Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-11-20
A Wo1nan's
! REVENGE
" HE stage coach from San Diego
IL to Fort Yuma stopped at Cas-

u W EoA uLud stopped at CaS-
fros ranch to change horses and per-
NIT such passengers as dared take
the chances to eat of the Mexican's
1000 or imbibe his vile liquors. 1t
was simply a road house of the most
Wretched type, with dirt and squalor
'on every hand, and Castro had an
evil reputation. 1t was whispered
that he bought quartermaster stores
:stolen from the fort, harbored out
laws, and went upon raids with them.
lie was man of so, misshapen in
body, with the face of wolf and
how he could have won the hand of
1the young and fair looking woman
who called him husband no one could
make out. Little was seen of her by
guests, and Castro was man no
one liked to question.
TO the east of the ranch was the
road running down to the Arizona
line, and now and then, when the
road agents and cattle stealers be-
Scame too bold, patrol was sent out
from the fort to cover 20 miles of it.
1t was while in charge of this pa
troll that young Lieut.. Forbush first
met Castro's wife. Castro was off on
zone of his raids, and the woman in
charge of the place. Forbush was
hardly more than boy, he had just
been assigned from West Point, and
knew nothing of the country or the
ways of its inhabitants. He made his
headquarters at Castro's, and there
were reasons why the young wife
smiled on hian and babe him very
welcome.
Castro knew that he was suspected
by the military authorities, and it
was his plan to hoodwink them by
"a great show of servility and friend
ship. He smiled in the faces of the
Officers while he cursed them under
his breath. He begged them to honor
him with their presence, but would
have rather stuck knife into their
backs. His wife smiled and firted
with the boy officer and played love
=airs to him on her guitar, while old
fSergt. Brix was growing and cursing
>outside. The sergeant had served
Tor almost 20 years. He knew the
hodges of the outlaws and the tricks
of the half-breeds. He saw and
heard enough to know that the wom-
an with the big black eyes was
working some sort of a game for the
benefit of her husband, but it was not
until freighter had been robbed
of his outfit and left for dead on
the road which the patrol should
have made safe that he summoned
up courage enough to cross the gulf
existing between man, and officer.
When he did decide to talk, he de-
"cided to talk plainly: @-
Lieut.. Forbush, you may order me
under arrest and court-martial me
If you WILL" he began, "but I'm bound
to tell you that female is wanting
tic make fool of you. She's work
ing under the orders of old Castro.
and his game is to keep us from do
ing our duty while his band of cut
zthroats are picking up plumber
Sergeant, do you know what you
are saying!' sternly replied the Off
vcer.
Il do, sir, and it may mean dis
zgrace for me, but I've got to speak
up. That woman is trying to be-
witch you for a purpose. We are not
carrying out our orders, and it is all
owing to her devilment. If you'd
been out here couple of years, you'd
know what her smiles and music
mean to an honest soldier It will
mot be for me or any other man of
this patrol to say word at the
fort, no matter what happens, but I'm
telling you as man, that the sonora
will lead you to hell if you foller
her"
The young officer, with the mill
:tary etiquette of West Point before
him, was furious at being so familiar
ly and rudely addressed by an infer
ior, and his vanity as man had also
received a shock. He was engaged
to girl in the east, and would marry
her as soon as he had won the bars
of first lieutenant, but it pleased
and fattered him to think that
woman out there beyond civilization
had been caught by his face and fig
Fure. He had not even stopped to re-
fleet that she was of another race
and already wife. Not that he
meant anything serious should come
of it, but that it fattered the ego
tism every young man has fail
share of.
If the words of the blunt old
sergeant angered the officer, they
also opened his eyes, and there was
less dallying and more riding. The
woman was quick to see that he had
been warned, and she exerted all her
influence as an offset. Indeed, she
overdid it. Curious as it may seem,
what she meant for Irritation to
blind his eyes turned out to be
case of love on her part. She really
and truly fell in love with the young
officer, and suggested an elopement.
She would leave her husband-home
all, and fly with him in any direc-
tion. Then it was that he began to
realize the seriousness of affairs and