The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-16
SOME BITS OF
CHOICE VERSE.
Lasca.


Lasca.
I want free life and 7 want fresh air;
And i SIGH for the canter. after the cattle.
The crack of the whips like shots In u
battle.
The meliey OF horns and hoofs and heads
That wars aud wrangles and %scatters and
spreads:
The green beneath and the blue above.
Ana dash and danger, and life and love.
And Lasca!
yLasca used to ride
On a inottsc-gray mus lang close to my
side,
With bite scrape aud bringht-bcllcd spur;
laughed with JOY as ] looked Mt her!
Little knew she Of books or Of cracds;
An Ave Maria suf1ced her needs;
Little she cared, save to be by my side, Z
To ride viii, me. and ever to'ride,
From San Saba's shore to Laricn's tide.
She was as bold as the pillows that beat.
She was as wild rs tho A~hrcezes that blow;
From her little head 10 her little feet
She swayed Iii her supplcness to and fro
BY each gust or passion: n sapling pine.
That grows OH the edge OF q Kansas
blum.
And wars with the wind when the weather
Is rough,
Is like this Lasca, this love OF mine.
She would hunger that I might eat.
Would take the bitter and lenve me the
sweet;
But once when II made her jealous FOR
At something I'd whispered, or looked.
or done,
One Sunday, In San Antonio,
TO a glorious girl on the Alamo.
She drew from her garter a dear little
dagger.
And-sting OF q 4wasp!-lt made me, stng-
Al inch to the left. or an Inch to the
AND II shouldn't be Numbering her to-
But she sobbcd. and. sobbin.s, SO swiftly
bound
Her torn reboso about the wound,
That ! quite forgave. her. Scratches
don't count
III Texas, down by the Rio Grande.
Her eye was q brown-a deep. deep
Her hair was darker than her eye;
Ana something In her smile and frown.
Curled crimson lip and instep high,
Showed that there ran In each blue vein,
Mixed with the milder Aztec strain.
She WAS alive In every limb
With feeling, to the flnger-tips;
And when The sun is like a fire,
And sky one shining, soft sapphire,
One does not drink in little sips.
The air was heavy, the night was hot,
I sat By her side. and forgot-fo.got:
Forgot the herd that were taking their
Forgot that the air was, close oppres,,
That the Texas norther cbmes sudden and
In tee dead Of night or the blaze Of noon;
That once let the herd at its breath take
Nothing on earth can stop the flight;
And woe to the rider, and woe to the
steed,
Who oils il, front Of their mad stam,
pedc!
Was that thunder? l srasped The cord
OF my swift mustang without a word.
II spinN. to the saddle, and she chung bt.
rini. &
Aw:,S..tson a hot chase down the wind!
But never was fox-hunt half so hard
And never was steed SO little spared.
For We rcGe for our lives. You shall hear
how we Jared,
In Texas. down by the Rio, Grarde..
The mustang few, aud We urged him on;
There vas one chance left, Snd you have
hat one; tg#
Halt, Jump to ground, and shoot Your
horse:
Crouch under his carcase, and take Your
chance;
And If the steers in their frantic course
DON'T batter you both to pieces ut once.
You may thank your star; II not, good
bye &.
TO tho n,,lckening kiss and the long
dra WI sigh,
And the open air and the open SKY,
In Texas. down by the RIO Grande.
eFH tr.G&Ea E...H. tfEHEE, |H, ~ 81
The cattle gained on US, and, just as
For NY old six-shooter behind III my belt,
Down came the mustang. and down came
clinging together, and-what was the
rest?
a booy, that spread itself on my breast.
Twoa arms that shielded my dizzy head,
prcst;
Then came thunder in my ears,
AS ever us surged the steers.
Blows that beat blood into my eyes,
And when j could rise
Lasca; was dead!
I gougcd 3cut a grave a few feet deep,
And there in Earth's arms laid her 70
Ana there she is lying. and no one knows.
And the summer shines and tho winter
rpr many nssny 4 sdaylthe lovers have spread
A pail Of petals over her head;
And the little gray hawk hangs a!o1t
In the air,
And the sly coyote trots here and there,
And the black snake glides and %glitters
and slides sa ttt
into a rift In a cottonwood tree;
And the 1buzzard sails on,
And comes and is gone,
Stately and stu like a ship at sea;
And Iwonder why lido not care
Tor the things that are like the things
thai were.
Does half my heart lie. buried there
~ gHtUsH r., Srevou dnwnth nv thofTiO Crande? |