Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-01-14
AWOman's
Revenge

TIE stage coach from San Diego
to Fort Yuma stopped e. Cas-
tros ranch 10 change horses and per-
init such passengers as dared take
the chances to eat Of the Mexican'H
food or imbibe HIS vile liquors. 10
was simply q road house Of the most
wretehed type, with dirt and squalor
on every hand, aAd Castro had an
sVu reputation. 10 was whispered
that he bought quartermastsr stores
stolen from the fort, harborsd out
laws, and went upon raids with them.
he was a man Of so, misshapeh In
body, with the face Of a wolf, and
how he could have won the hand Of
the young and fair looking woman
who called him husband no one could
make out. Little was seen Of her by
guests, and Castro was q mar 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-
came too bold, a patrol was sent out
from the fort to cover 20 miles Of II.
1t was while in charge of this pa
troll that young Lieut.. Forbush first
met Castro's wife. Castro WA of on
one of his raids, and the woma in
charge Of the place. Forbush was
hardly than a 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 him and babe him very
welcome.
Castro knew that he was suspected
BY the military authorities, and Il
was his plan to hoodwink them by
q 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 a knife into their
backs. His wife smiled and hirted
with the boy officer and played love
airs to him on her guitar, while old
Sergt. Brix was growing and cursing
outside. The sergeant had served
for almost 20 years. He knew the
lodges 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 a 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
IL you wil," he began, "but I'm bound
20 tell you that female is wanting
TO make a 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
threats r picking up plumber"
Sergeant, do you know what you
are sayingl" sternly replied the on
Ger.
Il do, sir, and It may mean dis
greco 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 IA orders, and It is all
owing 20 her devilment. If you'd
been out here q couple Of years, you'd
know what her smiles and music
mean to IN honest soldier. 1t win
not be for me or any other man Of
this patrol to say a word at the
fort, no matter what happens, but I'm
telling you as a man, that the sonora
viii lead you to hell IL you foller
her"
The young officer, with the milf
tary etiquette Of West Point before
him, was furious ct being so familiar
" and rudely addressed by an infer
Tor, and his vanity as a man had also
received a shock. He was engaged
TO a girl in the east, and would marry
her as soon as he had won the bars
Of a first lieutenant, but It pleased
and hattered him to think that q
woman out there beyond civilization
had been caught by his face and fig
ure. He had not sven stopped to re-
feet that she was Of another race
and already q wife. Not that he
meant anything serious should como
Of t. but that It battered the ego
tism every young man has 3 fair
share of.
If the words Of the blunt old
sergeant angered the ofieer, they
also opened his eyes. and there was
less dallying and more riding. The
woman was quick TO see that he had
been warned, andsshe exerted all her
influence as an Offset. Indeed, she
overdid 4. Curious Is Il may seem,
what she meant for q Irritation TO
blind his eyes turned out to be a
cas of love on her part. She really
and truly fell in love with the young
omcer, and suggested an elopement.