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Show By FRANK H. SPEARMAN cranl H , 0 .. . Spearman WNU Servic. SYNOPSIS , -withy. Spanish owner taWornia rancho. refuses Jwrntngs of raid by a sierra Indians. One day tJ?nal Y d-cided 10 ,e;k lJle ta,Z nearby mission for his the Indians strike. Don ,ain& and hi. two young ! torn from the arms of the 1 1,1 maid. Monica, and are KtX hills. Padre Pas- ,tfn, Wend of the family, tfruins of the ranch and : St 3 the raid from Monica. ! 7, id difficult trip across : d mountains from Texas to ,n Henry Bowie, a Tex- rtth his friends. Ben Ji Simmie. an Indian scout. fj, Indians who have car- To Ule girls. The three the war party of fifty-odd frtiroueh a clever ruse scat. to the hills. The girls ! The group makes its way hiiii and meets the distraught Children's maid. The girls ;;C& and the friendly mission, and the Texans pro- trey. Here Bowie completes f (or Gen. Sam Houston of 3; has commissioned him to . important message. Bowie hive a look at the wild un- Jo, that California was In the ..(lenth century. Bowie dls- 1 California but returns eight run) makes the acquaintance 1$, Spanish family at the jdalupe. tPTEB VI-ontinued -6- :sthave dry clothing," Don Insisted despite Bowie's "You are my guest. I am Bowie smiled. "One thing we do need." Don Ramon lifted his eyebrows as if pleased-at last he had found a .T in 0,6 Texan'8 arr. "What is it?" he exclaimed. "Salt," returned Bowie simply. "Then allow me to be your debtor you shall leave here with salt for yourselves and for your game. But self-reliant as you are, senor, I can lighten your labors a good bit if you will allow me a further pleasure." "You are most kind, Don Ramon. I realize that we are strangers and your advice might save us much." The Don shook his head. "Not advice. ad-vice. I doubt if you need it But what I know you do need is plen-ty plen-ty of horseflesh. It will save you much time and some hardship if you will accept a caponera from us and leave here In the saddle with your salt." he added, smiling significantly, "in your mochilas." Bowie sat perplexed. "Caponera?" He looked inquiringly at Don Francisco. Fran-cisco. "Horses," explained Francisco. "My uncle means twenty horses, or twenty -five." Bowie, despite his poise, regarded Don Ramon Incredulously. Much talk and much translating followed. But It was for Bowie at last to say, as he was best able, that he tanza this week. He is slaughtering surplus cattle for the tallow. Cap-i Cap-i am Davis, with whom my uncle i trades, is in port at Monterey from . China. He will want much tallow lor South America and Boston it will be a big matanza. You should . see one. Much attention, much ex-. ex-. citemcnt. much work. Stay over a : day or two. The streams will then i be fordable, and you and your , scouts, In the meantime, will be well entertained. Plenty of bears!" "Bears?" echoed Bowie. Francisco nodded. "Dozens. They come down from the mountains at night after the matanza oflal. Plenty of chance for a bear fight if you like one." The Texan showed Interest, asked more questions, and said he would talk to his scouts. The next morning Bowie and his host rode out to where the matanza was in progress. Pardaloe and Simmie Sim-mie were already on the scene, watching every move of the vaque-ros vaque-ros as one rode quietly into the corral, lassoed a steer by the horns and brought him outside. When the rider had the beast well placed, a second vaquero roped the steer's hind legs, threw him and, with two ropes taut, tied his feet In a bunch and, with a knife, gave him the golpe de gracia. What interested the Texan, seasoned sea-soned as to cattle and horses, was the skill and speed with which the vaqueros worked and the almost human intelligence of their horses the perfection of their response to every hint of their rider in snaring and handling a steer. It was particularly par-ticularly this skill of the horses that made the work proceed rapidly without with-out mishap or hitch. For two days the work went forward for-ward speedily. The matanza ground was a scene of the greatest activity. To the Texan the spectacle of such abundance, such profusion of waste and such indifference to everything but the work in hand was a source of amazement. A hearty lunch served to the family at noon was to save himslf. In the end he was killed. The vaqueros made nighUy sport with the big fellows. The Tex-ans, Tex-ans, seeing bear after bear brought to the knife, were not greatly impressed. im-pressed. In the morning Don Ramon invited invit-ed Bowie for a canter over the rancho. He particularly wanted to see how the rain had left the footbridge foot-bridge leading across the river to the grain fields which stretched in rolling acres toward the bay. Returning, Re-turning, he suggested a short cut through the hills. The two men were riding briskly abreast when, crossing a canyon, they stumbled suddenly, almost on top of a bear ambling along on her way with two cubs to the matanza ground. "Mira! Cuidado! Oso pardo," cried Don Ramon. The warning was well ordered. The bear, enraged, reared with the swiftness of a jack-in-the-box on her huge feet and sprang, as luck would have it, at Don Ramon. She struck him with a raking blow of her claw. It caught his trouser leg. The stout cloth, unhappily for the rider, held and the unlucky Don found himself torn from the saddle. In catapulting catapult-ing headfirst to the ground his foot caught in the stirrup, and his frenzied fren-zied horse dashed down the canyon, cragging the rider a dozen, yards before the Don could release himself. him-self. As he kicked clear with a mighty effort his head struck a rock, and he sprawled on the canyon floor, half conscious. The bear dashed awkward but swiftly after the fleeing flee-ing horse and the helpless rider. Bowie, close at hand, had barely seconds to head his panicky mount toward the angry beast and uncoil his lasso. Yelling to the Don to flee, Bowie flung his rope at the loping lop-ing grizzly. It settled over her head and Bowie, spurring swiftly back despite the weight and size of the grizzly, jerked the monster around and threw her off her feet Only for an instant. Rolling over, the bear, doubly infuriated, seized the lasso in her claw and began reeling reel-ing Bowie and his horse hand over ; jou call the boss; you m be your servant. My ,:e not big enough. But , be is a big one, like you. :3boy was dispatched with e to Don Ramon. He was j, bringing a coat two ;sers, stockings and boots the Texan protested. Don sad a persuasive way he my one objection after i so much good-natured i: Bowie found himself clad ::an accouterments of the :e house, walking into the room where he met the i-cisco introduced his new :ce to his uncle and to followed by a heartier dinner for the evening, with the difference that native wine accompanied the dinner. din-ner. This was the family gathering of the day at which the hostess and her daughter were formally dressed. After the family had settled about the fire in the living room and the conversation had shown signs of lagging, lag-ging, Don Ramon made a request of Carmen. Carmen took her place at the family fam-ily harp, ran her fingers over the strings and sang a Spanish song. The conversation and the words of the song were lost on Bowie, but not the clear, true notes of the girl's voice. Don Francisco explained that the song was the appeal of a lover to the stars to bear witness of his devotion to his mistress. Carmen sang again, a French chanson. It was very slight, but it echoed in Bowie's ears most of the night It bothered Bowie, that in these household meetings he could never manage to catch the eye of Carmen. He was discreet enough not to attempt at-tempt to coax her glance his way and old enough to be ashamed of himself for his curiosity. But curi- Julia uiaiiai uncle, Don Ramon, and his wife, called for partic--on at the hands of their ::ept (or the youthful neph-Hamon neph-Hamon Estrada was the panish gentleman that the imet. ere was nothing of haugh-Don haugh-Don Ramon, there was that called for considera-respect. considera-respect. His mere pres-f pres-f itself felt, presenting as "ain graciousness of man-;red man-;red by dignity and re-t re-t put his guest at ease i assurance of welcome. ie had met his host and i ielt already at ease, so as the kindly welcome in their manner. But not as presented by Don France Fran-ce formality, to a young tow entered the room was "eian conscious of a feel-n feel-n awkwardness and 111-srel. 111-srel. She was Senorita - the rancho, cousin to I.SCO. '"I Spaniard did the in-ind in-ind much of the talking. fc'SteSS PVtnnrlnif .rtr.tA Both were beautiful. and his scouts were grateful but could not think of so great a draft on this magnificent hospitality. In the living room, while the rain poured furiously outside, Don Ramon Ra-mon smoked tranquilly and listened to Bowie and his nephew. The ladies la-dies talked about the wedding in Monterey. In the morning it was still raining hard the rancho seemed afloat. The Texan had no choice but to accept Don Ramon's hospitality, and the day went in stories sto-ries told before the big log fire-stories fire-stories of Texans and the country of the Staked Plain; the story of Santa Ana and the Alamo, which was told without any effort to water But in that instant the bear charged him. hand toward her. The Texan perceived per-ceived his peril. His horse strove vainly to pit his strength against the strength of his enormous enemy. It was a hopeless endeavor. Relentlessly Relent-lessly the bear dragged horse and rider toward him. Luckily a sizable tree stood near. With shout and spur Bowie, plunging forward, whirled the horse and managed to circle the tree before the bear could take up all the slack. It gave the Texan an instant of respite, and he dismounted. But in that instant the bear charged him. The tree between the two was of little consequence, as the hunted man was aware, and the grizzly's osity persisted. Toward the end of his stay a natural resentment at the aloofness of one who had for a week enlisted his lively interest impelled him to practice such retaliatory measure as he could. The least satisfactory sat-isfactory feature of his attempt to ignore her was that this made no apparent difference whatever to Carmen. If she were aware, there was no evidence of it for her, he seemed not to exist Don Francisco, on the other hand, grew increasingly attached to Bowie. Bow-ie. Everything about the Texan interested in-terested the youth. Especially was he fascinated by the plainsman's novel revolver. Indeed, the whole male population of Rancho Guadalupe Guada-lupe marveled at a pistol that would shoot six bullets without recharging. down the cruel butchery by me Mexicans. Mex-icans. And interspersed were stories sto-ries of this new California, to which the plainsman listened with hungry interest. Don Francisco had already taken a fancy to Bowie. That evening eve-ning he questioned the Texan with a purpose. Bowie, quite alert to all that went on, noticed the glances that Francisco Fran-cisco cast at times toward Carmen, who was in animated talk with Dona Maria. Even the Texan's attention wandered at moments from Francisco's Fran-cisco's explanation to the two women wom-en as they chatted. Both were beautiful, beau-tiful, of a type the roughhewn Texan had never yet seen. They were beautiful in artless animation. The bronzed son of the desert was almost al-most stunned by the atmosphere of charm. The Dona at forty had lost leap was far beyond the nimblest feat of a runner. Taking what was at best a merely desperate chance, Bowie, as he jumped, fired shot after aft-er shot into the bear's mouth and head. Then he dropped the empty revolver, whipped out his knife and, waiting not a second, plunged directly di-rectly into the bear's arms for what was likely to prove a fatal embrace. em-brace. Only one of the two, he knew could come out alive. The foreman Pedro was riding stess extended repeated setings to Bowie which Cisco translated. The : as wholly silent, save spoken to by her cousin id clearly and composes compos-es announced. Dona seated at her husband's ad Bowie was given the w on his left. Next to Francisco; seated be-Jaria be-Jaria was Senorita Car-5e Car-5e sat opposite the Texan use of her eyes, yet at he was never aware action. as the beef, mutton bewildering abundance ? a formal turn, asked Jns of his stranger guest Texas; about the 01 the Americans with Jovernment; then as Wit Bowie to California. My vague generaliza-fce generaliza-fce Texan. The Don to what lay immedi-what immedi-what Bowie had in H senor," responded J" 1 hardly have any "myself here on the Wo scout companions. tJ01H up the Diver, to Z 0ur Principal occu- WrVa' mUSt be t0 ' '0 eat." talaughed. "Truly im- Seadlng "Pantry aft- W,Mon,orey- There 2 ' 1 ani told- tTom ji son and elk." "thousands of head shere available to !uPPly?" objected the ttlni5 was trans- tpetiti" 'he range cat" H the meat of W certanly not tt!' nor even with the i, kj.r..ur uipment for J Senor." Don was astonished. ,,;u appall you-your fce. k a certainty, flnd you need noth- The matanza always brought down an army of bears from the hills, and Don Francisco, seeking excuse to prolong the stay of the hunters, promised them as many bear fights as they had stomach for black bears, cinnamon bears and occasionally occasion-ally the famed monarch of the Sierras, Si-erras, the grizzly, the highly respected re-spected oso pardo, as Don Francisco called him. This prospect of adventure ad-venture interested the two scouts. They added their appeal to that of Don Francisco, and Bowie not loath to linger near the flame of the distant candle he had lighted for himself consented. Hardly had night fallen when the vanguard of the bears arrived from the hills Tempted by the rejected meat and offal of the matanza, the bears would come down at nightfall for a feast. This gave the hunters, disposed for sport, their chance. Shortly the matanza ground was well filled with the hairy monsters, gorging, growling, fighting among Uiemselves and snapping ferociously at those bolder coyotes who dared trespass on the preserves of their banqueting "betters." The Texans watched. Don Ramon, circling a chosen bear, lassoed him bv the neck; Don Francisco, watch-ine watch-ine his chance, executed the more difficult feat of roping the bear s hind legs; and the two horsemen. Sg men in opposite direct.ons toned the bear to fight his utmost Wirt 1 III. iuc i-'una a- -J none of her youth; the years had tempered without engrossing the portrait of her maidenhood. The vivacity vi-vacity of youth was still hers, enriched en-riched now by the dignity of matronly matron-ly charm. Yet Bowie's eyes were drawn to her daughter Carmen, just old enough to realize the presence pres-ence of a stranger and protecting her attractiveness by the slight repression re-pression of girlhood. Bowie listened, indeed, to the words of Don Ramon; but he heard the cadences of another voice a voice of sweet-throated music, strange to the ear but bewildering in utterance. For the first time in his life the Texan, without realizing it. began to love the strange tongue in which Californians spoke and to listen for every syllable that might fall from the lips of the young Spanish Span-ish girl. The clinging black of her gown did not hide the tender slope of her shoulders; it contrasted with the ivory of her slender neck; and above this, from a perfectly poised head, fell soft masses of brown hair. They framed the features of one just at the threshold of full-bloomed adolescence: lips filling with promise prom-ise of a richer maidenhood; eyes that retired under long dark lashes and opened with a searching light You want to start tomorrow?" Don Francisco was asking. Bowie nodded. "But I have an idea." suggested FrancUco. "My uncle is having ma- away from the corral when he saw Don Ramon's riderless horse racing out of the hills. The half-breed realized real-ized at once there was trouble. Shouting to near-by vaqueros to follow, fol-low, he spurred for the hills. Before Be-fore he reached them Bowie's horse, dragging the broken rope, shot out of the canyon and gave him the direction. di-rection. At the same moment he heard pistol shots echoing down the canyon walls. Urging his companions compan-ions who were stringing along behind be-hind to follow fast Pedro galloped into the canyon. His practiced eye told him the story as he rode. Whatever it had been, it was over, for the canyon was as still as the grave. On he galloped until, rounding a bend, he saw the bodies of the grizzly and the Texan lying less than ten yards apart, both apparently deal (TO BE COXTINUED, |
