The Irish standard., 1903-09-19

light upon the personality OF the van
ished bravo, and as finale to the
evenings talk told this story:
His father was one of that fast
fading race of Irish gentlemen who
chose arms us Il profession and found
neither sorrow nor disappointment III
the scattered and cruel rewards of his
adventurous life. Roger F'lad, the ia
Their, Was i'll every uprising that gave
promise of hard knocks. When he
| couldn't find work for his sword i'll
| the cause Of his own suffering island
he bought IL commission in the British
army, and afterward wandered round
| the world like !; knight Grant of old,
seeking chances for chivalrous adj
vancement. l think he married Il Cas-
| lillian girl but ut all events Gerald
was his only child and he reared him
as gentlc-blooded son of Il rowing
soldier of fortune. You know the boy
spoke French, Italian, Spanish and
| German as well us lie spoke English
and he WAS Il devil with broadSwortl.
cutlass or rapicr before he was of
! age. He had been expelled from
| Heidelberg When he was Is. and when
! he first showed up ut the headquarters
| of Coppingcr's California expedition
countcnancc than half of us veterans
think the Old mln-he was only Il
| lieutenant when the Hrulc Sioux got
| him-waS half sorry lit the training of
his son, for the Youngsters early life
| was Il fierce eXaggcralon of all the
fathers passion for war and adventure
of all kinds. Well, everybody liked
| him-I've heard Phil Sheridan swear
| that the lad WAS the best wild turkey
shot that ever came into the Indian
| countrN-but he couldn't get things
hot enough for him. He secuted for
two months in the Slras on that
California expedition, disappeared.
and the next VIC heard lie was distn-
gushing himself in the Matnbele wars
us 4 bushwhackcr and guerrilla.
WIS down in Old Mexico when Ochoa
was starting things newer mind
What | was there for-:lnd who should
| see one day, drilling :: troop of the
most lScully outlaws that ever cross
| cd the Rio Grnnuc, but Gerald himself.
as brown us an Arab and us .iaunty
| as the roWnieSt rurale that ever wore
spurs. didn't get in right with these
rrvolutionists, but | was in I'll i';,sn
they called it l'aSo del Nortc then
when ! met Gerald, thin and yellow
as parchment, sauntcring along in the
Plaza | hailed him. and found out
ali about the failure Of his ambitious
| crnor or something if tho rebellion had
succeeded. He had been hr at the Az
ruyo fight, crHwlcd seventeen miles to
the river and WAS now rccupcrating at
Hotel Diru Il skeleton of himself. but
as full of deviment as ever. lie said
frankly that he was in a terrible frame
ChihlahuH--a high caste Mexican of
! CurtlovHn dcsccnt-whom he meant to
marry, even though he had to carry
| her off. Singular, isn't it. how the ia
TIERS predictions renppcar in the
boy? Tile trouble is said Gerald,
sitting on Il stone bench in the Shade.
"thc girl is in love With Il bull-lightiug
rapSca llion from Madrid, who has been
down through the Republic. strutting
and cow killing till the women are all
! wild about him. Tho worst of it is
he's coming up here, and | suppose
the whole of Mexico will send its best
people to cheer and lionize him. |
don't know whether to kill him or turn
torcador myself and challenge him.
He'll be here next month, and I've
got to get we'll, Colonel. I've got to
lower his colors somehow" We'll. |
met Gerald every day after that and
he mcnded so rapidly that i'll Il week
he began to ride with Chaferty's men
and was thinking of joining the rang
crs again. The girl lived on the
American side, and though | got but
Il few glinpses of her, must say she
was Il beauty. | never saw Il man so
cut up over Il woman. AT that time
think he'd have fought /; whole regi-
ment to win her. but ! wasn't ut all
ready for the desperate thing he really
did. | had Il cottage over in the new
section, or rather Il shack. for there
were only two rooms. and / was fry
ing my bacon one night about / when
Gerald camc in at the open door With
Il very dirty and disreputahle looking
Spaniarl Colonel" he laughed,
'this is Ramon Jesus Felipe del Agar.
the famous bulllighter. Hes pretty
drunk, but he wants Il drink" Then
he put the hero on my army cot and
gave him Il bottle of mescal, which the
victim gulpcd like Il furnished hound.
1--WE got to keep him here till the
lighting is over" whispered F!ad. ''an,i
if you're my friend, Colonel. you'll
help me- | asked him what lie meant
to do With Del Agar, but the rascal
said: "ShOw him a good time. That's
all" | made sure that no violence WAS
intended, and as the SpAniaru was
lApSin@ into Il state OF unconscious