The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-08-29

the poems. The horse race is always
the great event of the fiesta. Va
queros throughout the border bring
their best horses. They talk of it
from one year to the next. Last year
Tito lost. The Yaqui Indian chief
beat him by half length. All this
week the men have been waiting
and betting their last centavos. Tito
is wild to win. He's riding a man.
killing stallion that no one dares
mount but he. Then tonight will be
the dance. Uncle has brought men
from Sonora to play. and the haci-
enda, for this one day in the year, is
open to all. So tonight we will
dance, you and |. and then tomor-
row, if you like, we will ride"
Already they had left the little
town behind. Ahead lay the deep
curve of the river, along whose near
er bank crowded lines of horsemen
were drawn. Ted looked up into the
sunlit April sky.
Riding and dancing, music and
wine and laughter" he repeated.
"All life in this enchanted valley
seems paradise. Does never pain
or ugliness or fear touch you here?"
A shadow crossed the quiet face
of the girl. Sometimes" she said.
Sometimes sorrow seeks US out,
even here" Then she smiled and the
shadow was gone. "But today is
fiesta, when all life is an invitation to
dance and love and be very happy,
since we Spanish people know too
well that only the minute as it passes
can one be very certain of. Over
there" - she pointed just ahead -
where you see Don Bob and uncle
in the judges stand. that is where
the race begins and ends. Uncle is
judge" She smiled again. "He is al
ways judge. That is because with his
decisions there can be no dispute"
"Hello, up there" She waved her
hand to them.
From above her uncle called,
"Come up quickly. If you miss the
start of this race of races, Tito will
destroy you both. He means to win
today, and if he does only the dear
God himself will be happier than
Tito"
Morales led Radcliffe to the edge
of the judges stand. This race" he
said, 1T is not like your races of the
East. 1t is what you call a rough
and-tumble thing. The start" -he
pointed directly to the cleared space
ahead-'is here. The course lies be-
yond that clump Of aspen and then
across the river and up to where you
see that point of high rocks. Each
rider must circle those rocks. 1t is
three miles away. Then down they
must come, straight across the river
again to where we are. Six miles, a
long steep hill. two crossings of the
river and a straight dash for the
finish. A killing course, seiior, for
horse and rider both. Today there
will be FIVE to start. Three, I think,
we can disregard, but that bronze,
almost naked fellow sitting on the
pinto mare, watch him we'll. He is
the winner of last year. They call
him Anton. a pure-blooded Yaqui,
and each summer he takes my herds
back into the land of his countrymen.
where we whites dare not go. But
see Jito sitting on his black stallion.
See him plunge on that great vicious
brute of horse. / think he would
kill Tito only too much he fears him.
That, my friend, is the way one
should deal with both horses and
women-a tight rein and utter fear.
The girl, standing near them, had
overheard. Her lips curved in
little smile of amusement. Only be
sure, my uncle" she advised, that
you choose the right horse and the
right woman"
Don Bob rolled a cigarette. TOO
bad we missed the morning event.
/ hear Tito won the ropin9 contest"
Morales nodded "And would have
won the bulldogging but he was too
rash and eager He is all body and
FIRE, that muchaeho, and not enough