Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1917-05-05
CHAPT ".
At Las Paimas.

Although the lower counties of
southwest Texas are fiat and badly
watered, they possess a rich soil. They
are favored too, by a kindly climate,
subtropic in its mildness. The Rio
Grande iaundiced, erratic as an in
valid wrings its saffron blood from the
clay bluffs and gravel canyons of the
hill country, but near its estuary winds
quietly through a low coastal plain
which the very impurities of that blood
have richened Here the rivers banks
are sm0thered in thickets of huiSache,
ebony. mesquite, oak and alamo.
Railroads are so scarce along this
division OF the border that to travel
from Brownsville north along the in
3ernauonal line one must, for several
hundred miles, avail oneself of horses,
mules or mOtorcars, since rail transpor-
cation is almost lacking. And on his
way the traveller will traverse whole
counties where the houses are iacals,
where English is a foreign tongue and
where poems pillow their fields with
crooked sticks as did the ancient
Egyptians.
That part of the state which lies
below the Nueces river was for a time
disputed territory, and long after Tex
ans had given their lives to drive the
eagle Of Mexico across the Rio Grande
much of it remained a forbidden land
Even today Ii is alien. 1t is a part of
our Southland. but a South different
10 any other that we have. Within 1t
there are no blacks, and yet the whites
number but one in twenty. The rest
are swarthy, black-haired men who
speak the Spanish tongue and whose
citizenship is mostly a matter of form.
The stockmen, pushing ahead of the
nesters and the tlllers of the soil, were
the first to invade the lower Rio
Grande, and among these "Old Ed"
Austin was a pioneer. Like the other
cattle barons, he was hungry for land
and took it where or how he could.
those we're crude old daysi the pio-
neers who pushed their herds into the
Tar pastures were lawless fellows, ruth
pire-builder's urge for acres and still
more acreS
AS other ranches grew under the
hands of such unregenerate owners, so
also under "Old Ed Austin's manage
ment did Las Palmas increase and
prosper. 1t comprised an expanse OF
rich overland backed by miles Of
range where 'Box A" cattle lived and
ored. In his later years when the old
man handed Las Palmas to his son,
Young Ed" as wedding gift, the
ranch was known far and wide for It's
SIZE and richness. Las Palmas had
changed greatly since Austin, senior,
PAINFULLY scrawled his slanting sigma
ture to the deed 1t was a different
Fahch now TO what the old man had
hnoWn; indeed, it was doubtful IL he
would have recognized it, for even the
house was new.
AIaire had some such thought in
mind as she rode up to the gate on
the afternoon following her departure
from the water hole. and she felt n
lAriH OF pride at the acres of sprouting
corn the dense green field of alfalfa
so nice!y fitted between their fences.
ihey were like clean. green squares OF
mating spread for the feet of summer.
\ Mexican boy came running to care
Ior ner horse, a Mexican woman greet
90 her as she entered the wide, COO.
nan AID went TO her room. Dolores
axed a hath and laid out clean clothes
With running accompaniment of chat
ler concerned with household affairs
Hhe was a great gossip, and possessed
such a talent for gaining information
Aaat through her husband, Benito. tie
ange boss. she was able to keep her
mistress il fairly Intimate touch with
.ancf matters.
Alaire, as she leisurely dressed her
self' acknowledged that il was good to
teei the physical comforts Of her own
aouse, even though her Homecoming
gave her no especial joy. She made it
religious practice to dress for dinner
regardless Of Eds presence. though
cfteD for weeks at tina cha Ssr ~,