Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-04-11

Gated cowboy, he was remiss IN many
matters o. courtesy.
When Lawrence Irving arrived at
the Madison ranch, his host, in the
list of entertainment he was Offering
the Bostonian, promised an exhibit
ton of bronco riding that should stir
even the beat of that serene gentle
mans well-regulated pulse.
This morning" said he, Il was
afraid that I wouldn't be able to get
my star bronco-buster out for your
~edifcation, Lawrence, for the boys
are telling me that he's been hitting
the jug pretty lively down at the
store for the past "a hours land he's
never been much of a drinker,
either), but when I told h;n Miss
Glendower wanted to show you the
convolutions of a bucking horse, it
seemed to sober him up a bit; and he
not only promised to furnish he
thrills, but to do the business up
with all the trimmings-for he's 60
ing to ride Sobrepaso, the man
Killer a big. blaze-face sorrel that
every vaquero in the country has
given up unconquered. Mesquite him
self refused to mount him again
some time ago; but to-day he is in
a humor l can't quite understand
spite of the bad whisky he's been
trying TO get away with-and seems
ready to tackle anything"
I'm grateful to you. Roy. for"
"Oh. you'll have TO thank Audrey
for the show. Mesquite is doing it
for her sake solely: he has beer her
abject slave ever since she came"
Both men laughed and looked at
Miss Glendower, who did not even
smile. 1t might have been that she
did not hear them.
They rose and went out to the
shaded piazza. where it was cooler.
The heat was making Miss G~lendower
look pale.
They. and the ranch hands who saw
Sobrepaso-the beautiful red devil
Mrs. Madison called him-brought out
into the gray. hard-beaten square that
formed h arena. felt a thrill of
nervous eXpectancy-a chilling thrill
as Mesquite made ready to mount.
The horse was blindfoided ere the
saddle was thrown on: but with all
the fury of d fend he fought. in turn.
blanket. and saddle. and ciIcba. The
jaquima was slipped on. the stirrups
tied together under the horses belly.
and all the while his squeals of rage
and maddened mort were those of
an untamed beast that would battle
to the death The blind then was
pulled up from his eyes. and. at the
end of a 60-foot reata. he was allowed
to 60 bucking and pIunging in a fury
of uncontrolled wrath around the in
closure. At last. sweating, and with
every nerve twitching in his mad
hatred of the meddling of man, he
was brought to a standstiIl. and the
blind was slipped down once more.
He stood with all four feet braced
stifffT. ~awarkadly apart, and his head
down. while Mesquite hitched the
cartridge-belt (from which hung his
pistols holster in place; frightened
his wide-rimmed battered hat on his
head; slipped the strap of his quirt
on his wrist; looked again at the
fastenings of his big, jingIing spurs;
and then with a quick. upward
glance at Miss Glendower-the first)
touched caressingly a little bunch of
white ~primrOses he had plucked that
morning from their bed in the sand
hills and pinned to the lapel of his
unbuttoned vest. before he gathered
ready for his cat-like spring into
place. So. quickly his left foot
touched the stirrup. there was the
sweep of a long leg thrown across the
saddle. a %sinuous swing into place. the
blind whipped up from the blood-shot
eyes. the spurred heels grip on the
cincha, a shout from the man. a devil
ish sound from the mustang. and
Mesquite was ready for the maddened
horses first upward leap as he went
blindly fighting his way around and
around the inclosure.
Mesquite sat the Infatuated animal
as though he himself were but a part
Of the "man-killer." His seat was
superb. Miss Glendower <eIt a ire
NOR of pride stir her as she watched
him, that her lover should witness
this matchless horsemanship. She was
painting between fear and delight
while she watched the boys face,
wearing the sweet. boyish smile-like, |
yet so unlike, the smile she had come
to know in the past weeks-and the
yellow curls blowing back from the
barred forehead.
S~obrepaso rose in his leaps to great
heights, almost falling backward, to
plunge forward again, with squeals
of rage that he could not unseat his
rider. The boy sat there. a king:
king of his own little world. while he
at his horses head and
withers with the sombrero that
swung in his hand. Plunging and
aroun and around. now here
and now there, about the Enclosure
they went, the horse a mad hurri-
cane and his rider a centaur. Mes
quite was swayed back and forth. to
and fro, but no surge could unseat
him. Miss Glendower grew warm in
her JOY of him as she looked.
Then, as the "man-kilIer'' gave an
other great upward leap. the pistol.
swinging from Mosquitoes belt, was
from its holster. and. striking
the cantle as it fell. there was a
puff mot from the dust
raised by beating hoofs). and a sound
mot the terrible sounds of a mad
1ened horse), and the boy swayed
backward with the boyish smile still
IN his lips, and the wet. yellow curls
back from a white forehead
hat would grow whittier.