The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-02-15
"AsI1ode out from Jose's corral, Nita

"AsI1ode out from Jose's corral, Mia
galloped alongside, and challenged me
for a race, the glass-eyed against he1
clean-limbed, racer-built Kentucky
Jean. The odds were heavy. Ken
lucky Jean was furlong ahead when,
moving over the crest of the mesa,
some black dots caught my eye. In.
dams! The thought came to me like q
flash. The broncho bounded on as
yelled for Mia to stop. At first she did
not hear me, and the black dots drew
rapidly nearer. The thought became q
certainty. No white man circles his
pony in that fashion. At last she heard
me and waited. There are times when
a man can do a years thinking in the
space of few seconds. l glanced at
the girl beside me. / unslung my rifle
and pointed. There wasn't culver on
her face, but it went white as her great
eyes met mine. Indians" 1 said. Nc
more was needed. She understood
when I felt the cartridges in my belt
and looked to the pistols. She leapec
from her saddle to lay her hand or
mine. "Save the last two, Frank, for
you and me-" and looking deep into he1
eyes, I saw that which made death a
thousand times harder to meet; yet
promised-and 1 would have kept my
word.
"It had grown very dark. In the west
great, green-black cloud hung low,
and heavy stiffness crept, pall-like,
over the mesa. There wasn't a bit OF
shelter anywhere, so we refined up and
waited while those red devils rode down
upon us. I put one of my pistols into
Nita's hand. 1T is only a dogs life at
best said; but her lip quivered as she
gripped it in her little brown hand.
'They were so near that we could
see the waving feathers in the wal
bonnets. 1 raised my rifle and the
first brave tumbled from his pony
Nita's pistol spoke too, and after that
the battle was on in earnest. A
hail of arrows fell about our
heads, but the plunging horses
saved us, while holding them at
bay for long minute. Then they
began to circle to the right and left
l., L
away at my Winchester, knowing that
once surrounded, we were lost. Closer
and closer they rounded in. 1 had
turned for last look at my sweet
hearts face, before I would send that
bullet crashing through her heart
when third power Joined in the fray
Down the white trail, with the shrek
of thousand demons. straight from
the heart of the fire-veined green mass
of cloud, leapt the cyclone. We were
right in its path. There was an in
slant that held lifetime; when Pale
face, and Indian, stood rigid as carven
stone; and then-nothing!
Remember There isn't time for
taking notes when you are travelling
on that particular patent of Lightning
Express. When we found ourselves. or
rather, the boys from the Alaho found
US, we were about ten feet apart,
stunned but totally unframed, and a
good eighth of mile from where the
cyclone had stuck us.
"Glass-eye and Kentucky Jean may
still be racing out that last heat, for
all we know. Of the Apaches. not even
a feather remained. There was we'd
ding at Jose's ranch shortly after-the
rest is here. Yet always, when the sun
set hour comes, my eyes never seek the
white trail, over there, that I do not
live again that hour of battle, and sud-
den death, that Gods own hand swept
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