The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1911-06-08


cause he CHANGED to be discovered un
employed by the harassed commando,
OF cantonment Just without the en-
virons OF Carson City. Twenty min
utes later he was riding swiftly into
the northwest, bearing important
news to General Sheridan, commander
OF the Department, who happened al
that moment to be at Fort Cairnes
10 Keith this had been merely anoth.
er page In career of adventure: for
him to take his life in his hands had
long ago become an old story. He
mad quietly performed the special
duty allotted him, watched a SQUAD
ron OF troopers trot forth down the
valley OF the Republican, received the
nasty thanks of the peppery little gen.
eral, and then, having nothing better
to do, traded his horse in at the gov.
eminent corral for a fresh mount and
started back again for Carson City.
For the greater portion Of two nights
and day he had been In the saddle,
but he was accustomed to this, for he
mad driven more than one bunch of
longhorns up the Texas trail; and as
he had slept three hours at Cairnes,
and as his nerves were like steel. the
thought of danger gave him slight
concern. He was thoroughly tired,
and 1t rested him to get out of the
saddle, while the freshness of the
morning air was a tonic, the very
breath OF which made him forgetful
of fatigue
After all, this was indeed the very
sort of experience which appealed to
him, and always had-this life of
peril In the open. under the stars and
the sky. He had constantly expert
enced It for so long now, eight years,
as to make II seem merely natural.
While he piolghed steadily forward
through the shifting sand OF the cou-
lee. his thought drifted idly back over
those years, and sometimes he smiled
and occasionally frowned, as various
Incidents returned to memory. II had
been a rough life. yet one not unusual
to those of his generation. Born of
excellent family in tidewater Virginia
his father successful planter, his
mother had died while he was still In
early boyhood, and he had grown up
cut off from all womanly influence. He
had barely attained his majority,
senior at William and Mary's College,
when the Civil War came; and one
month after Virginia cast in her lot
with the South. he became sergeant
In a cavalry regiment commanded by
hts father He had enjoyed that life
and won his spurs. yet IL had cost
There was much not over-pleasant to
remember, and those strenuous years
Of almost ceaseless fighting. OF long
night marches, of swift. merciless
raiding, Of lonely scouting within the
enemy's lines. of severe wounds,
hardship and suffering. had left their
marks on both body and soul. His
father Rad fallen on the field at Antie
tam. and left him utterly alone in the
world, but he had fought on grizzly
to the end, until the last nag of the
I
time, upon the collar of his tattered
gray jacket appeared the furnished In
sigma of captain. The quick tears
dimmed his eyes even now as he re
called anew that final parting follow
ing Appomattox, the battleworn faces
OF his men, and his own painful Jour
ney homeward, defeated, wounded and
penniless. II was no home when he
got there. only heap of ashes and
few weed-grown acres. No familiar
face greeted him; not even a slave
was left
He had honestly endeavored to re
main there, to face the future and
work It out alone; he persuaded him
self to feel that this was his para
mount duty to the state, to the mem
ory OF the dead. But those very years
OF army life made such task i'm
possible; the dull, dead monotony Of
routine. the loneliness, the slowness
OF results, became intolerable. AS 1t
came to thousands OF his comrades
the call OF the West came to him, and
at last he yielded. and drifted toward
the frontier. The life there fascinat-
ed him, drawing him deeper and deep
err into its swirling vortex. He be-
came freighter. mail carrier, hunter
government scout, cowboy, foreman
Once he had drifted into the noun
tains. and took chance in the mines
but the wide plains called him back
once more to their desert loneliness
What an utter waste 1t all seemed
now that he looked back upon IT,
Eight years OF fighting. hardship and
rough living, and what had they
brought him? The reputation OF a
hard rider. daring player at cards
a quick shot. scorner OF danger. and
a bad man to fool with-that was the
whole of record hardly won. The