Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-25

eattles and sheep. Behind the store, at
little distance, were the grass-thatc
Jacals of the Mexicans who bestowed their
allegiance upon the Cibolo.
The ranch house was composed of four
large rooms with plastered adobe walls.
and two-room wooden ell. A twenty
structure. 1t was set in a grove Of I'M
mense liye-oaks and water-elms near a
! lake--a long, not very wide, and tre-
mendously deep lake in which at night
fall great CARS leaped to the surface and
! plunged with the noise of hippopota-
muses. frolicking at their bath. From
the trees hung garlands and massive pen
South. Indeed, the Cibolo ranch-house
seemed more of the South than of the
West. It looked as If old "Kiowa"
him from the lowlands Of Mississippi
when he came to Texas with his rife in
the hollow of his arm in 90.
But, though he did not bring the fam
thing in the way OF q family inheritance,
| that was more lasting than brick or
stone. He brought ore end Of the Trues-
dell.Curtis family feild. And when a
sixteen miles from Cibolo. there were
lively times on the pear fats and in the
chaparral thickets off the Southwest In
those days Truesdell cleaned the brush
Of many a wolf and tiger cat and Mexi-
can lion; and one or two Curtises fell
heirs to notches on his rife stock. Also
Ne DuTleQ q DrOIncE Win q curtis aDu1leI
In him on the bank of the lake at Cibolo.
And then the hiowa Indians made their
last raid upon the ranches between the
Frto and the Rio Grande, and TruesGell
OF them to the last brave, earning his
sobriquet. Then came prosperity in the
form Of waxing herds and broadening
lands. And then old age and bitterness
when he sat, with his great name Of hair
as white as the Spanish dagger blossoms
and his fierce, pale-blue eyes, on the
shaded gallery at Cibolo, growing Ike
the DUMAS that he had slain. He snapped
his fingers at old age; the bitter taste to
life did not come from that. The cup
that stuck at his lips was that his only
son son RAJ Ransom wanted to marry q Curtis
the last youthful survivor Of the other
end OF the feud.
For a while the only sounds to be
heard at the store were the rafting OF
the tin spoons and the gurgling intake
of the Juicy fruits by the -punchers
ths singing of a doleful song by Sam
rs he contentedly brushed his stin au-
/ burn hair for The twentieth time that day
before a crinkly mirror.
From the door Of the store could be
seen the irregular. sloping stretch Of
| prairie TO the south, with it's reaches Of
/ light green binowy mesquite fats Ia the
lower places, and its rises crowned with
nearly black masses OF short shaDarral
Through the mesquite fat wound the
ranch road that five miles away, flowed
into the old government trail to San
Antonio. The sun was so low that the
gentlest elevation cast its gray shadow
miles into the green gold sea Of sun
shine.
That evening ears were quicker than
eyes.
The Mexican held up a tawuy finger
to stin the scraping Of the. tin against
| tin.
zone wggeen," said he. "erossd the
Arroyo Hondo. All heard the wheel
yerree rockee placed. the HondO.
You've got good ears, GreRorio," said
Mustang Taylor. II never heard nothin'
zephyr skallyhootin' across the peaceful
In ten minutes Taylor remarked: Il
see the dust of a wagon risin' right above
the fur end. OF the fat"
You have verree good eyes, senor.'
said Gregorio. smiling
Two miles away they saw a faint cloud
I dimming the green ripples Of the mes
quites. In twenty minutes they heard
the clatter OF the horses hoofs In five
minutes more the gray plugs dashed out
Of the thicket, whickering for oats and
drawing the light wagon behind them
like a boy.
From the 5acals came a cry OF: "Fa
Amo! III Amo!" -Four Mexican youths
raced to uuharness the greys. The
~" puANASAS save u sNAA % EAeStAHB anu
denght
Ranse Truesdeu. driving. threw the
reins TO the ground and laughed.
IT'S under the wagon sheet boys"
he said. II Sam lets It run out again we II
use them yellow shoes Of his for target
There's two cases. Pull 'em out and light
up. l know you all want a smoke"
After striking dry country Ranse had
removed the wagon sheet from the bows
and thrown IL over the goods in the
wagon. Six pair Of hasty hands dragged
It OF and grabbed beneath the sacks
and blankets for the cases OF tobacco.
Long Collins. tobacco messenger from
the San Gabriel outfit who rode with
the longest stirrHps west OF the AisEis-
sippi delved with an arm Ike the
tongue OF a wagon. Re caught some
thing harder than a blanket and pulled
ont a fearful thing-a shaPeless, muddy
bunch OF leather tied together with wire
and Irvine. From its ragged end, like
the head and claws OF a disturbed tur
tie, prOtruded human toes.
"Who-eel" yelled Long Collins. "Ranse.
are you a-pnckin' around Of cOrpusesg
Here's a--hOwiin' grass hOppers -
Up from his long slumber popped
Curly, like snme vile worm from it's bur
row lie clAwed his way out and sat
blinking likA a disreputabie, drunken
owl His face WINS as bluish-red and
pulled and see med and cross lined rs the
cheapest rounu steak Of the butcher.
His eyes wee swollen Sits; his face a
picked beet his hair would have made
the widest thAtch Of Jack-ln e-box
look like the satin poll Of a Cleo de