Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 1092 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

18 Old Cross-Eye, the Maverick-Hunter. —_—— -— ~~ their cattle enjoyed all the grass in the bottom, ‘while the beasts of the ranchers were confined to the limits of the grants which they bad taken ‘up, when the county was first surveyed, In those days no one bad thought of having his land down by the river-side, because it was there liable to floods, during the mountain freshets, and the grass was not so good as that about balf a mile from the banks. Each rancher had a claim of a square league, at the uniform distance of about balf a mile roma the stream, and it had been the custom of the herds to come down to the river to drink every evening. Now they came down, the same as they used to do; but the way. instead of being free to all, was down alane, bordered with the hateful wire fence, not more than a hundred feet wide, so that the cattle were crowded as they came, and frequently horned each otber, besides treading the watering-places into mire, so that they wore in constant danger of stalling in the deep black mud. Limpy felt particularly blue that day, be- cause he had had an accident, the very night veto by which he had lost several fine bul- ocks, They bad got into a fight at the watering- place and one had gored the other, while the third had got its eye torn out of its head, by running against the fence, and getting the terri- ble barbed wires into the eyeball, The cattle country bad baught all the land | in thet part of the company, outside and inside | the line of the “league” ranches, and had fenced it all in, soas to shut the ranchers out from everything but theirown land. The land of the company was mes for the support of a hundred thousand head, and they had fifty thousand already, and were constantly buying more. Limpy could see them, as he rode along by the fence, and hear the lowing of the cows, and the muttering of the bulls, as they paced about in defense of their particular harems, at the approach of some hated rivals. Once Limpy could ride anywhere over the prairie, and ask no man’s leave where he should go. The pastures of nature had been free to all, and no one had tried to arrogate to himself roperty in anytbing but the beasts be cared or, and the house be livediu. Even watering- places were changed at the caprice of the herds, and cattle from several different owners had fed and drunk, side by side, in peace. Now it was different. Limpy had to be guided by the lines of that accursed fence, wherever he went, by day or night. ; He could not even take a short-cut, across the ' country to see a friend; for the fence was in the way, circling every man’s place, and the way rouni was the only one left open. To get from bis own to the Collingsworth Ranch, he had to go down to the river by his own water- ing-place and ride along the bank till he came to the judge’s claim, where another lane exist- ed, by which the Collingsworth stock was taken down to water, every evening. Limpy rode gloomily along, and frequently cursed aloud, in the bitterness of his spirit, as he saw the cowboys of the company—who had been arrayed in a gay sort of uniiorm of the Mexican cut, with red sombreros, to distinguish them from everybody else in the county—riding along, watching the herds. If be had thougbt it prudent, he would have ne and picked a quarrel with one of them, ut be knew that such a course of conduct was just what they desired, The swaggering air with which they rode, close to the other side of the fence, whenever he approached it, eying him as if they wanted to know what he wanted there, was enough to show that; and Limpy, for all that he was a fighter, was nota fool, and saw that none of the cowboys were-but of sigbt of each other. Af last he came to the Jane that led to the {icge’s ranch, and took his way up toward the ouse, when he had been anticipated by another cavalier, who was going there before him. The sight of this — whose tall figure and peculiar-dress would bave made him a marked figure sae = bows in Texas, caused Limpy to swear violently. He recognized, in the horse, with its tail cropped, in the brown riding-coat and gra ‘trowsers of the rider, and the short hair whic showed under bis little Derby, hat, that the English overseer was before him, actually going to the Collingsworth house, to maké’ a -call, without.so much as a revolver on, The ‘‘cheek” of this proceeding, to Limpy’s ideas, was so great tbat itexcited bis ire. Here “was the head man of the enemy, who had done them all the mischief be had, actually going to call on the young ladies as if he werea friend of the family. Limpy could hardly believe bis eyés at first; but when he was sure it was the enemy, be rode after bim at a gallop, and as soon as he bad ‘come pear enough to be beard called out; ‘* Hello, you, sir; a word with you.” Berkeley turned round and showed the Texan a face that wore its most haughty expression as the said: _ “Sir, [don’t know you, and what’s more, | don’t want to know you.” LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL A CL A tn “The blazes you don’t,” sneered the Texan, staring at the Englishman as if he desired nothing more than to strike bim. ‘‘ You're a sweet-scented duffer, you are, to be comin’ around ‘Texas, from your old rotten country, tak- ing away men’s pasture, where they’ve be’n fur years, afore you come nigh "em, . You and me’s met at the right time, stranger. You’re a skunk! D’ye hear me thar? A skunk, I say.” “Well,” asked the Englishman, with imper- turbable gravity, ‘have you done, sir?” Limpy was.so much astonished with his cool- ness that he could only ejaculate: ** Done!” ‘*Yes, done was what I said,” returned the other, and as he spoke be rode close to the Texan’s horse. ‘‘ Because, if you think I am going to notice a fellow like you, you are mis- taken. Do you know what I do with such men when I meet them?” Limpy seeing the other, to all appearance, unarmed, and baving no very bigh opinion of his fighting abilities, answered with a sneer: ‘*No, and I don’t wanter know.” Berkeley actually laughed at him as he said: ‘“My good friend, you have told the truth. You will not want to know any more than you do, after youjhave got through with me. Get off that horse !” Limpy afterward said that he never knew ‘*how the darned critter did the trick,” but the next minute he found himself tilted out of the saddie and head down on the ground, with his horse running away undera lash of the Eng- lishman’s whip. Berkeley had tipped bis foot out of the stirrap by surprise, witb all the more ease that Limpy rode in the Mexican fashion, with a straight leg, and was overbalanced by a man stronger than himself. The next moment, before he could recover his feet and draw his pistols, which he instinc- tively tried to do, Berkeley was out of his own saddle and on the ground by his side, with a cocked derringer at his head, and the stern order: ‘* None of that, or [ll blow out your brains, by the lord Harry!” The words were coollv spoken; but the eye of the'English seamp was so diabolical in its piti- less malignity, that Limpy saw be was ‘‘in a hole” and, with all a Texan’s readiness to re- cognize “‘the drop,” when another man gets it on him, be cried out: “Stranger, I cave. time ” Berkeley put out his left hand, and took pos- session of the rancher’s weapons, before he said another word, Limpy had a very fine pair of revolvers, and the Englishman took them from out his belt, and asked him sternly: ‘* Now then, my friend, have you got a derrin- ger in your sbirt, or not? If you have, l’m going to have it.. You don’t get the drop on me, [ can assure you. I have been in Colorado, as well as Texas.” Limpy, lying there at the mercy of the other, could only say: ‘* Wisher may die if I have, stranger, Ye’ve got me, this time. I cave. I s’pose ye don’t wanter ke’p the weepins, do ye?” Berkeley rose up and put the pistols into bis own pockets, before be said anything more; then he observed: ‘Get up, out of that, at once, and go home. If ever I catch you around my path; [ shall give orders to my men to fire at you.” He drew baek to his horse; and Limpy, feel- ing considerably like a dog that had been kicked, got up and went toward his own ani- mal, that had stopped at its master’s fall, as soon as the smart of the whip bad died away, and was cropping the grass not very far off. As he went, the Englishman called out after im: ‘ll send those things back to you, to-mor- row; but you’d better treat the man politely, or by Jove, V’ll come down with all my men, and give you what you have been wanting, all this time.” Then he turned bis horse, and Limpy saw bim canter away to the house, while the sight of sev- eral men, who, from their red sombreros, were evidently servants of the company, and who were coming down ata gallop to the dividing fence, made the Texan feel decidedly as if he had done a foolish thing. He got his horse, but not before he had gone close to the wire fence, where the animal stop- ped, and on the other side of which were gath- ered three men, who stared at him with no pre- tenss of politeness, and as soon as he had mounted bis horse, greeted bim with a burst of sneering laughter. ‘* Thought he'd get the drop on the captain, didn’t be?” said one man, pointing at ety ‘* He’s a bu’stin’ old fighter, he is, ain’t he?” said a second, blowing bis nose contemptuously at the mortified rancher. ‘“‘ He’s jest fit to carry guts to a b’ar, and that’s all, boys. Gee- reosalem! bow the captain did wallop bim! You’ve got the cake this Come out of that saddle jest as slick as a whis- © tle. Boo!” Limpy answered not e word. He had the | virtue of all Texans—he could bold his tongue, | | if he saw no chance of taking his own part. He knew the men on the other side of the fence wanted to provoke bim ioto a retort angry enough to justify them in firing at him, and he knew he had no chance to defend himself. He ae in spirit, but if -was all useless. e bad to ride off, with the jeers of the cow- boys in his ears, and the last word was: ‘* Showed the white featber, didn’t he, Jim?” That taunt was the bardest of all to bear, and the irate Limpy turned round and called out: “The man that says T showed the white feather dassn’t come out and say it again, when I’ve gota weepin. Your boss is one thing; but he aio’t you, by a darned sight! I'll fight any man of your crowd with natur’s weepins, and ye dassn’t take me up—and me lame.” His words were interrupted by the sound of a horse coming at a gallop, and be saw the cowboys at the fence turn to look at the new- comer, What was Limpy’s surprise to see, mounted on a fine paint broncho, with a Mexican saddle glittering with silver nails, and all the bravery of the Texan dandy, a young man whose face seemed familiar. He was dressed in all the finery that is fash- ionable among the “‘ fancy” men of Texas, who delight in velvet and gold lace. He had shipped the regular Mexican rig, and wore it with dis- tinguisbed grace. Limpy gazed and gazed, and at last ejaculat- ed, as be saw who it was: ‘Jumpin’ Jehosdphat! if it ain’t that doctor feller again, and this time he’s got the Lest of itt” CHAPTER XXTI_. TWO UNWELCOME VISITORS. Limpy was right. The man whom he had seen going up to the Collingsworth Ranch was none other than Tom Field, whom he thought he bad driven from tbe county forever by his threats. But, as Limpy remarked, Tom had the best of it this time; for he was armed with a pair of very bandsome revolvers, and bore a Winches- ter rifle at his saddle, having altogether the look of a native of the soil, who would not hesitate at killing bis man if occasion demanded it. Toe transformation, to the eyes of Limpy, was very amazing, and he could hardly believe Had he met Tom before his little adventure with the stalwart Britisher, be might have tried on some of his old tricks; but Limpy was too thoroughly cowed, for the time, to think of fighting any one. . He felt like a fish out of water without bis two revolvers, which he had carried daily ever since he had lived in Satanta county, and with- out which he was nowhere. Still there was something in Limpy which made him hesitate before he actually abandoned the idea with which he had set out on his ride. He had been going to the judge’s ranch, to callon the master of the place, and be did not like to be cowed out of that, Judging from bis own method of life, he thought that the Englishman would be sure to o about the ecourtry, bragging that he had riven off Limpy Balstrop and disarmed him in sight of a number of people. f the Englishman did not, then the cowboys would be sure to tell the story against bim, Taking all things ther, Limpy, after a little hesitation, turned his borse and rode after the strange horseman and the Englishman; so that it happened there were three men riding to the Collingsworth Ranch at the same time, and that they drew rein almost at the same moment in the door-yard. Berkeley heard the horses coming after him, and turned his head to see who it was. He exhibited no fear, for he had come pre- pared, and as Limpy rode up he noticed that he was followed along the line of the fence by the men who bad been jeering at bim just before. They kept by the line of the fence, and as the judge bad built bis bouse at one side of his reservation when he first came to Texas, the could do this, and keep within shot of the people in the door-yard. Berkeley saw Limpy, and his face darkened as he said to him, barsbly: ‘‘ Look here, you, sir: do you want to pro- voke any more trouble for yourself? I told you to go home.” Limpy compressed his lips, as he answered: ‘*T come to call on the young ladies, and I ain’t goin’ back. l’ve got as much right here as you, and more, too, if it comes to that. You ain’t the king of this country.” Berkeley hesitated fora moment. He did not like to bave anotber fight in the very presence of the people that be had come there to con- ciliate, and yet he did not like to go into the bouse, and have this coarse fellow in at the same time. He was used to the obedience of bis men, and accustomed to rely on them to puli him through every difficulty. , After a moment’s thought he turned to the fence, then about a bundred yards off, and made signal to the cowboys waiting there for or- ers. com - ee ee P ao —_ =" . ‘chooks A yh i llth at ml tt : Yaad 5 tt = ,, ‘ a