Trooper Tales — page 148: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

136 Back to San Anton’. fight like a demon and yet did not make it a pastime, and because he was a wizard with a six-shooter and a whirl- wind with a saber, Mulgowan was a very popular cavalry- man. So when Geldez swore gruffly at the little maiden of dark eyes one pay-day, while the boys were drinking mus- cal in his place, Mulgowan was only praised because he kicked the greaser out of his own door. Indeed the boys were so facetious about the affair that Mulgowan felt called upon to crack a fresh bottle of wine. He filled all the glasses himself and then toasted the maiden of dark eyes with all the tenderness which much wine and natural gentility could put into words. About this time the ugly face of old Geldez peered through the window. It was so ugly in its pallid rage that Mulgowan’s hand felt instinctively for the six-shooter in _ his belt. It was so very ugly and white that the maiden of dark eyes threw her bare, brown arms about Mul- gowan’s neck and wept just as white women do. And then Mulgowan became very red because he did not know much about such proceedings, but he kissed the little Mex- ican maiden, after which another fellow cracked a bottle of wine. Meanwhile old Geldez outside plotted dark deviltry. After that the greaser’s girl belonged to Mulgowan just the same as his horse. And Mulgowan’s horse loved him, but not in the same way as did the dark eyes of the San Anton’ valley. Women are different creatures the night before a regi- Eomichooks.com