Storyteller.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 5, 29 April 1893, Page 13

Storyteller.

A TEXAS ROMANCE. A story is told, in years gone by, of a raid of the Comanches in Texas. There was a small .settlement in the far western comities, as they were then called, but now are the ones most thickly settled. The girls of the settlement, three in number, had wandered far put on the prairie to a little strip of woods to gather a few berries, as there were many, and of .the finest kind. They had become so excited over their find and were pj ld 7iO- berries so fast that they did not take in the situation. They were far from the settlement, as they had started early in the morning and had not found any berries until the middle of the evening-. •The oldest was a girl of about 20, the other two were from 9 to 12. All at once there was a savage yell, and six . Comanches came in sight on a little knoll on the prairie, almost a quarter of a mile from them. Almost simultaneously a cowboy rode up to them. He was armed with a good rifle and a brace of revolvers. He was a stranger to the girls, and they were apprehensive of his presence, when he told them not to scream, that he was their friend, and would protect them from the Indians, who were advancing, having espied the girls. The Indians, evidently, had not noticed the man on his pony, who was partly hidden behind a thicket. As soon as the Indians were near enough one shot an arrow from his bow at the girls, and all raised a yell. The oldest girl fell, wounded, the arrow having passed through her shoulder. She was losing blood, which fact and fright had caused her jto faint. The other girls ran to her. Answering the Indians’ yell was the report from the cowboy’s rifle, and the foremost Indian fell. The other Indians continued the advance, whem another shot w-as heard and another Indian fell. The Indians stopped and parleyed, and then advanced still nearer. Another shot and the third Indian fell. The remaining three continued to advance until within a short distance of the girls, when another shot from the thicket prostrated the fourth Indian to rise no more. The other two made a rush for the thicket, as they had discovered where the cowboy had concealed himself.

As they came near lie again fired, and one of the'two fell, and the other drew his g’nn, hnt the cowboy knocked it out of his hand and knocked the Indian down with his gun. The gun flew out of the cowboy’s hand. The Indian leaped to his feet, and they clinched. It was some time before either had the best of the other, but the Comanche could not get his gun, as it was too far aw r ay, and the cowboy did not like to let go his hold on the Indian for fear he would get the advantage of him. Choosing a favourable opportunity, however he disengaged one hand, pulled out his dirk and drove it to the hilt in the Indian’s heart. He now came forward, put the wounded girl on his pony, and told the others to follow him. He tried to pull the arrow from the wound of the other girl, but could not without giving her very great pain. They took the trail for the settlement, which w r as reached about 8 o’clock at night. The arrow was soon extracted by the doctor of the settlement, and the wounded girl w r as soon out of pain. The young man hade the young ladies’ father goodnight and left. The father gave him a pressing invitation to return. In a few days he did come back, “ just to see how Miss Lucy Look was gutting along.” Tom Tubbs, the cowboy soon became a great favourite of the Look family. He was a fine fellow' and brave. Lucy improved rapidly and was soon up. She ivas considered the belle of the settlement. Many of the boys had tried to win her, but failed. Tom, a stranger of another ' settlement, had fallen in love with Lucy at first sight ■when he met her’at the black-berry*

patch. He made other short calls after she was well. It was not long before Tom proposed to make Lucy his wife, and Mr Look, her father, said Tom had fairly won her by saving her from the Comanches. The marriage on Christmas Day was celebrated b} r a big hunt, Tom leading the party. Many came from both settlements to honour the occasion and pay their respects to the handsomest couple on the Texas frontier.—Detroit Free Press.