La Junta tribune., 1907-07-27
Years ,ftcrward sidney Blair. head

running a line. looking then. MS we are
looking yet. for n coast outlet.
He took only II flying camp with
him. travelling In the lightcst kind OF
order. camping often with the cattle
men he ran across.
One night away down In the Pan
handle they fell In with nn outfit driv
Ing bunch Of steers up the Yellow
Grass trail. Blair noted that the fore
mas WAS character--a man OF few
words. but of great muscular strength.
and. moreover. frightfully Scared.
He was silent and inclined to be mo-
rose at first. but after he learned Blair
was from McClOud he unbent hit
tions which indicated a surprising ia
miliarity with the northern country
and with our road. In particular. this
man asked what had become OF Bucks
and. when told what big railroad
man he had grown. asserted. with II
sudden bitterness and without In any
way leading up to It. that with Bucks
on the West End there never would
have been strike.
Sitting at their campfire while their
crews mingled. Blair noticed In the
flicker OF the blaze how se,med the
throat and breast OF the cattleman
were. Even his slnewy forearms were
drawn out OF shape. He asked. too.
whether Blair recollected the night the
barracks burned. but Blair at that time
was east OF the river and 80 explained.
though he related TO tue cowboy Incl
dents OF the fire which he had heard
among others the story of Fitzpatrick
and Siclone Clark
And Fitzpatrick Is alive. and 81
clone is dead" said Blair In conciu-
sion. hut the cowboy disputed him.
You mean Clark Is alive and Fitz-
patrick liz dead" said he.
NO" cOntended Sidney. "Fitzpat-
rick Is running an engine up there
now. saw him within three months"
Hut the cowboy was loath to convlc-
ton.
Next morning their trails forked.
The foreman seemed disincllned to
part from the surveyors. and while the
bunch was starting he rode long way
with Blair. talking In n random way.
Then. suddenly wheeling. he waved
goodby with his heavy Stetson and.
galloping hard. was soon lost to the
north In the ruts of the Yellow Grass.
When Blair came In he told NeGhbor
and me about 1t. Blair had never seen
Slclone Clark and so was no Judge rs
to his identity. but NeIglibor believes
yet that Blair camprd that night way
down In the Panhandle with no other
than the cowboy engineer.
Once again. that only two years ago
something came back to us.
Holmes Kay. one of our stan Of sur
Geons. the man, in fact. who took care
of Fitzpatrick. enlisted In Illinois and
went with the First to Cuba. They
got In front of Santiago just after the
hard fighting OF July l. and Holmes
was detailed for hospital work amOrs
ROosevelts men. who had suffered Sc
verely the day before.
One OF the wounded. n sergeant. had
sustained gunshot wound In the jaw
and In the confusion had received
scant attention. Kay took hold OF
him. He was n cowboy, like most OF
the rough riders. and after his jaw
was dressed Kay made some remark
about the hot tire they had been
through before the blOckhouse.
I'D been through hotter before l
ever saw Cuba" answered the rough
rider as well as he could through his
bandages. The remark directed kay's
attention to the condition Of his
breast and neck. which were mass
of scars.
where are you rrom?" asked
Holmes.
"Everywhere."
where did you get burned that
way?''
"Out on the plains"
How"
: But the poor fellow went on into
delirium and to the surgeons amaze
ment began repcating train orders.
Kay WAS paraly2ed at the way he
talked oar lingo-and IL cowboy. When
he left the wounded man for the night
he resolved to question him more
closely the next day. but the next day
orders came to rejoin his regiment at
the trenches. The surrender shifted
things about, and Kay. though he
made repeated inquiry. never saw the
man again.
Neighbor when he heard the story
was only confirmed in his belief that
the rough rider was Siclone Clark.
give you the tales as they came to me
and for what you may make of them.
myself believe that II Siclone Clark
Is still alive he will one day yet come
back to where he was best known and.
In spite of his faults. best liked. They
talk OF him out there as they do OF
old man Sankey.
I say believe II he lives he will one
day come back. The dny he does will
he great day In McCiOud. On that
day Fitzpatrick will have to take down
the little tablet which he placed In