into
nothin but a pint aV wather. IT'S a
finder heart she has under a b-Ovrn
skin. I misd0ubt me I may have mis-
judged tn brown wimmin."
The banjo across the way gave forth
a louder thrum-thrum and then a
moaning' waiing, heart-breaking mel
ody, deep-chested alto chanted sadly.
monotonously in the native tongue. The
soldiers looked and listened silently.
The Woman's voice rose and fell vi
brantly in a weird chant full of tears
and means and broken hearts and then
died away in d hopeless sob Sevenspot
drew a long, shuddery breath
MS IN first native I liver heard
sins, she whispered who is sheq"
"Bills Margarita," said Smithie.
company Us authority on Kakiack
ingo and customs.
Bills Margarita!" exclaimed Seven
spot, 'Shure, thot explains it, Twas
tnOt voice, not tn brown woman that
Big Bill married. Twas an echo an
mimOry thOt he welded. poor ladl"
Smithie nodded and pulled his cigar.
Poor little brown Margarita." con-
tinued SevenspOt, "Av 1 could sling the
lingo tbs mesif would 60 an thry an
say kind wOTTUd to her It's tn
Geath song av her love she were singin'
an tbs not unlike an honest Irish keen.
It's sad me OUld heart is for tn poor
little brown divil, left all al0ne-alone."
Smithie threw back his head and
laughed aloud.
"Phwat." exclaimed Sevenspot turn
ing hercely, "Phwat do yez fond so
funny in a brave soldiers widow. be
she brown or biack!"
Explanation That Chilled Sentiment.
"sevenspot!" said s1nithie putting a
restraining hand on his friends threat
ening arm, Don't set sentimental in
this climate. At least don't get that
way till you know the ways and lingo
Of the Tags. That was no death song.
Twas no keen Twas q love song.
And twas the poor little brown divil,
Bits MaTEarita, singing to her new
husband. She married him this after
noon. His name is Yen Shee. ApprO-
pirate name, too. In Cheeno is means
Number Two. He is the wealthy
CheenO banker at IlOilO. Savey2 IL
Bills white Margarita in the Sammles
was ditto girl, too, he surely lost out
against the love game"
Just then the guitar across the way
thrummed again, and again a deep
cEested alto began 10 chant a mourn
full song full of tears ana means and
broken hearts. Sevenspot leaned Tar
out of the easement and drew a deep
breath. His big chest rose and sweIIed
until the arch Of it touched his chin.
Then he rOared and the candle lights
Of all JaTO went out as if by the wind
of his bellows:
shut uD, Shut up carambal Shut
up, before I come and pull that eDi-
shack about your ears, Ye female
tarantulaI"
The alto voice quivered and stopped.
The dimly outlined figures of a man
and woman disappeared stealthily and
catiike within the door of the thatched
shack Across the plaza the bugls
sounded taps plaintively The town
was silent and far-wiuged dreams Of
home and a white Margarita lowered
over the casas Of the soldiers, to be dis
turbed now and again by the crack Of
Kakiack's Remington or the bark OF
an Americans Krag, as the OutpOsts
took sly pecks at each other through
the night