The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-01-15

Ill d WEEK Io began ID Tlue WITH CaI-
ferty's men and was thinking of join
| ing the rangers again. The girl lived
on the american side, and though T
got hut a few glimpses of her, must
say she was beauty. / never saw a
man so cut up over woman. At that
time think he'd have fought whole
| regiment to win her, but I wasn't at
ell ready for the desperate thing lie
ceally did. l had cottage over in the
new section, or rather a shack, for
there were only two rooms, and / was
| frying my bacon one night about II
when Gerald came in at the open door
with very dirty and disreputable-
looking Spaniard.
Colonel" he laughed, "this is Ramon
Jesus Felipe del Agar, the famous bull
fighter. He's pretty drunk, but he
| wants drink"
| Then he put the hero on my army
| cot and gave him a bottle of mescal,
which the victim gulped like famished
| hound.
"I've got to keep him here till the
| fighting is over" whispered Flad, land
if you're my friend, colonel, you'll help
| me-"
/ asked him what he meant to do with
| Del Agar, but the rascal said: "Show
him a good time. That's ALL"
I made sure that no violence was in
| tended, and as the Spaniard was laps
ing into state of unconscious quies-
cence asked Gerald to mess and prom
ised to take care of his guest. To show
you what cunning strategist he was,
he never told me word about his ul-
innate scheme, but suspected that by
! preventing Del Agar from appearing
in the bull. ring in the morning he
| hoped to make good his suit with the
senorita. He stayed all night with me,
but at sunrise when rose he was gone,
and the sleeping stranger, surrounded
by half-empty bottles, was deep in
| dreamlaD1. At ten o'clock that morn
ing | went across the river after lock-
| ing up my shack, and as soon as I got
| Into my tier saw Cafferty and some
of his men, waiting for the second on
| set. The first bull had been killed by
! one of the lesser swordsmer and the
| whole amphitheater was alive with
| gossip about the disappearance of Ra-
mon del Agar.
What do you think, Hutchinson"
roared Cafferty, coming over to me, 'the
| Spanish champion has vanished, and
that fool Flad is to take his place. See
that girl over there--that one with the
| black mantilla and the red flowers
| that's the cause of it all. Flads so
| mashed on her that he'd stand up
against whole herd of Andalusians
| for a smile of hers"
| Then the trumpet sounded and the
procession of matadores, picadores
and banderilleros marched in We
saw Gerald at once. He was arrayed
| in the tight fitting bolero, breeches.
hose and slippers of the Spaniards
but he wore neither queue nor head
piece, and his yellow curls locke,
singularly out of place among his
swarthy comrades. When the fighters
| advanced to salute the governor. FLAG
did very queer thing. He stepped III,
| to the barrier in front of the smilinc
senorita and, ignoring the evident dis
approval of the crowd trailed his
sword as he bowed low before her. 4
moment later the bull PARTICULARS
| ferocious young monster, came bound
| ing into the arena. Flad had retired
as is the custom. to give place for the
batting by the banderilleros and nica-
dores, but the crowd was oddly impa-
tient for the "Gringo" star to have his
chance, and before the play was half
| completed and while the bull was at
the very climax of his fighting rage
| the bugle sounded for the swords
| man.
| I think the governor yielded to the
popular impatience in the hope of sat
isfying his own grudge against the
American who had ignored him, but
at any rate, the first note had hardly
sounded when Flad, bareheaded and
laughing like boy, bounded through
| the gates, his scarlet mantle on his
| left arm and his Italian rapier flashing
In his right. Again he ignored the dig
nitaries and smiled at the woman.
| Then he faced the astonished bull and
Haunted the crimson ten yards from
its blazing eyes.
bravo, Toro!" screamed the mob,
which already hated the intruder.
"Bravo, milo Gerald" piped a girls
voice, and then there was the quick,
stifed gasp of fascinated interest as
the beast lowered his crest and
charged the enemy. If the judges and
spectators expected an equal or pro-
,onged fight between the American
and the bull they were disappointed
Instead of missing or half-thrusting.
as the best bull-fghters often do. Flad
buried lis weapon to the hilt, true be
| tween the shoulders of the bull. as
swift and certain as If 1t had been
! pricking a sawdust target. AS the
brute sank quivering to its knees Flad
stood a second before it. as If
| ashamed Then he plucked out his
sword. flung 1t on the ground ara
| walked out at the gate as sullen and as