Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-05-12


as 1t concerned the toll and strife,
was perhaps a grim and stoical one.
But love ablded with him. and 1t had
engendered and fostered other unde-
veloped traitS-romance and feeling
for beauty, and a keen observation OF
nature. He felt pain, but he was
never miserable. He felt the solitude.
but he was never lonely
AS he rode across the desert. even
though keen eyes searched for the
moving black dots. the rising puffs Of
white dust that were warnings, he
! saw Nelrs face in every cloud. The
! clean-cut mesas took on the shape OF
her straight profile, with its strong
chin and lips It's fine nose and fore
head. There was always a CLINT II
! gold or touch of red or graceful line
or CLEAN of blue to remind him Of
her. Then at night her face shone
warm and glowing. flushing and pal
/ ing in the campfire.
] BY and by Gale remembered what
he was waiting for; and, getting up,
he took the halter and went out to
| find Blanco Sol. It was pitch-dark
now. and Gale could not see a rod
ahead. He felt his way, and present
ly as he rounded a mesquite he saw
: Soils white shape outlined against the
blackness Gale battered him i'm the
( Iikeliest patch OF grass and returned
to his camp. There he lifted his sad
die into a protected spot under low
wall of the mound and, laying one
blanket on the ssrd, he covered him
self with the other and stretched him
self for the nigj t.
Daylight came quickly. The morn
ing was clear and nipping cold. He
threw Off the wet blanket and got mp
cramped and half frozen. A little
brisk action was all that was neces-
sary to warm his blood and loosen his
muscles and then he was fresh, |
tingling. eager The sun rose in a
golden blaze. and the descending val |
ley took on wondrous changing hues.
Then he fetched up Blanco Sol. sad
died him. and tied him to the thickest |
clump of mesquite.
"Sol Wen have drink pretty |
soon," he said, patting the splendid |
neck
Gale meant It. He would not eat till |
he had watered his horse. No three |
raiders could keep Gale away from |
that we'll Taking his rifle in hand, he |
faced up the arroyo. From the lay Of |
the land and position of trees seen by |
daylight he found an easier and safer |
course than the one he had taken in |
the dark And by careful work he
was enabled to get closer to the well,
and somewhat above 1t.
The Mexicans were leisurely cook
ing their morning meal. A slow wrath
stirred in Gale as he watched the trio.
They showed not the slightest indica-
ton of breaking camp. One fellow
evidently the leader packed a gun at
his hip, the only weapon in sight
Gale noted this with speculative eyes
Then he saw two Indians on burros
come riding up the other side of the
knoll upon which the adobe house
stood; and apparently they were not
aware of the presence of the MeXi-
cans, for they came on up the path.
One Indian was a Papago. The other,
striking in appearance for other rea-
sons than that he seemed to be about
to fall from the burgO, Gale took to be
Yaqui They came over the knoll
and down the path toward the we'll.
turned a corner of the house, and
completely surprised the raiders.
Gale heard a short, shrill cry
strangely high and wild, and this came
from one of the Indians. 1t was an
swered by hoarse shouts. Then the
leader of the trio, the Mexican who
packed a gun, pulled il and fired point
blank. He missed once-and again.
At the third shot the Papago shrieked
and tumbled off his burro to fall in
heap. The other Indian swayed, as
if the taking away of the support lent
by his comrade had brought collapse,
and with the fourth shot he, too,
slipped to the ground. fl
The reports had frightened the
horses in the corral and a vicious
black. crowding the rickety bars,
broke them down. He came plunglng
out. With a splendid vaulting mount,
the Mexican with the gun leaped to
the back OF the horse. He yelled and
waved his gun, and urged the black
forward. The manner of all three
was savagely jocose. They were hav
Ing sport. The two on the ground be
gan to dance and iabber The mount
ed leader shot again, and then stuck 5
like leech upon the bare back Of the
rearing black. 1t was vain show Of 7
Then this Mexican, by
some strange grip brought the horse
down, plunging almost upon the body
Of the Indian that had fallen last.
Gale stood aghast with his rife
,lutched tight He could not divine
The intention df the raider, but sus-
oected something strikingly brutal. 9
The horse answered to that cruel,
guiding hand, yet he swerved and Z
Ducked. He reared aloft, paving the '
afr, wildly snortlng, then he plunged b
down upon the PROSTATE Indian. Even {
IN the act the intelligent animal tried t
20 keep from striking the body with r