San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-16

north Val turned in her saddle. halt
ed for far down in a stretching field
there came. clear on the morning air,
a keen and ringing call--the whinny-
ing cry of horse to his beloved
and Redstar stood. a spot of color on
the green, his head high, his nostrils
blowing, his soft eyes watching eager
".
Then she went forth to the joy of
ride at dawn, the visit 10 the town,
which was rare experience 10 her,
the dance and the races.
The girls dark eyes were alight
with pleasure as she took in the bril-
liant crowds, and they crinkled joy
ously when the Texas boy spied her
and came swinging gracefully up to
greet her with hand at his hatbrim.
Dirk frowned, for all Paradise was
jealous of its sovereign.
And as she passed on to the corrals
where Briston stood to take the horses.
Rosy Porter and Perly Jacks and Stiff
O'Neil, all riders for Paradise, crowd
ed around her.
Val" said Perry, show you goin'
to divide TIL day: Who's goin' to
walk about with You first?'
ANY way suits you, boys. Toss
jacks, l guess"
She was gay as an Indian herself
in her scarlet silk waist, black tie
and tan riding skirt, which same
outfit she would wear all day, and
she was happy as lark.
She encountered some few people
that she knew. girl from a ranch
far north, several cowboys, and last
~ Boyce Glendenning, handsome in
his heavy blond way and lazily in
terested in her.
will You eat dinner with me,
Val!" he wanted TO know abruptly,
standing before her in the beaten
dust of the trampled street-and Perly
flushed red beneath his golden tan.
Val-their Val-eat dinner with any
one beside the bunch from Paradise?
1t would be sacrilege, humiliation
and cause for battle!
1t was significant of Paradise that
not one puncher sought him a girl,
that all would attend in a body with
John lannon's daughter in their midst,
proud of her beauty, alert to every
word or look-all. that was, save Tom
Briston, whose first, last and only
care was the five red horses in his
charge.
Now Val looked Clendenning over
coolly and shook her head.
NO" she said, softening her re-
fusal with a smile, I've got partners
five of them"
Dinner took an hour-and suffice
it to say in passing, that every one
from Paradise did it full Justice.
Shortly after the crowds began to
gravitate as by common impulse. to-
ward the southern end of town where
where the corrals stood and where the
race track lay. This was simply
a long level stretch. flat as ones palm
and soft with trodden loan, the most
natural and ideal track in the world.
There was no fence about it and
the gay crowds strung out along its
entire length. 1t fell to Stiff to look
out for Val, and never did man &C.
cept honor more delightedly. Stiff was
young and full of laughter, vain as
any O'Neil before him had YER been.
and they sauntered halfway down the
track, craned their young necks for
a good vantage for both start and
finish and sat down on the naked
earth as simply as the squaw a rod
beyond.
Hi. Vi! VI"
The yells yipped down the track in
a wave as the beautiful creatures lay
down to earth and ran in pure joy Of
the open, the light and their own free
power and speed.
Dawnlight was the only well-known
horse in this heat, the others being
newcomers from mp north. For
time they were well punched and Val
held her breath. Then the red mare,