The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-04

Suddenly I felt uncomfortable, for no
reason in this world. The land about us
was rejoicing with booming of that kind.
warm wind. yet sharp uneasiness stop
ped me and forced me to raise my head.
For three quarters of a circle nothing met
my eyes but the vanishing snow drifts.
reached the house; nothing wrong there
Steve was walking briskly out toward us.
smoking his pipe. Then the corrals-all
right, number one. two. three, four-Lord
have mercy.
"Oscar!' I shrieked, and snatched him
to his feet. He rose, bewildered and half
angry, then looked to where pointed.
Through the center of number four cor
raj tripped Sally. dear little timid Sally,
glad to be out in this lovely air, her eyes
and mind on Oscar doubtless, and in the
same corral, shut off from her sight by a
projection Of the sheds, stood Geronimo
And he saw her, too, for as she waved a
hand to us, he barred his great teeth and
clashed them together. The earth seemed
to rock and sink from me. Every soul on
the ranch was told to keep away from the
corral with the two buffalo skulls over the
gates, warning sufficiently big and grue-
some to stop anyone. What fatal lapse
Of memory had struck the girl?
She was beyond help. We were all of
200 yards away, and Steve still further;
she was not a quarter of that from the
brute. If we shouted, if we moved, we
AiiiShl aDliHS lltT eIlQ upOH nST-and Sucn
an end! When / thought of that dainty,
pretty little woman beneath those hoofs,
felt hideous sickness. The man be-
side me said:
My God! My mistaken"
A corral opened On each side OF the box
stall In which Geronimo was confined.
One of these was usually empty. re-
serve. 1t was into this that Oscar had
turned the horse. The other was the cor
| raj of the skulls
Geronimo leaped out. The girl halted.
stark. open-mouthed, every sign of life
stricken from her at a blow. Geronimo
| sprang high and snapped at nothing, in
evii play before the earnest. 1t was hor-
| rlble. We could do neither harm nor good
now, SO we ran for the spot 1t was
down hill from us to them. I doubt that
anything On two legs ever covered dis
lance as we did. for all the despair
Geronimo reared and stood upon his
hind feet. as straight as a man. He ad-
Vanced, striking, looming above his vic
TIM All over" thought, and tried
TO take my eyes away. could not
AT that instant whitehall gaunt
tall figure rushed from the stable door. a
shovel in his hand. straight between the
girl and her destruction. There he stood
with his paltry weapon raised, unf1inch-
ing. An oath came to my lips and a hot
spot to my throat at the sight No eye
ever SdW d drawer CnlnS.
AT this, dip in the ground and the
eight-foot fence of the corral shut out all
within. God knows how we got over that
fence. l swear l think we leaped it. I
have no memory of climbing but 1 do
recall landing on the other side in
swoop.
Geronimo had old Charley in his teeth,
shaking him like a rat
''Steve." 1 called, "Steve. And then
Oscar nd no at
with our pitchforks. All that followed is
a tangle. bad dream of hurry, fear, yells.
oaths, and myself Stabbing, stabbing,
stabbing with the pitchfork. Then gun
cracked somewhere black mass toppled
toward me that knocked me sprawling.
and all was still. 1 sat for a moment,
smiling foolishly and fumbling for my
hat. Steve raised me by the arm. He still
had his revolver in his hand, and his
glance on the dead stallion. He asked me
If | was hurt, and l said yes. He asked
me where, and 1 said that made no diff
ference. Then, as came to a little more,
said guessed I wasn't hurt and looked
around. Oscar had Sally in his arms The
tears were running down his cheeks. and
he moved his head from side to side. like
man in agony. Her head was buried in
his breast, her hands locked around his
neck 1t was well with them, evidently.
But limp upon the ground, his forehead
vanished red. lay old Charley
We turned him over tenderly, wiping the
blood away. Steve's lips quivered as he
put his hand On the old mans heart. He
kept it there a long time. Then he said
huSkily, Hes gone.''
At the words the sound eye OF the vic
tim popped open with a suddenness that
made my heart throw somersault It
was as sane, calm and undisturbed an
optic as ever regarded the world
stG-a-w-n h-li" came drawing through
the nose Of Charlie.
We laughed and wiped our eyes with
our coat sleeves and got the old boy to
his feet.
Same old Texas" said he. feeling Of
| his head. The hoof had scraped instead
| of smashing Slightly disfgured, but still
in the ring"
He caught sight of the lovers. "Hello!"
he said. Oscars made his ante good at
last-bad hawse works as well as In
| juns." We started to lead him by the
pair.
"Naw, boys" he commanded ssTake
me round luther way. That gal don't
want to see me now. all bloody and
unused up like this"
1t was useless to try and make hero
| Of Charley.