The San Francisco call., 1905-03-12

were IVlQE QOWU tic AooN ACcN08 Wue0
I heard the hum Of wind coming. and
looked up. expecting TO see wall Of
flying snow. and continued looking.
seeing nothing of the kind There I
stood. in the air of an icehouse. when
a gust OF that wind struck me in the
face. A miracle. In snap of your
fingers was bathed in genial warmth
All about me rode the scent Of spring
and fiowersl 1t was as II the doors Of
a giant conservatory were thrown
open.
Chinook. boys! Chinook! called,
casting down my fork They ran from
the lee of the stack. throwing their
coats open, drinking 1t IN and iausa-
ing. for, man, we were weary OF win
teri First it came in puffs. at length
settling down to q steady breeze as
of the sea- The sun that in the early
morning was no more than pale
efFigy poured on US heart-warming
fire. We hustled for home. knowing
that the Chinook would make short
work of the snow; in fact, we had not
covered more than half the distance
before the prairie began TO show
brown here and there. where 1t lay
thin between mountain drifts. We
sang and howled all the way to the
sheds. feeling fine.
Here Steve left US to go to the
house. while Oscar and unloaded the
sleighs.
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 stopped me and forced me
to raise my head For three-quarters
of a circle nothing met my eye 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 mercyi
"Oscar!' I shrieked.. and snatched
him to his feet. He rose. bewildered
and half angry, then looked to where
I pointed.
Through the center Of number four
corral tripped Sally. dear little timid
Sally, glad to be out In this lively air.
her eyes and mind on Oscar doubt
less, and in the same corral. shut or
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 clash
ed 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. a warning suffi-
ciently big and gruesome to stop any
one. What fatal lapse Of memory had
struck the girl?
She was beyond help. We were all
OF two hundred yards away. and Steve
still farther; she was not a quarter OF
that from the brute. If we shouted.
IL we moved, we might bring her end
upon her-and such an endI When I
thought of that dainty, pretty little
woman beneath those hoofs. I felt a
hideous sickness. The man beside me
said:
My God! Ny mistakel"
A corral opened on each side OF the
box stall IN which Geronimo was con-
fined One OF these was usually
empty, a reserve. Tt was into this,
that Oscar had turned the horse. Then
other was the corral of the skulls.
Geronimo leaped out The girl halt
ed. stark. open-mouthed, every sign OF
life stricken from her at a blow
Geronimo sprang high and snapped at
nothing. in evil play before the earn
est. 1t was horrible. We could do
neither harm nor good now so we
ran for the spot. 1t Nas down hill
from US to them I doubt that any,
thing on two legs ever covered dis
tance as we did. for all the despair.
Geronimo reared and stood upon
his hind feet. as straight as a man. He
advanced. striking. looming above his
victim "AH over" thought. and
tried to take my eyes away. I could
not.
At that instant a white-hatted,
gaunt, tall figure rushed from the sta
bic door, a shovel in it's hand. straight
between the girl and her destruction.
There he stood, with his paltry weap-
on raised, un1inching. An oath came
to my lips and hot spot to my throat
at the sight. No eye ever saw a bra
yer thing.
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. I swear I think we
leaped it I have no memory OF climb
ing. but do recall landing on the
other side in swoop.
Geronimo had old Charley In his
teeth. shaking him Hike a rat.
steve! cdlteQ. SLeVos And
then Oscar and charged at the wick
ed brute 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 some
where. black mass toppled toward
me that knocked me sprawling. and
all was still. I 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 II was hurt, and said yes.
He asked mo where. and said that
made no difference. Then. az came
to a little more. I said I guessed
wasn't hurt and looked around. Oscar
had Sally In his arms. The tears
were running down his cheeks, and he
rnOveH hts haaH frorr, ufJs> .aS. rf1-.