Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-27
DAILY SHORT STORY
SIMMONS LOVE STORY.
IOriginal.l
~Simmons. tell us story"

lOriginaLl
"Simmons. tell us n story"
What kind of Il story
a love story" put in one of the par
II. with a grin, while the others guf-
fawed
III tell you a love story if you like. :"
said Simmons soberly. The others
looked at each other as if wondering
what kind of a love story the unro-
mantle Simmons would concoct. Then
they all agreed they would like TO hear
it. This was the story:
Ten years ago" began Simmons
'leastaways it was somewhere in the
eighties-bein' out of Il job. l was NOV
in into Arizona. l was ridin' alone
across the rollin' country, feelin' kind
D desolate like, for l hadn't no Tela-
tives except way back in Indiana. and
the circumspection wasn't calculated To
alleviate no sich feelin's, there bein' no
shrubbery but cactus. which is no more
afectionate than IL pOrcupine. Shortly
before shutdown l was movin' parallel
with rise in the ground on my left
toward the west when some'ers on
t'other side of it l heered the crack of
q rifle, follcred by three more cracks
comm from a sone'at different direc
ton.
Il was i'll the Apache country, and
this set me to thinkin'. If there was
a disturbance l didn't want to git into
it Oh the wrong side. ApacheS haint
got no gratitude. and l preferred to
cast my fortunes on t'Other side.
jist dism0untS and climbs the rise and
when ut the summit takes IL peep
through the cactus without bein' seen.
Right down below was two wagons,
with the stock and Il family of whites
behind EN-, backed 10y the rise l was
on, while furder out was a small band
of redskins twenty or more, l reckon
crawlin' up on to EN-, firm as they
crawled.
Il goes down to my horse, musings
L had-there WAS plenty of it-and
goes back to the crest. The Injuns
had scattered deployed. as the sojcrS
say-into thin line curved like Il bow
SOS to take the whites both center
and on either flank
simmons" Interrupted one OF the
listeners, do you call this a love
story: L call it fghtin' yarn"
The whites" continued Simmons
imperturbably, was pretty much
fiuStercd. for they never could tackle
the Iujuns comm from SIGH different
p'intS. There was middle aged man
and woman about the same age, and
two young fellows about twenty and
eighteen, Il kid, Il boy of twelve. and IL
gal. Every one of the half dozen of
'em had rifles i'll their hands. includin'
the kid. The ole man was tellin' EN-
not to fire till the Injuns got closer
l could hear every word he said-nOt
to aim ut the same savage and never
to fire without brinSin' down a man.
He'd posted the gal on one extreme
flank ana the kid on the other, where
there wasn't but one or two Injuns for
each to watch. The Apaches wasn't
firm jist then; they was dom somep'n
more turrable; they was creepin'.
cOntractin' the line as they came.
When they got nigh the ole man fired
and dropped Il redskin. At this all
the others fired, doin' damage. except
the gal and the kid. Jist then the front
line moved fore'ad and the two flank
lnjuns closed In rapid. 1t seemed to
me time for the reserve to come in, 50
L dropped the flank Injun gOin' for
the gal, then turned to the one before
the kid, which | sent back with Il limp.
"Well. now. you'd Oughter seen the
way them Injuns picked up their ears
and GRAINED their nPcks TO see where
the shOOtin' came from. l knowed the
smoke hung over where l was. for we
hadn't no smoke powder then, so
l moved purity quick Il dozen yards
to the right and let fly again, but l
didn't hurry, so l might bring down
an Iniun every time. The family be
low was equal astonished. but not
one of 'cm dared take their eyes Off'n
the redskins IN see what was up. l
keeps movfn' about behind the cactus.
firm as rapid as L could convenient,
Ciyin' the appearance Of Il line fifty
yards from tip To tip. In less'n ten
minutes Ia dropped five Injuns, and
the family. havin' taken heart, dropped
as many more. l counted ten left.
Them ten drawed off Outen range and
held a powwOw. Iookin' up at the crest
where l lay in the cactus, not wastin'
no ammunition, therefore giyin' no sign.
After awhile, likely coucludin' there
warn't much force on the crest, they
advanced ag'in, usin' their ponies for
protection till they come within 200
yards, then made dash for the wag-
ons.
"Of course l couldn't tell which
brought down the most OF 'em, the
family or me- All l knowed was that
four of 'em dropped, remainIn' re-
markable quiet; two Of 'em dragged