The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-02
CHAPTER |.

cOldly. far to the south. riding up
:rom behind the saw-toothed Sierras
Of Nc VIC" ., throw a silvery halo on
t;adsden. the border city. hundred
miles OF desert lay in It's path-a waste
Of broken ridges. dry arroyoB, and
sandy plains-and then suddenly. AZ
n by magic. the city rose cleaning In
the sun
II was "A big city. for the West. and
swarmlng with traffic and men. Its
broad main street. lined with brick
buildings and throbbing with automo-
biles, ran from the railroad straight to
the south until. at line. II stopped
short and WAS lost In the desert
That line which marked the sudden
end OF growth and progress was the
border of tiie United States: the desert
waB Mexico. And the difference was
not In the land. but in the government
AS the morn!ug air grew warm and
the hoar froat dripped down from the
roofs the iclare Of the town crept
forth, leaving chill lodgings and stale
saloons for the street corners and the
sun.
Against the dead wall OF big store
the Mexicans gathered in shIvering
groups, their blankets wrapped around
their necks and their brown ankles
bare to the wind. On another corner
q bunch OF cowboys stood cnnnlshly
aloof. eying the passing crowd for 9TH
ers OF their kind.
In this dun stream which flowed
under the morning sun there were min.
Ing men. with liigh:laced boots anf
hulging pockets: graybeards. with the
gossip OF the town In their cheeks;
h0boes, still wearing their eastern
caps and ,still rustl,og for a quarter to
eat on; sombereyed refugees and SOL
diere OF fortune from Mexico-but
tdlers all, and each seeking lis class
and AipG. .s-
II any women passed that way they
walked fast. looking neither to the
right nor to the left; for they. too, be-
Ing 30 few. missed their class and
kind.
Gadsden had become city Of men.
huge.limbed and pow rful and with q
queating look in their eyes: city Of
ndventurers gathered from the ends uf
tho world. a common calamity mad
driven them from their mines and
ranches and glutted the town with
men, for the war was ON in Mexico
and from the farthermost corners of
Sonora they still came. hot from some
new scene Of murder and pillage, to
add to- the general discomfort.
y As tho day wore on the crowd on
the bank corner. where the refugees
made their stand. changed its com.
plexion, grew big. and stretched far up
the street. Men stood in shifting
groups. talking, arguing. gazing mood
lily at those who. passed.
Here were hawk-eyed Texas cattle
men. thinking OF their scattered hsnis
at Mababi or Ell Tigre: mining men.
with idle prospects anddeserted mines
as far south az the Rio YaquI; mill.
men. ranchers and men OF trades: all
driven In from below the line and all
chatting at the leash. While q hundred
petty chiefs stood out against Madero
and lived by ransom and loot, they
must cool their heels In Cadsden and
wait for the end to come
Into this seetht az mass OF the dis.
possessed. many Of whom had lost 4,
fortune by the war, there came two
more. with t,.eir faces still drawn and
red from hard riding through the cold.
They stepped forth from the marble
entrances OF the; big hotel and swung
OF dow,l the street to see the town.
They walked slowly, gazing into the
strange faces In the vague hope Of
finding some friend: and Gadsden, not
fosbe outdone. looked them over curl
oualy and wondered whence Ahay had
come.
The bunch Of cowboys. still lettering
Q. the corner. glanced scornfuliy. at
the smaller man. who .sported a pair
OF ppttees-and then Mt the big man's
feet. Finding them encased In pros
pector's shoes they stared dumbly at
his wind-burned face and muttered
among themselves.
He was tall, and broad across the
shoulders, with farseeing blue eyes
and mop OF light hair; and he walked
on hir toes. stiff:lesged. swaying from
his hips like man ON horseback The
rumble OF comment rose up. again as
he racked past and then a cowboy
voice observed:
&. "I.ll bot We he's cow.punch!"
The big man looked back at them
.fnocRingly out OF the corner OF his eye
landwent on without . word. -
it is the boast Of cowboys that they