The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-03-27
Romance of
Geronimo's Daughter.

ever udQ, whose flSlL W IuS AioA@
Mississippi exposition here is remeln-
bered, will wed one Of the hated race
that is now authoritatively announc.
ed.
Lola, the Red Rose of the Forest,
as her people called her. will marry
Houston A. Ward, one of the wealth.
lest and most accomplished young
men in Southern Texas.
And this happy elimination grows
s out of a singularly beautiful romance,
one scene of which is blooj-curdling
and exciting enough to form the nucl-
eus of a highly successful melo-drama.
1t was while flying for life from a
prairie fire and a herd of stampeded
steers that the love of the young cou-
pie was first 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 cf
Arizona, is the son of old Shanghai
Ward, famous mustang king of the
Rio Grande country.
The old man died few years ago,
leaving his only son splendid for
tune in lands, mustangs and cattle.
Young Wards boyhood was divided
between Texas and Illinois He usu-
ally spent the summers on his fathers
ranch, and the winters in the north,
There he attended school.
As the result Of this simple career
6 he possessed fine education and ne
is rather proud of certain trophies won
z on the Fairgrounds and a diploma
won in the class-rooms of the college
at Campaign, Ill.
Last summer the grass was scarce
in the Rio Grande valley, and Houston
Ward shipped some 400 or 500 head of
cattle to the Indian Territory.
Finding abundant pasture lands. the
young man remained for some time in
the vicinity of Fort Gill, where he
made the acquaintance of the pretty
Indian girl who will some 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.
Z ing he found her fingers in his hair
and upon opening his eyes, in fame
and smoke, he felt the earth trembling
beneath his feet while his ears were
hiied with noise of a cyclone.
Houston Ward had been riding
about over the prairie looking at his
cattle, and, becoming tired, he dis
mounted and lay down on the grass in
the shade of tree, leaving his pony
to craze at will.
5 He soon fell asleep and his ponv
wandered off to mingle with large
nerd OF cattle and a big drove of
horses that were not far away.
The grass was very tall and most OF
was dead and dry. Either some
IS cowboy dropped a match .,
.arele., -om hunters gun set the
j spark Ia A strong breeze was
.rairie on fire. -orth and, as usual
slowing from the l. ed as If the
d such cases, it loo. lion in the
names increased the commo> :,e tho
sir until a wind storm was driVA-
rapidly spreading fire before it.
The great herd of Texas steers .
the instant they scented +
danger and started south, believing 9
with terror. The horses caught the
contagion and mingled with the fly !
ing steers, snortirs as if pack OF pam
theirs were at their heeis.
There were about 500 full grown
Texas steers in the herd and seventy
iye or eighty head Of horses.
This moving mass of frightened AMI
mails started straight toward the tree
under which the sleeping Texan was
lying, wholly unconscious of danger.
old Geronino's daughter, mounted
on 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 bone tree asleep.
She saw the maddened herd, driven
by sea of flame, rushing furiously
Onward toward the place where young
Ward was lying. and knowing that his
horse had strayed away and that no
earthly power could turn the living
wave of terror aside, she struck her
horse with the whip and rode straight
toward the rapidly approaching herd.
When she reached the tree, the
front rank of the mad steers was not
twenty steIs away. The flames were
leaping in the air over the backs of
the animals in the rear, and the wind
was blowing a cloud of smoke and
dust above them. Horns were crack
ing and horses were neighing.
Ward was just beginning to move |
when the Indian girl bent over the |
side of her cuivering horse and seized
his hair.
.'Up auick!" she shrieked, 'the
world is on fire."
He sprang to his feet and compre-
hended the situation at a glance. he
first thought of ascending the tree, but
doubling whether he could perform the
feat, he yielded to the girls hand and
quickly sprang upon the horse behind
her.
AS the noble animal turned the
horns of tn steers crushed against the
tree and several of the big grutes fell
headlong, rolling over the very spot
where the rescued man had been ~
ing. Their carcasses were trampled
to jelly by the sharp hoofs OF the fly
ing herd.
The sure-footed horse bore the In
dian girl and the Texan away at the
top of his speed. but more than 500
head of furious beasts were close to
his heels and it was four miles to a
place of safety.