The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-02

side. He didn't see me. Quick as a
shot / spurred in between the horses
They went wild and broke from the
corral. Pedro turned, recognized me,
and shouted 20 the men. fired and
caught him clean between the eyes.
CHAPTER THREE.
In the code OF the cowboy, u was
right that Pedro should die, felt that
| had lone a magnificent thing to kiu
him. Kid-like | had 4 notion that Jim
Stanton had watched and approved
But we did not go back TO lOl. We
hid In ehaparral patches in the day
and galloped 500 miles BY night to the
Lazy z range near the Rio Verde, They
made me chuck buyer here. We had
to no SIS miles across the desert to the
town Of Las Cruces for our provisions,
II was about three months after h
murder OF Jim Stanton that I took my
last ride through the gulches, In a
mean and shameful ~predicament my
father found me.
Old Spllt-Nosed Ben, the superannu-
on that last ride, He was a sort Of
crrand boy on the ranch. We had load
cd up the ancient dOuble-decker freight
wagon with about 1900 pounds OF
chuck. Ben was hltching up the ponies,
We were Just ready to leave.
anu Altn IL ONNuiIEu " lllS Nia 4
would get a drink, | a the young
est peeler on the Lazy Y. Chuck buying
was a man sig job, n ! had a sense
OF great importance In 1t. 4 fellow
in the grocery had jibed me. Eth, little
gringo disblo, little wart. where did
they pick you OFF,
wanted TO prove myself. At the IOl
the men had held me down. Jim had
showed me away from whisky, l felt
II was time 10 assert myself,
The saloon was q dingy, ~one-roomed
Spanish adobe with an atmosphere OF
stale ~frijoles n green flies. There
were alfew Mexicans gambling rather
idly and a couple of cowpunchers play
ing billiards. ! sauntered up to the bar
and took a drink, ordered another and
then a third. II was the first time in
my life | had ever had more than one
at a throw, II fired me in an instant.
Just to let them know | was III 70 |
shot three bottles off the back bar.
The old looking glass came down with
n crash and / went plumb wild n
started to sock the place full OF lead.
The Mexicans got scared and made for
the back door. One Of the cowpunchers
caught his billiard cue across the door
and the whole crowd was banked up
there, | was Keeling by this time and
went to bursting q few ass at their
feet,
Two shots were fired, Just grazing the
l nhlit " ivy ENGhs 4 Adl ANhF = hN
was hung with the gray smoke cloud
and the whisky had me reehng. but
through the haze l saw the bartender
aiming straight for my head. Two more
shots e wild. l fired pointblank
at the fellows face. He went down.
Awaked in Calaboose.
1t sobered me. / made for the door.
A crowd OF greasers clamored about
me, My ~six-shooter empty, As got
to he street some n smashed me
across the head with the butt Of a 40,
| woke up In the ~calaboose.
I didn't know why l was there. ]
remembered nothing but the terrible
crashing In my head. Then they told
me that | had killed a man and asked
me II | had any friends. Chicken was
the only fellow on the range that
would ask a favor. He was a blind
adder fighter and came In to finish
he would get me out somehow,
The calaboose was a wooden per
about 8xl0, For six weeks ! was kept
there with Mexican Pete for my guard
Pete would sit In the sun outside the
grating and describe my execution. He
went into all its details, Every morn
ing he strung me up In a different way,
But he was q good sort. After the
first week we were friends. Pete had
all the Mexican treachery to the stran-
ger and all their dog like fidelity to q
friend.
They would have hanged me with al
little conjunction as they would drown
an excess kitten, but they felt no hatred
for me as a murderer. Life was reck
oned cheap in the COW country.
One morning. Pete stuck his head be
tween the bars of the ~calaboose. Hi
long yellow teeth cleaned. Your padre
he COME he said
II was as II lightning went through
me. ] thought that Pete was poklnt
fun at me-, He repeated, Your padre
big fellow, he come"
would rather have been taken on
TO the tree and hanged. / did not wan
TO see my fat er. | had the pirture o
him lying at Shrieber's store scatheC
Into my mind. L had the memory o
n hundred gentle things he had done
balancing the roughness OF that las
impression, did not want him to Sc
!, %nss s 4 1sT o nen me. For s shs firs s'e en-,
| felt sorry for the whole affair.
! II was Chicken who had sent TO
him. Once in a fit of, depression
had conf led in him. we, were out q
} night herd together. The thick breatl
The cattle had been restless, craekini
} their horns together, crowding AM
scuffling, We had bedded them dow
at last In the level prairie and ther
| was that tremendous silence Of tn
, night which rests like an incubus oil
, the plains. ~
A storm was coming, We feared
stampede. Chicken and I sat on n it'll
mesa singing now and then to quite
the cattle. We began 10 hear the roll
Ing boom OF thunder. Lightning struc'
through the darkness, darting Its un
canny flash about the horns of tn
steers, ,- d
I | felt lonesome and homesick and fu'
4 OF premonitions, Often since the deaf
!. Of Jim Stanton | had thought OF goin
back. was tired Of the Isolation 9
r the ranges | wondered about my lathe
= and my brothers, wanted them I
i know II | died. This night ] tol
= Chicken to write to my fathers peopl
: In Charleston, Va, II ! should be killed
I Pete stood there grtnning at me
! Never IN my life have ] felt 30 nc
\ with shame and humiliation, ] wante
\ to escape. | came out from my corne
to beg Pete to free me. My fRthe'
straight, Kind, smiling, stood looking Q
y he, his hand stretched through the bar
. Of the calaboose.
n CHAPTER ",
There was such a queer, gentle loo
In my fathers face, as though he we
n the eulprit and not |, II iabbed me
the quick, He never said a word
censure to en- then nor In all Il
years that followed,
But he went quietly to work to W
my release, Three days later l left Il
I, Cruces with him, | was not ev'
rs brought to trial My father had TAX,
l. a new start. studied law, won sueces
gathered the family about him, and sc
tied In Charleston. Va, The boys
sent TO the Virginia Military academ
nj Frank and | finished the study OF la
four years later, when l was Just pa
re eighteen.
We There must have been something u
p stable and reckless In our natures, I
IA our lives never ran along the level, Y
seemed to court ad fersity, Our fc
vi tunes went like a wave through a co
tinual succession OF swells and hollow
no I'VE struck the hollows when l II
no iyNed college, The family packed
ie baggage and moved to Coldwater, IA
h, The Middle West vas wild, new cou
- try then, We moved about In Kanst
lp took up land, built the town OF Bost'
n, sold town lots, cleared $4,000 and /
lu ..aa "a a. L.. tha lrNAoht nf IA