El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-12
An Apache with sa .@.
; A Human Heart
A True Story of United States Cavalry
man, Border War, and Bright Eyed
Girl Child. .oq vsa I.w

knew that with the feeling that ex-
listed against the Indians this wounded
braves life was worth nothing if his
presence was discovered. Some les
sons which the good old padre" at
the mission had taught her about mer-
cy, came into her mind. This Indian
was unarmed, wounded. and helpless:
surely there could be no harm in help
ing him. .............
Where are you hurt?'' she asked.
The Apache thrust forward his Shout
der and pulling aside a rough bandage.
showed a terrible knife wound.
Go back under the hay" said Inez.
Il will help you"
She walked quickly across the coz
raj and looked far over the field. Her
father and brother were at work some
distance away and would not return for
at least an hour. The girl went into
the house, filled an earthen vessel with
water. took some cakes of maize an
some dried meat from a shelf and hur-
ried back across the corral to the shack
She passed the water up to the Apache.
who drank greedily. She gave him the
maize cakes and meat and then told
him to hide once more. The Indian
uttered a word of gratitude and drew
back under the oats. |
The next morning Inez went to the
corral very early. The Indian had dis
appeared. ' '"
1t was the summer of 1885. A large
band of Apaches had broken loose from
the San Carlos reservation in the te:-
rftory of the United States and had
taken to the war path. The govern
ments of the two republics had ar
ranged that the troops of either ma
ton in actual pursuit of the Indians
might pass into the others territory.
The Apaches from the San Carlos res
ervatfon, after committing all sorts of
l-depredations,- headed, as was their Gus
tom, for the Mexican border.
No news of the Ioosing of the Apache
horde had reached the little Chihua-
hua home on therYaQui river. Per
haps Manuel Garcia would have paid
little attention to the report. if it had
reached him, for long immunity from
savage visits lied him to believe
the safety of his home was assured,
Early one morning there rode up to
the gateway a lot and tired messeE-
ger who had come to summon Manuel
to the bedside of a dying brother in
the little mission village, fifteen miles
away. Manuel gave some few direc-
lions to IneZ and Antonio and saying
that he would return the next day
rode off with the messenger.
| lneZ IelI a strange
something of apprehension came over
her after her father left. She did her
work in the little household and to-
ward evening went to the corral with
| Antonio to lend the stock. 1t was just
sunset as they turned their steps back
to the adobe house. Far off to the
north a pail of smoke hung on the
| horizon, and the sight of it sent chill
to the Mexican peasant girls heart.
Antonio saw 1t too, and felt its pur-
port as quickly as his sister, They
looked into each others faces and each
gained strength from the look of cou:-
age in the others eyes. 30
mot word to grandmother sand
Inez LAS it gets dark I'll keep her in
the front of the house and you, An
tonic. bring up Blanco and the horse
father left" GHTrt-V
! Antonio, did as he was told, and
when darkness came over the little
homestead and the swift-running riv-
/ err, the old grandmother slept peaceful
" while the two wakeful children
children watched from the doorway.
| That low-hanging smoke, thickei
I and darker in places, had told, then
that some large ranch houses lying t.
! the north of them were burning. They
knew that if it were the work Of
Apaches, forithe first time their, little
nome lying on the Yaqui river would
HE in the olrect path OF the southwark
flying savages.J srsfl3z .bfid0 sEt -
Antonio had his fathers rife. which
u he knew how sstoiI-use, land leanint
q