The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-07-29
Re Ees and lnsel'lssaesn
BEL AIR, Md, JULY 20. 1904.

BEL AIR, ND, JULY 29, 1904.
boy was too great 10 think of. lie
would die first. 1t came to be known
In the camp that the Peacock" must
take Il fall. and there was IL great deal
of curiosity us to what he must turn
to- In Il sarcastic way he WIS offered
charge of the mule gang. the wheel
barrow gang and 50 Oil. but he held
his head the higher and made no reply.
He had made Up his mind to be Il high
roller To the end. The old man man
aged to exc him along for fortnight
after breaking the news, but there
came day when not another clnco
could he raised, when father aud
mother must he shipped back to Tue
son by construction train. Old CASTLE
was in the ditch ut last
Tomorrow unused the old man as
he sat with his sun for tie last time
tomorrow. JocnSta. You Will have
neither father nor mother here, and to
morrow, alas, you will lave to go to
work Need tell you that the thought
breaks my heart: Ii is humiliation
disgrace death. Don't you think, my
son, that If you We're TO try some other
locality you could do better with the
cards."
Il have hcen given away for L hun
drcd miles around" was the reply.
Then you will become Il cowboy"
Never
"But you will not load carts with
Dirt"
"A Castilian never yet handled spade
or pick
True. my son, but
There was no more to be said. Next
day Jocnsta was left an orphan, as it
were. His remaining behind was some
thing of Il surprise. He dressed him.
self with unusual care and paradetl
| through the camp to show himself off.
Never had his small feet and shapely
calves shown to greater advantage;
never had he held his backbone SITTER
or his chin higher When through
with his promenade--;nd lie did not
seek TO cut ii short-hc sauntered back
tu his shanty and sat down OH nail
keg in the sun as his ancestors had sat
ON their buronial doorStepS. He knew
that he was looked upon as IL loDlolly
and guy. but he forgave the men
their ignorance. He knew that Il crisis
had arrived when he must either fish
or cut bait, but he was meeting it as
became a man of CASTLE.
The roadbed had reached the foot
hills. where there was cover for the
Indians who had taken a scalp when
ever there was opportunity. On this
day Il dozen of them, mounted on their
war ponies, had been lying in ambush
to pick up any Straggler from the
lines. There We're twenty men seat
tered along the two miles Of track IS
guards. but as noon came and every
thing seemed quiet they gathered
around the rude camptires and cook
ing booths to eat their midday meal.
1t was then that Jocasta. busy with
his own thoughts and casting eyes
around him. saw the Indians gather for
4 swift gallop 10 cut of three men who
had gene afara fof IL stick OF timber.
Without haste and without word to
any one he rose up. A hundred feet
AWAY W as I'Olls dllu
and standing III the shade. and in his
own belt was the inevitable gun
though no ono could say that he had
ever made Use Of it except as an orna-
ment. Hundreds of eyes watched Jo-
casta as he Sauntered down to the
pony with that proud and easy gait Of
his, and there was neither surprise nor
curiosity until he slowly took his seat
I'm the saddle. Then men rose up to
wonder if he was going to try horse
stealing in broad daylight.
As the right hand gathered up the
rcns the left lifted the sombrero in
dignified salute, and then Jocasta set
tied down in the saddle and rode
straight away. There was grand
yell behind him, and out came hun
dred firearms, but before a bullet had
been sent whizZinS after him tie In
dams broke cover. Then his plan was
graspcd, and lie was cheered. Straight
ahead, posing i'll his saddle as he had
posed ON foot, rode Jocasta, the reinS
now in his left hand and the revolver
In his right, and the Indians caught
sight of him too late to check up or
gear off. He struck them with crash
and set his gun to work, and there
was haste to reinforce him. When
score of mounted men pulled up and
dismounted they found the Jim Dandy
lying dead on the ground with three
bullets in his body, and lying around
him within reach of his hand We're four
war painted bucks whose souls. if they
had any. had gone over the great di-
vide in company with his. Men looked
and rubbed their eyes to look again.
There was JGcasta and there were his
dead. He had done what lie had done.
1t was the poser's first and last pose
for glory.