The Washington herald., 1907-08-18
PICTURES TEXAS LIFE

his powerful arms. sam Houston, gem
| tlemen.' he announced, stands before
you.
There was Crockett. the quaint oil
baekw0odsman who killed more than one
hundred bears IN a single winter. who
later fought Andy Jackson himself from
a seat in Congress There were VIII
Travis and Ben Milan and Farmland
! others. until for each hero before Troy
you find here a greater counterpart.
Santa Ana, dining In his Mexican pal
ace surrounded by his generals and
| kenchmen. while brown monkey-faced
/ guards in yellow cloaks stand as rigid as
their own bayonets In the wide Palacio
/ doorway. IS the dominant Mexican tone
IN this strange mixture OF Southern mel
| ody and discoTd.
Picture of Santa Ana.
From the head Of the table. which was
begirt behind the chair with hunkies and
/ orderlies and officers even TO the rank OF
colonel. then arose a sallow, clean-shaven
man Of about forty, with a tri-coiored
/ Gordon and many jeweled stars upon his
breast The gracious SMILE was on his
/ lips only. The eyes might have teen Of
1 another man IN another humor, and the
| effect was discOnCerting Have you ever
watched squirrel locate a nut under the
snow, and then. sitting on his launches,
nibble at it hungrily? IF so. then you
may have been fascinated. and reyolted.
too, by the squirrels eyes They were
quick, beautiful. bead-lilsz eyes. but they
were so steadily alert to aUght that
might disturb his glutteny that the cold,
cruel, metallic green IN them was none
other than lecherous. Santa Ana's eyes
were fine eyes. in way, deep and round
and large. Ike a seals. But they were
the squirrels eyes. too. IN their greed. In
! their cold, settled watchfulness.
Nan, wholesome. sweet. fearless erea-
I tuTe OF the Texan plains. draws upon
Ripieys horizon in fitting manner-the
center figure Of interest at cock-hght.
Nan "A Pretty Girl.
She was a slim. exasperaungIy indie
pendent. and graceful little creature Of a
girl in short leather skirt wondered
what kind Of a glrl it could be who was
tying the gaff on a game-cock. / thought
the girl must be Mexican. TOO. She was
not Mexican az all. She was American,
from the toe Of her boot 10 the resoIute
tilt Of her sOmbrerO There were roses
IN the tan Of her cheeks. and high up on
her brow. at the roots OF her hair. the
skin was purest white-a girl of my own
race
Lyle has chosen 10 depict n situation
which thriliingly reveals the Americans
inherent capacity for rugged, unaIloyed,
physical courage. In the Alamo IL is
courage without hope. the supreme test
Every man behind those walls knew alb
solutely that he must die If he stayed,
and al but one did stay. though until
then escape was possible. Moreover. Il
was not only a chance 10 escape with
honor, but by escaping they would have
obeyed orders. This was real courage
There is another sort OF courage which
Lyle has portrayed with great skill and
humor. II is that Of the her0-the Cow
ard. Tied 70 his mothers apron strings
yet thirsting for mans adventure. Harry
Ripley joins Bowie and his men Adj
venture does not wait for his cOurting-
she comes 10 him with wide-open arms
and he finds himself. all untried and, alas.
pitiably weak, IN the heart of events and
CORY horrors, the awful relentlessness Of
which turns him sick with nausea OF
spirit and body.
Branded as Coward.
He knows that the brand of the coward
is upon him. He is not endowed with thu
Missourians blind courage. neither has
he passed through four years Of war and
peril and hardship for prepare ton. He
is a tendeTfoOt entering Texas with the
very spirit OF Andy Jackson playing on
his heaTt-stTings. and finds himself sud-
denly among giants. Pitiably equipped
as he is, he realizes in more than one
terrible moment the despair Of ever meas
uring himself with the colossal standard
on every side. Yet-recCgnizing his lack,
his tnlmeasurable limitatioas-he takes
that damaging cOwardice by the throat
and slowly but surely strangles il.
Poor Harry! HIS IS not the heroism OF
big deeds. Il Is that invisible and often
unrecognized fight Of mans soul against
the legions that war upon t. He is not
OF that Colossal Hero Group Of Texas"
Yet ne leads our hearts along his way-be
II strewn with flowers or thorns. He
incites our laughter-with tears cleaning
through il He wins our love ungrude-
ingly. During the whole recital OF
his adventures IN that world Of crimson
and gold romance there are no negative
tints there, Of diplomatic finessing and
brutal bungling. Of death-defying love
and undying hate, it is through Harry
Ripieys vision that We see and feel and
ApiASN Win GREATNESS interest the story
Of the making OF Texas. the Lone star
State, and the men who helped 10 make
her
The Lone Star" is a story OF the HAD
epoch OF America This was the epoch
of the knife Empire had to be won with
the fiintlock first: with the ak afterward.
Then there were the men who did il. who
for prowess, fighting, and wisdom, sur
pass the merely legendary demigOd OF
Greece and Troy. Their very names fas-
einate with the suggestion Of good stories
Ike the name of Robin Hood, and yet
there exists neither ballad nor epic about
them.
So much the more welcome. then. 10
Lyle's romance. Very reverently. but
with bu0yant enthusiasm, he has gone TO
his native State, and taken the thrilling
story Of Texas for his own. and If the
tale he has told does not forthwith be-
come a classic in Texas, It cannot be
for the fault Of the Texans who WOO. and
fight, and have their being between the
covers Of the book.