The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-03-16
Copyright. 1851

ncateu steer ana his great jaws
clicked together like q wise. empha-
sizing the determination in his heart.
They'll pay for this, pardner; by
God they'll pay" And his bronzed
hand went to his belt, which held an
ugly si1-shooter.
wen help yer elect tibet BILL"
added McGuirk as he brought his
clumsy fist down on the bar.
They did pay. When the govern
ment e n Mccullough and his men to
destroy the murderous and thieving
bands. which for years had been loot
Ing and killing in the vicinity OF Las
Vegas, Albuquerque and Discovery,
James Horton was one Of the first to
join the fighters. When he met an
Apache he fought like q mailman.
In due course Of time the govern
ment rewarded him by giving him a
commission as captain, and later he
was promoted to colonel. He led
his men with the same fearlessness
which characterized his father when
he headed the Indian troops at Pigeon
/ zap 0AO ~ WASH lOA6 OClOAC AlC
had driven the Apaches back from
the New Mexican trails. The day he
retired he walked into McGuirk's, and.
throwing his sword on the bar, re-
marked to the proprietor: "There
Jack, I'm through with 1t now. for
they've paid me in full. Hang it above
your bar as a reminder to the Apache
that he must behave"
He told the truth. Although there
were thousands Of settlers who had
never been able to exact their debts
from the b~lood-thirsty tribes, the
Colonel had collected, and, as he took
of his mud and d~ust-covered uniform
and laid 1t carefully away In the big
chest In the attic he felt convinced
that the bones Of the Apaches. which
were scattered across the big area
from Las Vegas to Discovery, were
physical notes that had long been
overdue that the brutal death of one
Of the fairest-1owers Of the Southland
had been avenged.
The land he owned. which consisted
OF several thousand acres; the great
herds Of cattle that roamed Over his
vast estate had been taken from the
Apaches, while the big mansion which
was known as one OF the finest across
the border, hnd been constructed, un-
der his supervision. by their hands.
The Colonel had never been cruel at
heart: In fact he was generous to
the point OF extravaganza and his
charities were many and widely dis
tributed. Discovery had benefited
greatly by his generosity and he had
helped those whom he had never seen.
But. when his old friends, Pancho
Leon and Major Richard Winston. ap-
pealed to him on n occasion. to as
sist a tribe Of starving Apnches. en-
into a rnge.
LET them die: the dogs!" he ex-
claimed, as he arose and paced back
and forth. 'They killed the best part
Of me at Glorietn fifteen years ago! -
At the time Of writing Colonel Hor-
ton was a Of the wealthiest land
owners In Mexico. His most valuable
possession had been his daughter,
whom he had christened Liberty the
day after the Glorieta massacre. and
who was now seventeen.
Liberty felt keenly the absence Of
a mother. There had been moments
In her young life when she lOnged
for a mothers comfort and advice.
Although she had never attended
school. Liberty had been provided
with a special tutor who had given
her an excellent trimming. Every sum-
mel she had spent several weeks with
the family OF Major Winston In AL
b%uquerque.
It was while visiting the Winstons
that Liberty received word OF the seri-
Gus illness Of her father. He had not
been feeling well for some time and
the Colonel. who a conscious of her
fondness for the Major and his family.
urged her not to sacrifice an enjoyable
holiday for an ai1ment which he was
convinced was only slight on his part.
and from which he would Don recover.
But. the Colonel grew worse after
she had gone. The terrible exposures
he had undergone while fighting the
Apaches were now exacting their tolls
with the aid Of apoplexy and Liberty
reached home Just In time to learn Of
her fathers death.
When her mother died. she was too
young 10 realize what It meant to her.
But Il was different now. Tho blow
stunned her. It meant that every
thing she loved IN the world; every
thing she had cherished had been
snatched from her when she needed
It most
The vim Of Colonel Horton was Z
rather peculiar one. Il made Major
Richard Winston and Pancho Leon the
trustees Of his vast estate and ere
atsd them guardians II his daughter
and only child. It also commanded
that Liberty must not marry before
reaching the age Of twenty-one with
ont The written approval Of both trns-
tomL Further, It b~eqneathed $1,000
10 the Colonel's faithful servant. Pe-
dro q saddle to Manuel, son Is pancho
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