The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-06-09

|
! II Apache was yet lord of the Mex
| II lean Sierra Madre, was commits
/ II sary clerk in a grading outfit that
was, engaged in building railroad
! In the state of Chihuahua While this
position was one that gave me constant
! opportunity for the study of mulishness,
there having been three hundred mules
] IN the outfit. it was not one calculated
1 to make me familiar with feminine ma
ture, a, graders camp being no place for
woman: nevertheless, a. it was while so
| employed that my personal observation
brought me to the conclusion that there
is. no creature more whimsical than a
| woman, unless 1t be a mule.
Chihuahua was wild bit of country
| III those days, an inhabited desert CT
| bare mountains and hills, and Waterless
| valleys and plains for the greater part
| as for that matter, it is still so, but the
i ApaIhos are not there now, and Apaches
| are-Well, there is nothing with which
| TO compare an Apache--unless the devil,
| OF whose chara ctaristics I have only a
hearsay knowledge.
! The mules Of the outfit We're plain. ev-
| ery-day mules, sometimes sensible and
| tractable, at other times foolish and stub
| b"rn, but energetic kckers always. Their
! leader wls not ore of their own number.
! as one would aturaly expect, but an old
| gray mare with vicious temper-who
hated them with all her heart, and who
was confirm ally fighting them, ever keep
ing them well beyond the reach of her
heels and teetn-and her they reverenced,
# mules can he said to reverence any
thing, never offering to return her kicks
and bites, and they would have followed
her into the very jaws of death. And be-
| cause Of this leadership the old gray was
| assigned as mottnt to the man who took
| the herd out every night to pasture, for
| with her under the control of expert
enced man there was but little danger
of the mules being stAmpeded and run Off
| by the Apaches.
| With a few exceptions the men of the
outfit were in keeping with their sur
Eroundings. Wild. rough fellows, whose
| only law was the dictate Of the six-shoot-
| err held persuasively at 1.-The DROP and
| the few orders issued by the BOSS of
! the outfit Of these none was wilder or
| rougher than one who was named Bill
| Smith. Physically he was a giant, ard
he was an ideal laborer. but morally he
was a weakling, and his great strength,
in connection with extraordinary quick
| ness in drawing his gun, giving him I'M
limited confidence in himself at the same
| time inspiring his comrades. with fear Of
| him, he became the bully of the camp
| though he was not the coward that most
DULLES are. Among the few who were not
| of Bills class was q young Mexican,
whose name appeared on the books as
Luis Montez, but who was known to. the
men as kid Cook this nickname haV-
i ing come of his position as Cooks assist
ant, and his smooth, ,beardless face. He
was quiet fellow of about nineteen
years, given to blushing when roughly
| spoken to, and was as shy and tinid as
| a girl; naturally he associated very little
| with the other men, and, disliking him
because of this, they bullied him con-
| tinually.
| Part of Kids duty was to help serve at
| table, and one day while filling Bills cup
! with coffee some one struck his arm and
some Of the hot fluid fell on the bully's
! hand. With below of rage, Bill sprang
to his feet, and, with sweeping blow,
seht Kid staggering down into a corner
of the tent where he stood over him with
| drawn revolver, threatening to kill him
| in dozen different ways if he should
so much as bat his eye. Nobody offered
| to intervene, for all knew that If left
! alone Bill would do the boy no further
J harm, but If interfered with might shoot
him IN a spirit of savage willfulness. and
! that, as he used his gun promiscuously
when once started, somebody else would
get hurt. Kid wisely made no protest.
but lay still and quiet, covering his fam
Ing face with his hands, and after a
while Bill put up his gun and went back
| to the table.
Anybody but a bully would have let that
end the incident, but Bill seemed unable
to forget his scalded hand, and never
| tired OF padgering the timid cook. Kid
| avoided MIN as much as possible but
could not escape him at meal times, when
would pour from him a perfect torrent
OF abuse. Watering Kid at these times,
| l would see that his eyes, usually soft and
shy, would fairly blaze with venomous
hatred, and knowing something of Mexi-
can nature. and how handy they are with
the knife, I came to the conclusion that
if I were in Bills place, I would do one
of two things: Apologize to Kid, and let
him alone, or-kill him. I thought of
speaking to Bill about it, but meddling in
another mans row was an unhealthy bust
ness in those days, so ended by keeping
! silent.
i Kid did not disappoint me. One even
ing as I sat reading in my tent there came
from the outside a sharp exclamation that
was followed Immediately by the sounds
/ of a struggle, then a piercing scream,
and I heard Enthusiastically in Bill's voice,
l.'Yer miserable, sneaking little koyote! Put
i er knife in me in tn dark, would yer?
i Wall, I reckin mott An now I'll jest give
l yer err taste Of it, my little snake-in-th'
I grass" - 2a.-E
Grabbing up my gun, knowing that moth
ing short of that would have any weight
with Bill, I hurriedly threw open my
1 tent, and, the bright light Of my lamp
flashing out, saw Kid fiat on his back
with Bill kneeling on his chest, one hand
gripping the boys throat, and the other
grasping knife, appraised to strike. In
Kids face there was look Of horror that
I will remember as long as live. The
sudden flood Of light caused Bill to pause,
end then his arm sank slowly to his side,
the knife slipping from his hand wall,
I'll jest be all over d-d!'' he calculated,
ard letting go OF Kids throat he stool
up could see nothing to justify sucn
a change Of attitude and I was amazed
TO see him now reach down and take
i Kids hand.
4 tGit up" he said gruffly; ST amt er
goin' ter hurt yer-never would a teched
yer eff I'd knowed what know now, an
I'm sorry / done it. = He helped Kid to
i his feet, and went on: Now go back
ter yer tent; amt a-goin' ter blow on
yer, an won't bully-rag yer no more
sabe? I'll keep the knife, though, SOS
4 yer won't git inter no more mischief with
ii.
Kid made no answer, and I could not
4 see his face, but I did see his hands sud