Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-05-21
The Holdup at
Antelope's Run
BY CURRAN r. GREENLEY
COPYRIGHT. r..'. l." r. Z. Mccmre

tilu c;tScu ne tiiltiH'S Ia give Inc bI:lck
oony II brcatln-: spite. \ rim of sill
yer grew and w.,rnrd ;llon. the east.
and AZ Gerald watched the moon
swung up the sky AMI tie South wind
came rushing ,rpoI and sweet against
his hot brow. li"w like Ia that night
three years age. wlcn they had stood
together meath tie palms III ~. Au-
gti>tine. In place of the loneliness of
plain and sky the Dream city. jewel
'rowncd. the gray oil fort. the SHIN
mering moon Silvrr"d SEA and Mar
garet. one n..hi in II mans life. when
she had answered Yes" To the story
he told. ont there on the crumbling
walls of San Marco. lie remembered
how they had watched the little blue
clad figure as il toilcd up with the
Hateful mcS>a-c. the message that
dashed the sweetness from the orange
scented night. hushcd the music of the
sea. leaving him alive To only the sense
of ruin utter rain.
Three hours later he was on the way
to New York. leaving only Il brief note:
Il cannot hold you To your promise.
am be.rar" He knew now the
wrong that lie had offered her woman
hood. But then. with the old man who
had been more comrade than father
lying with bullet hole through his
brain. there seemed no other way. II
had been II maze commencing with the
pitifui funeral. with himself as n sole
mOurner: then the long days when ev-
cry hour disclosed the wrong that had
been done To women and helpless chill
dren. 4 very madness of speculate ion
had possessed his father. and the
worthless paper seemed To grow into
mountains of guilt and shame Settle
ments. Judgments. foreclosures. and
there came n day when he stood with
out of sight of his kin.
Five long years. They were filed
with life and movement AMI afiash
with barbaric color wrought in strange
pattern of border warfare. night raids
when Comanche and Apache We're
out" But the Blue Star ranch had
prOspcred. The cattle had ihriven and
grown from scattered lunches into a
great herd. of which Gerald was half
owner. Tomorrow they would start
on the long trail To the market places.
The black pony shifted the air sus-
piciously nj a rustic in the dried sage
grass. A shadow came out from
and as the blanket slipped from her
shoulders Gerald saw that 1t was
Juana. the Mexican wife of Comanche
Jake. He knew the woman. Only
week before he had come to her
rescue just in time TO save her from
Comanche Jake's bowie knife. and now
spoke TO her kindly. You. Juana ?
What is the matter now? Is Jake after
you again."
Juana crept still closer. Senior.
Senior. For the love of Our Lady. call
out your men and ride 10 Antelope's
run. They"-with twist of her hand
toward the distant tepee in the mes
quite-''they are over there-half a
dozen like Jake. all mad with the mes
cal-and they go 10 rob the Anguilla
stage when il passes Antelopes run.
Senior. they will kill-thcy'll kill me
when they find I've told. but Caracas
Johnny came in nj nightfall from up
above and told how he got mes
sage while nj Anguilla in cipher from
n pal of his in Santa Fe. and II said
there WAS government gold a-comin'
through and that there was n woman.
too. who was rich and had money
along with her. They've got il all
planned how To do for the driver and
the guards. and Caracas Johnny is TO
have the woman. Senior. for the love
of the mother that bore you. get out
your men and save her or kill her. It's
twenty miles TO Antelopes run. but
Jake and the boys won't start till mid
night and they'll be drunk with the
mescal.''
And how about you:" asked Ger
aid.
Juana gathered her blanket closer.
''Senor. if you let Jake come back, he
will know told you. Then God and
Our Lady have mercy" And the squat
figure Slipped away into the night
He did not question the truth Of
the woman's statement. There was
work for the Blue Star outfit ut Ante
lope's run. II worried him that this
should have come just as they needed
all their best men for the big drive.
but where n woman was ut stake there
could be no question of cattle.
Ten minutes of hurried galloping to
and fro and Gerald led off his cattle
force. leaving half dozen. out the
gate As they shot up the Santa Fe
trail his watch showed IL o'clock by
the moons rays.
The swift ponies lay down to their
work and the earth rolled back be-
meath their hoofs as they rode In the
quick cavalry trOt over miles of sage
grass and white sand. past prairie dog
towns. where the alert tenants whisk-
ed out OF sight like so many small
ghosts. past the dry arroyas like white
sears on the face Of the plain. On and
on. Here u bunch of mesquite. gnome-
like In the spectral light. clumps of
prickly pear and weird contortions Of
the giant castus ten miles. fifteen.
and they began the ascent where the