The Elk Mountain pilot., 1902-03-04


most bloodthirsty and relentless foe
that has been raised up in the path of
the all-conquering white man in the
settlement of the West, is to marry one
of the palefaces against whom her IA
ther battled so long. She won the love
and lifelong devotion of her future
husband by the manner in which she
fearlessly offered her own life in order
to save him. Lola, the Red Rose OF
the Forest" as her people call her, Will
marry Houston A. Ward, one of the
wealthiest and most accomplished
young men in southern Texas. And
this happy elimination grows out of
singularly beautiful romance, one
scene of which is blood-curdling and
exciting enough to form the nucleus
of a highly successful melodrama. 1t
was while flying for life from prairie
fire and a herd of stampeded steers
that the love of the young couple was
firt revealed and in such dangerous
surroundings was their troth plighted.
Houston A. Ward, who is certainly
eager to become the son-in-law of one
of the most notorious Indian chiefs
that ever shed blood on the borders of
Arizona. Is the son of old Shanghai
Ward, a famous mustang king of the
Rio Grande country. The old man dtd
a few years ago, leaving his only son
a splendid fortune In lands, mustangs
and cattle. Young Wards boyhood was
divided between Texas and Illinois He
usually spent the summers on his Ia
ther's ranch and the winters in the
north. where he attended school. AS
a result of this simple career he pos
sesses a fine education and he Is rather
proud of certain trophies won on the
Fairgrounds and a diploma won in the
classrooms of the college at Cham
paign, III.
Last summer the grass was scarce in
the Rio Grande Galley and Houston
Ward shipped some 400 or 500 head of
cattle to the Indian territory. Find
ing abundant pasture lands. the young
man remained for some time in the
vicinity of Fort Sill, where he made
the acquaintance of the pretty Indian
girl who will soon become his wife.
The gallant Texan frequently sought
the company of the dusky belle of the
border, often dancing and riding with
her, but he now says that he did not
know that he loved her until one even
ing he found her fingers in his hair,
and upon opening his eyes, in flame
and smoke. he felt the earth trembling
beneath his feet, while his ears were
filled with the noise of cyclone.
Houston Ward had been riding about
over the prairie looking at his cattle.
and becoming tired, he dismounted and
lay down on the grass in the shade OF
a tree leaving his pony to Craze at
will. He soon fell asleep and his pony
wandered off to mingle with a large
herd of cattle and big drove of horses
that were not far away.
The grass was very tall and most Of
it was dead and dry. Either some care
less cowboy had dropped a match or
spark from hunters gun set the prai-
rie on fire. strong breeze was blow
ing from the north and. as usual in
such cases, 1t looked as II the flames
increased the commotion in the air un-
til windstorm was driving the rapid
ly spreading fire before it. The great
herd of Texas steers stampeded the In
slant they scented danger and started
south. believing with terror. The
horses caught the contagion and min
gled with the flying steers. snorting as
If a pack of panthers were at their
heels. There were about 500 full-grown
Texas steers in the herd and seventy
or eighty head of horses. This moving
mass of frightened animals started
straight toward the tree under which
the sleeping Texan was lying. uncon-
scious of danger.
Old GerOnimo's daughter mounted
on a magnificent horse. was riding
across the prairie when the fire broke
out. and she saw the animals stampede.
No one knew why she happened to be
there or how she knew that the hand
some young Texan was lying under the
lone tree asleep.
She saw the maddened herd, driven