The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-07-19

grass.
| it is well to be reasonably WatChtu
when a Mexican lion sings soprano
along the arroyOs at shutdown. The
burden of his song may be that young
calves and fat lambs are scarce and
that he has carnivOrous desire fol
your acquaintance.
| In the grass lay an empty fruit can
cast there by some former sOjOurner
Owens caught sight of it with a grunt
| of satisfaction. In his coat pocket
tied behind his saddle was a handful
or two of ground coffee Black coffee
and cigarettes what ranchero could
desire more?
In two minutes he had little fire
| going clearly. He started with his
can, for the water hole. When within
fifteen yards Of its edge he saw be-
tween the bushes a sidesaddled pony
with down dropped reins cropping
grass little distance to his left Just
rising from her hands and knees on
the brink Of the water hole was Josefa
ODOnneH. She had been drinking
water and she brushed the sand from
the palms of her hands. Ten yards
away, to her right, half concealed by q
clump of sacuista, Givens saw the
crouching form Of a Mexican lion His
amber eyeballs glared hungrily Six
feet from them was the tip of the tail
stretched straight, like pointers
His hind quarters rocked with the mo
ton of the cat tribe preliminary to
leaping.
Gfvens did what he could. His six
shooter was thirty-five yards away. ~
Ing on the grass. He gave a loud yell
and dashed between the lion and the
princess
The "rucus," as Givens called it aft
erward, was brief and somewhat CON
fused. When he arrived on the line of
attack he saw dim streak in the air
and heard a couple of faint cracks.
Then hundred pounds of Mexican
lion pumped down upon his head and
fattened him with a heavy jar to the
ground. He remembered calling out,
Let up, now; no fair gouging!" and
then he crawled from under the lion
like a worm, with his mouth full of
grass and dirt and big lump on the
back of his head where it had struck
the root of water elm. The lion lay
motionless. Givens, feeling aggrieved
and suspicious of fouls, shook his fist
at the lion and shouted, It'll rastle you
again for twenty And then he got
back to himself.
Josefa was standing in her tracks,
quietly reloading her silver mounted
80 caliber. 1t had not been difficult
shot. The lions head made an easier
mark than a tomato can swinging at
the end of a string There was a pro-
voking, teasing, maddening smile upon
her mouth and in her dark eyes The
would be rescuing knight felt the fire
of his fiasco burn down to his soul.
Here had been his chance, the chance
that he had dreamed of, and Momus,
and not Cupid. had presided over it.
The satyrs in the wood We're no
doubt holding their sides in hilarious.
silent laughter. There had been some
thing like vaudeyille-say, Signor Civ
ems and his funny knockabout act with
the stuffed lion.
SIS that you, Mr. Givens" said Jo-
sefa in her deliberate, saccharine con
tralto. You nearly spoiled my shot
when you yelled Did you hurt your
head when you fell p
'tOh, no." said Owens quietly That
didn't hurt He stopped ignominious-
~ and slowly dragged his best hat
from under the beast. 1t was crushed
and wrfnkled to u fine comedy effect
Then he knelt down and softly stroked
the fierce, open jawed head OF the dead
lion.
"Poor old BillrI he exclaimed mourn
fully.
whats thatY' asked Josefa Sharp
".
"Of course you didn't know. Miss
Josefa," said Owens, with an air of |
one allowing magnanimity to triumph |
over grief. "Nobcdy can blame you.
| tried to save him. but couldn't let |
you know in time"
.'Saye who?"