The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-03
BOY ON THE sucxskIN HORSE.

! >
said: If he don't get fresh horse ~
| 90 Caliente, cap, well catch him in less Z
Two hours. He's down TO a fox trot now.
| There isn't q horse in Caliente. jim I
think he'll stop there How many shots
Fave you got, Jim?'
| Seven, cap
And four for me. That ought TO fetch.
him. And they foundered over the hot
| dun Hill and down into the squat, red VII
! lage Of adobes.
But. with all his hard riding, Captain
| Early s heart wasn't exactly in this
! man hunt. He knew Ed TIlbury-had sat
| II with him at Silver City. Santa Re and
| Ell Paso. served in the same posse with
1 him the time Captain Crews and his rang
| ers crossed the Rio after the rustlers, but
murder was murder. and il was up TO"
Early 10 bring Tilbury in. Six aces in one
I Geek was regarded as stealing. even in
1 Las Cruces. and when Ed unloaded his
forty-five into BIZ Hickey. popular opin-
ion sided with Tllbury and most OF the
| boys disappeared to avoid posse duty. But
/ il was different with Captain Early and
/ his TWO deputies. Two hours after Til
! bury hit the trail for the border they were
/ hot after him with fifteen rounds apiece
! good mounts. and no idea beyond the in
/ cvitable necessity OF bringing back the
murderer dead or alive
But Tilbury had one OF those Canadian
river horses, as fast as a coyote in the
sand and a demon for rough going. Ed
rode him in the spring from Wichita 70
/ Oklahoma City and ''galloped him clean
across the Panhandle" and then TO Pecos
valley and across the range hills to Las
| Cruces. So the fugitive's horse was sea-
| soned. But Early and his men changed
pc MES at Poultneys ranch, ropinS our
their own stock because the outnt was
| away on the drive. and ran Tilbury 10
cover before dark in a dug-out by the iron
spring. They got the worst OF this how
ever. for the rascal winged Jim's horse
and cut streak across Early's that sent
the beast as lame as a barnTard duck. As
Tor Thoroughman' pony, it died a. the
first shot. and the deputy walked back to
Foultney's as mad as a rattlesnake.
But Early and Jim chung to the trail and
now. as they rode into Oio Cafente. n
cluster of weather beaten novels OF mud.
they saw Ed Tilbury at the far end OF the
single street, standing by a stranger. and
in the shadows beside him. almost tottev-
ing against the wall. the staggering. dust
covered exhausted horse that had carried
him sixty miles toward freedom. But he
saw them and was UP in a second. his rife
swinging down at them as he rose in his
stirrups and the game horse plungins for
ward as with final desperation.
He must have ammunition to burn,
MS pony's name, but Early had fired twice
Snd missed before they came alongside
the startled stranger.
Have you got a horse?" the sheriff was
yelling. The stranger looked up and said
quite slowly: Yes. sir. That is, did have
one, but I sold it To the-to the man you
are shooting at. See here's the money"
And the young fellow showed a wad Of
bills in his hand. Jim grinned a minute
without taking his eyes OF the vanishing
murderer. who was laundering out across
the sand toward the south. but the sheriff
swore as he roared: Fetch out your horse
quick. You've sold il TO an outlaw. I'm
Sheriff Early and I've got a warrant for
that fellow. Quick, the hOrsei'
But the stranger. who looked like a boy.
though his face was brown with tan and
freckles ran round into the sheep corral
and in another moment, mounted on
bold-gOing bucks2in horse. his Winchester
ready IN its scabbard, came charging af-
ter the fugitive.
He's for getting the reward himself,
shouted Jim.
Wait Watt beloved Early.
But the fast riding youngster. unsheath-
ing his rife. looked back with a grin and
cried: I'm get him, cap. I'll get him.
Purity game for a kid q" said jim. But
Sheriff Early was furious
I'm an ass for telling him. He'll kill
Ed or get himself killed.
AS they struggled over the boulder
strewn trail and slipped haunchwise down
into the valley far off on the Opposite hin.
they could see Tilbury. still looking back,
his rife ready. and between him and the
Rio Grande only mile Of knee-deep sand.
Then the staring sands Of the dried river
bed and liberty, But between them and
the outlaw rode the boy on the buckskin
horse Each stroke OF the nimble hOofs
sent a fountain of dust into the air. each
stride brought him nearer to Tilbury and
the back-pointed Winchester.
'Now's the chance for a shot" said jim.
watching the murderer fioundering up on
to the crest of the final hill He couldn't
Miss him now
He's just loading his gum cried Early.
See him. He's out of the dust. Hear it,
And they saw the white pun of smoke.
and then, echoing sharp and quick from
wall to wall Of the slate-fronted mesa the
crack Of the volunteers weapon.
Got him. by -l' laughed Jim. 81
seen his cayuse drop, cap"
AS they saw the fugitive's pony drop
and TIbury scramble to his feet the sher-
If and jim abandoned their own exhaust
&c beasts, and. seizing their weapons
rushed up the steep hill for the capture
But the youth on the horse went gamely
forward. faster and faster. till he, too.
topped the ridge and disappeared in the
wake Of the dismounted outlaw.
It'd be murder 70 kill him now" painted
Early
Its him or the kid. 1 guess answered !
Jim. and. with dust-smeared faces and /
bodies muddy with sand and sweat, they /
gained the outlook.
Far down below them just hreasting the /
shallow pool Of the dwindled summer /
RIVER, they saw the buckskin horse bear /
ing TWO riders toward the Mexican shore. /
Were done. amt We. capf
Done? Were skinned, stuffed and hast /
ed by d-n kid. That's what We are
jim STOPPED over the dead Canadian /
worthless hostage 10 the law 4
and said:
Wonder why the kid killed il. cap?"
Just a buff, jim Cunnin' OF him. t
wasn't II 90
And the sheriff sat down on the corpse /
and rolled a cigarette. watching Tilbury
and his pal disappear into the chaparral /
which lined the haze-dimmed shore ~ tho /
land q rnanana- They didn't say much 4
as they walked hack. weary and defeated.
u Oto Caliente. bat when they came 10 +
The red warped railroad statlon and talk
ca 10 the squilt-eyed agent be ted them 4
that The stranger. the curiy-haired. brown
-heeked boy had come 20 town but an
hour or Two ago.
He didn't seem % know nobody ex-
-lained TIE agent. and the only thi1E j
,nog is heard him hess tra1in with that
here chap you was chasIn. JUST 3 Few
minutes fore you all RI Up and begun
shooti1
ShersT Early and his deputy ioafed
lbout the station I'LL half IN honr before
NE eastbound local came along. and then
.he sgent BANDED them q Enll yellow en-
.clore wllh-
Either ~ sou men Captain Eariy7
Ard the sheriff rad.