The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-28
RANcHmAN OF THE MESQUITE

TO Ortiz. where she was to leave the
train. There her trunk was dropped at
twilight on a dusty. tenantless platform:
there. stin, half choked with fine sand.
| she alighted and looked about her. Across
/ the dusty road, the fading daylight in
1 their faces. she saw two siowering Next
| cans too lazy or too Indifferent 70 ap-
preach the passing express train. Far up
| the red. wide passage that might be
| Main street she saw the first glimmer-
/ ing lights OF a groveling village of adobe
/ huts- The station agent. the only Ameri-
can in sight. stared al her as though she
| had dropped from another planet.
She would have sat down or her trunk
! TO cry. but just then in a whirl of iurid
dust. pony came galloping toward the
! station. Upon its back was a mana
white man. She advanced TO the edge of
! the warped platform TO watch him. He
was galloping by. But something OF the
utter loneliness of the girl may have
! struck him. for, just ne had come to
the water tank, he refined his pony and
came ambling up to her.
Gould you kindly tell me where is Ga
1 briel-from here?" she asked as he dis
/ mounted.
Seven miles by the bottom TRAIL he
| answered, looking frankly at her, ten by
the mesa"
Thank you" hesitatingly.
He was a Observation-Disclosures, sun-redden-
/ ed dust-begrimmed young man. with sol
/ emn looking dark eyes and a gentle voice.
! He tugged at his pony's cinch. leaned
across the saddle for an instant, and then
with odd diffidence-for a man-coughed,
removed his sombrero and said:
! Did you wish TO get TO Gabriel, miss?''
Yes, sir; I'm TO have the school there.
and I'd like TO get there as soon as pos
sible. I've come all the way from Chi
| cago, and I've got a place TO stay in
! Gabriel. This place-it doesn't look like
| a very nice place, and 7 don't know
whether / ought to stay here all night.
! Perhaps You know. sir?'
1T wouldn't do. miss" he said simply,
and. dropping his bride, he picked up
/ her telescope" and led the way into the
dingy. lamp-lighted waiting room. VIII
you sit here for a few minutes. miss?'
Thank you, sir" She sat down and
waited, listening TO the hoof beats of his
pony drumming away in the dust. Pres
emily she heard the grind OF wheels. and
then he came in and said:
If you like, miss, I'll drive you over
/ TO Gabriel"
She smiled with tired eyes and lips
but said nothing. only followed him out
/ to the weather beaten blackboard that
now stood beside the platform. They
/ were away through the not dust toward
/ the south. She was very tired, but when
! they had passed across some barren
stretches of glazing alkali she said:
Il don't know how to thank you, sir.
| 1t seems Il very lonely country about
here. l dare say there may be Indians,
! too I should have died of fright there"
He smiled silently after looking once
/ into her face, and for a while there was
! 70 sound but the chirr of wheels in the
/ dry sand and the Groom OF the warm
breeze sitting the dust into a cloud about
them.
7 suppose you live in Gabriel?" she
said at last hoping to lead him into
/ conversation. but he only said, NO
/ miss. I'm ranching up Mesquite river,
and was silent till they came 10 the
! little struggling town of Gabriel He drove
TO the house of Judge Poultney. who
had employed her, and as he helped her
down at the gate she said:
I hope I'll see you again, sir. II was
awfully kind Of you, and-Pd like TO see
that is I hope I'll have chance to-
mean I'd like to reciprocate in some
way"
"Oh. it was nothing, miss" he said
| quietly standing in the semi-darkness.
his hat in his hand and his voice very
/ low and musical. I'm paid already, miss
| 1t was a pleasure"
She gave him her hand and he took
it reverently in his mighty palm. Then
she went into the house and was very
/ lonesome till she went to sleep, although
the judge and his wife were very kind
| and her little room was clean and even
cheerful. But in the long days which
followed, days of work among sullen,
/ half-breed pupils and scarcely less ami
able white children. her heart was borne
down and wearied with the empty glare
| Of the sandy reaches about her, her head
/ was dulled and dizzied with the blaze
OF the incessant sun and the chafing
I buster of the hot blistering dust She
/ looked always for him, whose name she
did not know. but in whose simple, gen
/ tie kindness she had read the old. new
story Of inherent chivalry. tenderness
and romance. In the hope Of seeing him
! again. she endured the dcsolation, the
! drudgery and the tedium of her cOlorless
days Nothing seemed to happen in Ca
| briel except n dismal sermon and a brief
! service in the squalid church on Sunday.
/ Once the townsmen were called out in
the night for posse duty and Judge Poult-
ney went with the others to capture n
: gang Of cattle rustleTs. but this became
/ another source Of ennui for Miss DENLY.
! who was compelled at al hours and I'M
der every pretext Of the narrator. 10
! listen 20 the judges tiresome recital OF
the bloody deeds of heroism then enact
/ ed-chiefy by himself, according TO his
I story.
ity To escape 20 the more horrifving de-
tails. and. as the judge was very long
! winded. she always contrived 20 elude the
I tragic climax with which he gave the fin
[ ishinG realism 10 his oft-tOld tale She
I yearncd sometimes TO ask him II he knew
I the young ranchmau Of the MESQUITE
/ river. and finally. one night. when in
( the midst Of his story while Mrs. Poult-
| ney was nodding IN the great arm chair.
the judge mentioned the Mesquite
/ Mesquite? interrupted Miss Denly.
may I ask Judge. do YOU know young
! ranchmau who lives on the Mesquite
/ Hes sturdy dark-looking. low-voiced
| man.
Why that's him. CALCULATED judge
Poultney. delighted AZ this evidence or
I interest. That's him. the very man.
That's whom she asked. wondering.
who is this sturdy ranchman who lives
on the Mesquitec
Why. he's the feller 7 have been tell
ing sou about all the time, Miss Denhy.
/ Hes the felier that heid them cattle
rustiers- the whole bunch ~ en-. IN the
/ corral till we came up or course, h.
was shot au q riaces-what the mat
[ ter. N.ss Denly
But she took her lamp and went weakly
UP the cTeakinE stairs--John H. Raftery
A Difficult Case.
From the Ohio Stete Journall
First Lawyer" How cid you come ont
IN settling up ole cetrox estate2
Second Lawyer-~It vas a hard strug-
Gle
yes. J he'd hard work 20 keep tie
heirs from setting paEt Of TIE estate.