Show 1 A Chaparral Christmas Gift o 0 oBy By O. O Henry I Copyright 1920 by the Wheeler Syndicate Syndicate Syn Syn- i Inc TIle THe original cause of the trouble was about twenty years in growing Browing At the end of that time it was worth it Had H d you lived anywhere within fifty fifty fifty ty miles of Sundown ranch you would have heard of or it It possessed a Quantity quantity quan Quan- of jet black hair hail a pair of ex extremely ex- ex frank deep-brown deep eyes and anda a laugh that rippled across the prairie like the sound of or a hidden brook The name of or it was waB Rosita McMullen and she was the daughter of old man McMullen McMullen McMullen Mc Mc- Mullen of or the Sundown sheep ranch Th There Thre re came riding on red roan steeds steeds- steeds or Jr to be more explicit on a paint and nd a flea-bitten flea sorrel two sorrel two l-two two wooers oe One n was Madison o Lane and tt e other he was the Frio Kid I But at that time they did not call him the Fria Kid for he had not earned the honors of special nomenclature His name was simply Johnny It must not be supposed that these theM two were the sum of the agreeable Rositas Rosita's admirers The of a dozen others champed their bits at the thelong thelong thelong long long- hitching rack of or the Sundown ranch Many were the tho eyes that were cast in those savannas that did not belong to the flocks of or Dan McMullen But of all the cavaliers Madison Lane and John Johnny y McRoy galloped galloped galloped gal gal- loped far ahead wherefore they are areto areto areto to be chronicled Madison Lane a young cattleman from the Nueces country won w-on the race He and were married one Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- I mas da day Armed hilarious vociferous magnanimous the cowmen and the laying aside their hereditary hatred Joined forces to celebrate the the occasion Sundown ranch was sonorous with the cracking of jokes and six shooters the shine of or buckles and bright eyes eye the outspoken congratulations of the herders of or kine Hut But while the wedding feast was fa at its liveliest t there descended upon it bitten by jealousy like one ont oed Il li 11 give you ou a Christmas present he h. yelled shrilly at the door with his 15 45 in his hand Even Kven then he had hall some rc reputation as an offhand shot His first cut cul a neat in Madison Lanes Lane's right ear The barrel barrel bartel bar bar- rel tel of ot his hs gun moved an inch The next shot hot w would uld ha have hae e been the brides bride's had hadnot hadnot hadnot not Carson Caron a possessed a mind with triggers somewhat well oiled anti anil in repair The guns of the wedding party parly had been hung In their belts upon nails In the wall when they sa sat t at table as a concession to good taste Du nut But Carson with great gleat promptness prompt prompt- ness nus hurled his plate lale of roast venison enison and frijoles at spoiling his bis aim The Tue second bullet then only shattered the white petals of or a SpanIsh Spanish Spanish Span Span- ish dagger flower suspended two feet nove Rositas Rosita's head The guests spurned their chairs and j ji h for their weapons It was considered considered considered con con- con con- an improper act to shoot the bride and Pond groom room at a wedding In about six seconds there were twenty bullets due to be bp whizzing in the direction di- di of Mr McRoy Ill shoot better next time yelled Johnny and therell there'll be a next time He lie backed rapidly out the door Carson tarson the spurred on to II attempt further exploits by the success of his plat throwing was first to I each the door McRoy's MeRoy's bullet from the darkness laid him low The cattlemen then swept out upon I i im tin calling for vengeance for while the slaughter of a has not always alway lacked it was a I misdemeanor In iii this instance Carson arson was innocent he was no io ac accomplice ac- ac I at the matrimonial proc proceedings proceed proceed- ed- ed aC 1 ings nor had an any one heard him quote the line Christmas comes but butI I I nee nce a year rear to the guests I Ige But t the sortie failed in its v yen ven nh d I Iwa ge e. e McRoy MeRoy was on his horse e and away wa shouting back curses and threats I as he be galloped into the concealing cha chaparral parral I That night was the of of the Trio Kid Jid He became the bad man manof of that portion of t be he state The re rejection rejection rejection re- re of his suit by Miss McMullen turned him bim to a dangerous man When officers went after him for the shooting shoot- shoot ins ing of ot Carson he killed two of them and entered upon the life of an out out- law He HI became a marvelous shot with either hand He lIe would turn up in towns and settlements raise a quarrel at the slightest opportunity pick off h's hs ma man n an and laugh at the officers of the law He was so cool so deadly so rapid so Inhumanly bloodthirsty that none but faint attempts were were made to capture him When he be was at last shot and killed by a little one- one Mexican reica who was nearly dead himself from rom fright the Frio Kid Jid had had liart the deaths of eighteen men on his head A About half of r these were killed in fair fal dueis depending upon th the quickness quick quick- no ness s of th draw raw The ThO other half halt were men he assassinated I from ab- ab Sc hit t wantonness e r end nd cruelty Many tales are told along the tue border borer of or hi impudent courage and daring darins Cut But h hI he was wall not on one of or the breed d of adnel who vho has Seasons of or generosity generosity gen gen- and even of softness They say he n never ver had mercy on the object of his anger Yet Tet at al this and every I Christmastide It is well wen to give each one credit If IC It can be done for whatever whatever whatever what what- ever sr speck eck of good he may have pos pOS- If JC the Frio Kid ever did a kindly act or felt a throb of generosity in his heart beart It was once at such a time and season and this Is' Is the way It happened One who has beed crossed In love should breathe the odor from the blossoms of the tree It stirs Urs the memory to a dangerous de de- de- de gree One December In the Frio country there was a tree in full bloom for the winter had been as war mas mae springtime That way rode the Frio J Kid id and his satellite and com I Mexican Frank The Kid reined In his mustang and sat In his saddle I I thoughtful and grim with dangerously dangerous dangerous- ly narrowing eyes The rich sweet scent touched him somewhere beneath his ice and IronI ironI ironI iron I dont don't know what Ive I've been thinkIng thinking think think- ing about Mex he remarked in his Usual mild mUd drawl to have forgot all aU about a Christmas present I 1 got to give Im I'm g going to ride over o tomorrow night and shoot Madison Lane in his own house He Be got my girl girl Rosita Rosita would have hate had me If Ie he hadn't cut into the game I 1 wonder why I 1 happened happened hap- hap to overlook It up to now Ah Ab shucks Kid said Mexican foolishness You o kno know you cant can't get within a a. mile ot of Mad Lane Lanes house tomorrow night I 1 see old man Allen day before yesterday and he says Mad is going to have havo Christmas doings at his house You remember how you shot up the festivities when Mad was married and about the threats threat you made mad Dont Don't you suppose Ma Mad Lanell kind of keep his eye open for fora fo foa a certain Mr Kid You plumb make mak me tired Kid with such remarks Im going repeated the J- J Jio Frio io Kid without heat to go to Madison Lanes Lane's Christmas doings and kill him I 1 ought ough to have done it a long time ago Why Mex Just two weeks ago I 1 dreamed me and Rosila Rosita was married instead of her and him and we Ie e was living JIving In a house and I could see her smiling smiting at me and and oh oh h h l 1 Mex he go got her and Ill I'll get him him yes yes sir on Christmas eve he got gol her herand and then's then when Ill I'll get him Theres other ways of or committing I suicide advised Mexican Why dont don't you go and surrender to the sheriff Ill get him said the Kit Kiel Christmas eve fell felt as balmy a as April Perhaps there was a hint o of far-away far frostiness in the air all but i it tingled like seltzer perfumed faintly with late prairie blossoms and th the mesquite grass When Then night came the five or si six rooms of the were brightly lit In one room was a Christmas tree for the Lanes had a boy of 3 3 and a dozen or more guests were expected from the nearer ranches At nightfall Madison Lane called callec aside Jim Belcher Betcher and three other othe cowboys employed on his ranch Now bo boys s said Lane keep your you youre e eyes es open Walk around the housand house hous and watch the road well All AH of you ou know the Frio Kid as they call him n now and if you ou see him open tiron tire tir on him without asking any questions Im I'm not nit afraid of ot his coming around but Rosita is She's been afraid he bed hed come in on us every Christmas since sine we were were- married The guests had arrived in buckboards buckboard and on horseback and were making themselves th comfortable inside The evening went along pleasantly The guests enjo enjoyed ed and praised Rosita's Rositas Rositas Rosita's Rositas Rosita's Ros Ros- ita's excellent supper and afterward the men scattered in groups about the rooms or on the broad gallery smokIng smoking amok amok- ing Ing- and chatting The Christmas tree of ot course delighted delighted de de- de- de lighted the youngsters and above al aU all were they pleas pleased d when Santa Claus Clau I himself in magnificent white beard and furs appeared and began to distribute th the toys ys Its I my nY papa announced Billy Sampson aged 6 Ive seen een him we wear r rem em b before orl Berkly a an old friend o oLane or of Lane stopped to d Rosita as she was s pass passIng passIng Ing by him fl on the gallery leer where he was sitting smoking lg V Well ell Mrs Lane rne said he I suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose b by this Christmas youve you've gotten gotten gotten got got- ten over being afraid of that fellow rellow McRoy MeRoy haven't you M Madison dison and 1 have hay talked about it you know Very nearly said Rosita smiling but I i iam am still nervous sometimes I Ishall shall never forget that awful time when he came so near to killing us hearted cold I Hes He's the most roost villian in the world said Berkly The citizens cit all aU alon along the border ou ought ht to lo turn out and hunt him down like a a. wolf He HI has committed awful crimes said aid Rosita but but I I T don't dont dont don't know I T think there is a spot of good somewhere I in everybody lIe He was not always bad bad bad- that I 1 know Rosita turned into the hallway be between between be- be tween the rooms Santa Claus in maC maC- I fling whiskers and furs was just com corn comi i ing through I J heard what you said through lle window Mrs Lane he said I r 1 was lust just going down in my pocket for a II I lt for your husband i Iu I But Ive I've left one e for you instead stead Its It's j vero u in the room to y yoUr right I h I Oh Oil thank you ou kind Santa Sania Claus said Rosita brightly Rosita went Into the room while I Santa anta Claus stepped into the cooler air of the yard She found no one in the room but Madison Where 1 Is my present t that Santa a r I sa said he l rele left i for me In here el she she asked i seen anything in th the way I of or a present said sad her husband laughing unless they could have ha meant me I The next lay day v Gabriel Radd Ra the foreman foreman fore tore man n of the X 3 O 0 ranch dropped ln into Inlo oi i rh the n t fC at Loma Lorn Alta j Wh When Wh n. n the Frio Kids Kid's got ot his dose doe o of lead at last he remarked to the postmaster er That so How It happen One of old Sanchez's Mexican sheep herders did It t think think of it the the- Frio Rid Kid killed by a ahe sheep p herder rh The fite Greaser sa saw saV V him bin a along past his camp about 1 I olo k last night flighty ht I and atiel was wag so 0 steered that he up 1 th a a. Winchester tin anil let him hive vl It It Funniest p rt of it wis II that tha t the Kid I tn was s dressed all up with white Angora ora skin kin whiskers and a a. regular San l al I Claus r lout from head to foot toot Think of the Frio Kid playing Santy |