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Show I A CALIFOimiA MUSLIM , The other Jjr Item conntj rancher tcleirraphed to tb lust bone doctor in ' Ban FnuicUcoi "Take the next train, come ont lo my firm, anil do what rem on for to I The doctor unit, foond en uld Md'll J horre, loot; past nitefalnriw, la fort 1 iijtig, on I returned, wondering what made the rancher tw anxiou ahc-nt the i Other tonilrrrd, too, nntil thettorjr ra one day toll to few friend who vera tlsltlng at the old ranch hon near the foothill. These I perhaps nothing , In the affair which mark It as different r from many occurrence on the frontier, I where homel am far apart, an 1 where J life Itself may sometime depend npon a f saddle horse a rpeetl and bottom. Dot, told a the ranch, r to'. 1 It at hi own la j Ue, It wa a story that louj clnnj to the "It was more thin thirty rear ajro," ( he uld. "Imdl year old, and had Veen away from home attending achool. A hen 1 came tack to the ranch In Krm, near tho foothill, my mother came try lo to the door to meet mo. Jly little sUter waa very III. She J waa only 0 year old, toy tut and do j Usht, and inyinothtr was a widow. An ' elder titter wa In' Tuolumne teaching i schoolt xuy brother, who managed the t ranch, bad gone to Stanlslan to liny I sheep, and motherand baby were Alone. I It waa eight miles to Ihe nearest Tillage 1 and stage station, from which place I lud walked, reaching the bouae At dark, 1 went In and found little Maryuncon I adorn: mr mother could not tell "bit aa lh" matter. 1 ran down to the rust sm and called my colt, .Major, the beat horse I erer owned. lie came at once, an 1 I saddled Mm and rodo off at a 'It waa early winter, and rain had tnade the road heavy clou ly all day, a drlitle began before I had been fire lain-. lain-. nte In the raddle. I had neither wldp nor spur. Now nnd tlirn I spoke to t Major, an 1 bo knew there waa work lie I Tom Mm. Two mile wo went without a Ituse, the rood ilrait level and so l illmry Hut I could feel Major slide like aloe; im a frou-.l sidewalk! but, hi managed to keep to bis feet and rrsumo hit wild puce. Ileltook" lho,.Ut lM' teeth aad ran. anottlugwtthcicllementl fur a.aliah4 not been ridden, and bis mtuclf were steel, Id tuns like a etenm engine. 1 let him walk for a few momenta, then let Urn hare hi heal' Main and attain, until he swept Into the Tillage In Untlng callop. i '"Not here,' wa the answer, a I bam simt1 at the poctor door. 'Gone ten mile Into tho foetldll to tho old Be-'That Be-'That wa eiut In a direct line, and three mile south waa anothor Tillage where rthip a doctor could be foumb If not Itwai but a few minutes lost, for Another road could be taken to Do "Again the wild pace under Ihe clouded ky and cold rain, thought of my lonely mother and little sister urging me to yet 1 greater hut The road waa bard, with . a thin coating of mud that rpaltcrcd mo 4 from brad to foot, and the wind blew ahartlylnmyfaor, Illrcdorerlnmein ory orrry accne of ourllree, every uonl aald to my alaler, eTery act done In Ihe past her arm about, my ueck In think fur auroo sample glftl long dan behind I the plow, with her toddling fwt In the , furrowi a child Asleep In the auminer I m,s bnneb cf will popple In her chobbyhand,tbocalicnsunbonnrttoss-d i back from the curly bead. Then I re I nieraberrj that when I wontaway moth. tr wrote roe that every day Utile Mry I Askedt 'Won't brother Tom come home to-nlghtr I want to t brother Tom ' "Vi ell, I reached Ihe village and founJ that tho doctor, who lived then, waa tick himself. Nothing to do but to alart for llcmont'a. Again the gallop, no lower gii level roads, but through roll Ing hills and nuder a darknoaa that wa Egyptian. We were descending Into A tullow between high hill. The road , wa narrow, dark, allppery, and tho aort ouad of falling rain drowned the nolao of wheals. Through A break in the oast 1 era cloud the star shone out above the bill crtl, Suddenly, Instantly, ullhout a stroke of warning, tlare loomed up before me, dreadful as Do Qulncey 'Vision of rlnddcn Dtath,'avaiimutlulr .; pile, ill raulca, a Carton wagon ore ladru to the bnm, a aleepy driver nodding un hi atat-nd tearing Into that au of wood, iron, stone and animal life wa a tired homo with a lunrUcV rider. "Blmultaneuusly the discovery came upon naall. The drtter awoke with a loud, Affrighted cry, the tuortiug mulra sprang back In a wild groupi I heard w hiflletrec and lwrnesa snap, und a tu 1 deu flash of lightning lighted up Ihe dark lu How between the hill lo the very feit f of the frightened animals. Of in) self I I; could do nothing. o narrow wa the pacebttweiu, w brief the lime left for thought, liui the Instlmt of tho horse I rode via my salvation. Onemetldeof ' otheraaleepwaUof ivck. Major gtl" 1 itM WmseJf up aul inndenleip eJJe- way, tcrtninlug na Lo siirang, and wo ll '!? " "ff ' ' '. floarlng by a few luclu the tangle leaden mid Ihe rrwl , .-a t ., wtneliif tho ore wagon. WlUwuiiwr. l!li$ t" 1L " 'till. MJor l-ganloruahelal V?X IE otrunlef(re He ilimll the lank JftfKJi ., a apln, nud remnel hit ttaring paw WitWl i ti n,(1D'f "" """Iway. bu long mane blown SjJW I oyer my face by ibow lud of bis lerriblo KMZM ; 1 Ulltht. Wtfj d ,f, ,"TI't nlKht la Ihe Tllls-eUie team MR, , III "'"'''sW'nl'ethAtAferoJoiialniiJi. WeR-1 " ' . Mlean lUghwaiman btd tidlm agEfft 1 i A npon him, frightened bis mule vf-ssKlt Bitheml upnpoMH, f plo'uwr to loHii 1 ,W 'Hi. JouuJallttriaje4.W dKrt gang, and for weeV the minen tipln tho rllbi rent a guard with Ui-ir ore wagon. ' 1 reached llemoat' In anfely only to find tint the doctor hid returned to the valley by another road, and wait already fir pent any chance of UHng overtakeni for the condition of my horse now Wgan lo warn mo that I nimt slack the h"Ad. long pace. I hired a rancber and sent him on a freh Iiotm nfter the doctor, while I took I be shortest way back acrou the wide unfenced country. "When I readied home Wary hil ten dead an hour. No human tower could biro prolonged her llfo. Bhe retired re-tired u little mice nfter I hsvl gone and asked It brotlKr Tom had c me home "No oneeictptmyrelf over rodeMaJor agiln. I found it t cry hard to bar tne thought! of my little sister Hut came up hen 1 wn riding over the hill with Ihe mtKtang, ! turne him lonmin the pasture, and he neer hn1 inddlemark but onco alnce, though 1 hare bail dozens f f men coilo to me nnd offer to buy him tnyprlct. It wan great ride we In 1 the longest and linnlett gallop on roo ord In Ihli part of the country, and though Inner aald mnch about 11, the liurni had hi reputation, "When wa bo ridden again? Itwa about four year Afterward, whrn be wa at hi b.t. There came wonl from Caliente that a MerreJ horse had beaten crcry mmtang In tho Ban .toaiutn valley. val-ley. Tho Ivy alonj Ihe Kern county cattle range for twenty-fire ralle tried lo he.tt the Mctccd munLing. but oil that sumtuT be swept the stake at every ev-ery sheep thi-irlng no 1 rodeo. One day a doren of them came for my mustang, and I lent lilm for one rare, to rave the credit of the coinly. He doited them all, and for inontbsnfter horse inracani to see LIm nnd get him on the race track, but I never let hira gosgiln. One ' time and another I bite been called a great many different bind of a fool for letting the beat hone In tho valley ret In Ihe pasture." Charlc Howard bhenn In Independent |
