New Ulm review., 1901-04-17


list Of entertainment he was Offering
the Bostonian, promised an exhibi.
ton of bronco riding that should stir
even the beat of that serene gentle
mans well-reguiated pulse.
This morning. said he, stI was
afraid that I wouldn't be able to get
my star bronco-bnster out for your
edification, 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 (and he's
never been much of drinker,
either), but when I told him Miss
Glendower wanted to show you the
conyolutions of a buclking horse, it
seemed to sober him up bit; and he
not only promised to furnish the
thrills, but to do the business up
with all the trimmings he's go
ing to ride Sobrepaso, sthe 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
humor I 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 been 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 Glendower
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 the arena, felt thrill of
nervous expectancy-a chilling thrill
-as Mesquite made ready to mount.
The horse was blindfolded ere the
saddle was thrown on; but with all
the fury of fiend he fought, in turn,
blanket, and saddle, and cincha. The
jaquima was slipped on, the stirrups
tied together under the horses belly,
and all the while his squeals of rage
and maddened snorts 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 6O-foot reata, he was allowed
to go bucking and plunging in 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 standstill, and the
blind was slipped down once more.
He stood with all four feet braced
stiffiy, awarkadly apart, and his head
down, while Mesquite hitched the
cartridge-belt (from which hung his
pistols holster) in place; tightened
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 quick, upward
glance at Miss Glendower-the frst)
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
into his left hand the reins. and made
ready for his cat-like spring into
place. So, quickly his left foot
touched the stirrup, there was the
sweep of long leg thrown across the
saddle, 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, 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 infuriated animal
as though he himself We're but a part
of the sman-killer.'' His seat was
superb. Miss Glendower felt a tre-
NOR of pride stir her as she watched
him, that her lover should witness
this matchless horsemanship. She was
painting between fear and delight
Willie size watched the BOY lace,
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.
Sobrepaso rose in his leaps to great
heights, almost falling backward, to
plunge forward again, with squea1s
of rage that he could not unseat his
rider. The boy sat there, king;
king of his own little world, while he
slapped at his horses head and
withers with the sombrero that
swung in his hand. Plunging and
leaping, around and around. now here
and now there, about the inclosure
they went, the horse a mad hurri-
cane and his rider centaur. Mes
quite wars 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 ssman-killer' gave an
other great upward leap, the pistol,
i