El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-16


eyes and q laugh
III that rippled across
u = the prairie like
the sound Of a hidden brook The name
Of it was Roslta McMuIen; and she
was the daughter Of old man McMul-
len Of the Shutdown sheep ranch.
There came riding on red roam
gteeds-or, to be more explicit, on a
paint and a hea-bitten sorrel-two
Wooers. One was Madison Lane and
The other was the Frio Kid. But at
that time they did not call him the
FRO Kid, for he had not earned the
hODors Of special nomenclature. His
name was simply Johnny Mercy.
It must not be supposed that these
two were the sum OF the agreeable
Rcsitas admirers. The bronchos OF a
dozen others champed their bits a
the long hitehing rack Of the Sun
down ranch. Many were the Sleeps
eyes that were cast in those savannas
that did not belong to the focks OF
Dan McMuIlen. But Of ell the eava-
Hers Madison lane and Johnny Nc
Roy galloped far ahead, wherefore
they are to be chrsnicled.
Madison Lane, a young cattIeman
from the Nueces country. won the
race. He and Rosita were married one
Christmas day. Armed. hilarious, 70
ciferous. magnanimous, the cowmen
and the sheepmen. laying aside their
hereditary hatred. joined forces to
celebrate the occasion.
But while the wedding feast was az
its nveliest there descended upon it
Johnny Mercy, bitten by Jealousy.
Ike one possessed
I'll give you a Christmas present"
he yelled, shTilly, at the door, with his
As in his hand. Even then he had
some reputation as an ofhand shot
His first bullet cut a neat undsrbit
81 Madison Lanes right ear. The bar
rel Of his gun moved an inch. The
next shot would have been the brides,
had not Carson, a sheepman, pos
sessed a mind with triggers some
what well oiled and in repair. The
guns Of the wedding party had been
hung, in their belts, upon nails in the
wall when they sat at table, as a con
cessioh to good taste. But Carson.
with great promptness, hurled his
plRts Of roast venison and frijoles at
McRoy, spelling his aim. The second
bullet, then, only shattered the white
petals Of a Spanish dagger flower sus-
pended two feet shove Rosita's head.
The guests spurned their chairs
and jumped for their weapons. It
was considered an improper act to
shoot the bride and groom at q we'd
ding. In about six seconds there were
twenty or so bullets due to be whiz-
zing in the direction Of Mr.. Mercy.
'Tu shoot better next time" yelled
Johnny; and theren be a next time"
He backed rapidly out the door.
The cattlemen swept out upon him,
calling for vengeance.
But the sortie failed IN its ven
geance. Mercy was on his horse and
away. shouting back curses and
threats as he gaIloped into the con-
cealing chaparral.
That night was the birthnight Of
the FRO Kid. He became the bad
man" Of that portion Of the state. The
rejection OF his suit By Miss McMul-
len turned him TO a dangerous man.
When officers went after him for the
shooting Of Carson, he killed two Of
them. and entered upon the life Of an
outlaw. When he was. at last shot
and killed by q little one-armed Mex
lean who was nearly dead himself
from fright, the Frio Kid had the
deaths Of Is men on his head.
Many tales are told along the Dor
der Of his impudent courage and
daring. But he was not one Of the
breed Of desperadoes who have sea
sons Of generosity and even Of soft
ness They say he never had mercy /
on the object Of his anger. Yet at
this and every Christmastide It is
well to give each one credit, If it can
be done, for whatever speck Of good /
he may have possessEI If the Frio 1
Kid ever did a kindly act or felt a 1
throb Of generosity in his heart it was
once at such a time and season, and
this is the way it happened:
One December in the FRO country I
rode the Frio Kid and his Satellite I
and co-murderer, Mexican Frank. The
Kid refined in his mustang, and set ID
his saddle, thoughtful and grim, with
dangerously narrowing eyes.
4 don't know what I been thinning
about, Mex" he remarked in his usual
mild drawl, TO have forgot all aaout &