El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-12

written Tor The Herald by Paul F.
Hunter.
Manuel Garcia was a Mexican farm
err with a small holding on the Yaqui
river in the state of Chihuahua, Mex
CO. Garcia was of thriftfer bent than
is usual with his countrymen. His
little patch Of land showed evidence
of energetic working and the wall-in-
closed garden about the house bore a
burden Of bloom throughout the en-
tire year. -=Hcil=5rr I-@~1E OF @It JH1l
The beauty and abundance of the
flowers as well as the well kept adobe
house was due to the care given them
by Inez Garcia. the farmers daughter.
a dark-skinned, bright-eyed girl OF
sixteen summers, who loved nothing 50
well as to attend to her household du-
ties and when they were finished to
work in her little garden. i -' '-
The Yaqui river hurried by the
homestead on its way to the sea, COM
pletely shutting off approach from the
north 1t was picturesque place, and
Inez was perfectly happy there in COM
panionship with Mer brother Antonio,
two years younger than herself, her
father, and her aged grandmother. who
had lived with them ever since Inez's
mother had died ten years before.
1t was in the year 1884 that news
reached the little Garcia household
that there was trouble to the north
and west of them with the raiding, and
murderous Apache Indians. They had
seen nothing of the Indians and, Man
uel Garcia thought his +, little family
was out of the, way of the path of the
marauding bands that under pressure
of the troops were constantly cross
, ing and recrossing the border between
the United States and Mexico.
One day, however. the father heard
from passing ranchman that a band
of Acknowledgment met
some Mexican troops only ten miles ID
to the west the day before. The ranch :
man said EhS 1ndianss hadS suHered
some loss, Ebut that the survivors had
separated and escaped. After this the
father and son took their rifles into
the field with them when they went to
work, and Inez was told that she must
give up her afternoon rides along the
river bank on her white pony Blanco.
Late in the afternoon of the day af-
ter the visit of the ranchman, Incz
left her grandmother nodding in the
doorway and went to the corral, n
short distance from the house where
the farmers two work horses and
Inez's pony and chickens were kept As
she passed along there came scurryins
from a clump of bushes a covey of part
ridges. beautiful blue,gray creatures
that came daily to share the food that
Inez scattered for her chickens.
The girl, leaving behind her trail
of grain which she allowed to fall from
her half open hand, crossed to the
corner of the corral, where there was
located a small adobe snack which con-
tanned a few farming implements.
while above, on flooring, which was
little more than a shelf, there were
stored a few bundles of oats Inez
stood on the first round of short lao
der and; reached up for one OF the
bundles. Before her hand had touche1
it she uttered a smothered cry and
sprang down from the ladder step,
frightening her partridge following
into fight She lad seen a bundle or
oats move. --r- L'lt TONNE 'i.i" l'-'
In another instant head was raised
above the lay and a pair of wild eyes
were looking down on her. She knew
that the color was leaving her cheeks
and that her heart was beating very
fast 1t was with an effort that she
kept from screaming aloud. She also
knew that the face before her was
that of an Apache. There was blood
on his brow. and in spite of his wild
look there was weakness in the In
dams face that was almost pitiful. Be
fore Inez could think how to act, from
the Apache's lips came feebiy in Span
ash the words Herido, aqua mean
ing. Wounded, water"
Tie girl thought of her father and