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December 22, 1906. THE SUNNY SOUTH VIFTH <PAGE Three Million Trees Required To Gladden Young America's Christmas Heart The Old Rangers Who vj» • 9 ••• 9. X army works for months that the American child niay enjoy the supreme in stant of Christmas Day. Any father or mother can affirm when that in stant comes. The joys of the toys, of candy, of the holiday feast all fade into nothingness compared to the bliss of the- child when it is first admitted to the room where the Christmas tree is. Nothing can detract from the fascina tion of the hemlock, cedar and flr when it takes its place of honor in the room that is to hear the burden of the Christ mas celebration. The toyshops the child has with hln< the year round, and there Is no novelty in candy and fruit, only a extra abundance of something that is | tocts the forest so that he may con-i the Christmas tree is in getting it to I tine to realize money from it for yeafs | market. I to come. i From the forest the trees go to the hlg Selecting the tre^; is a fine art. The ! railroad and steamboat centers on wag- | farmer knows that lie lias little chance j uns. sometimes drawn by a dozen horses to sell a tree that as not grown evenly, j The men who do the hauling _realize I A crooked Christmas tree cannot hi* I the third of the expenditures it takes to given away. | bring Christmas to the American parlor. Those who have forests of Christmas I R\PTJ) INCREASE trees do not dare crowd them. Trees i ^ t,. ee that could be bought for 5 cents naturally look upward to the light, and must be close enough together to keep j their tops reaching up, and yet far j enough apart not to be dwarfed. 1 Tills is the Christmas tree art in a nut- j she'd. The American youngster is a ty- ; rant who must lie pleased and who is just as particular about ids Christmas tree as everything else. 'Tlie Christmas tree man pays rate of twenty-five cents a bunch for tho in Maine thus increases in value ac cording to the cost of its transportation I until jy tiie time it reaches the big ! cities it lias become worth S2.00. i Not the least of tiie toll spent, that | tlie boys and girls of our land may have ! | their Christmas, finds its way into the j 1 pockets of tlie great transportation com- | (lie ! panics, rail and steamer. Tim retailer gets the final profit, but I Upheld Law In the Strenuous Wild West ^ ^ ■H'R element of the tiagi?, tions I had received of Loyanez’3 band, the suggestion of the reil j an<J . appreciating that tlie fellows were , desperadoes, I gave myself up for lost, strenuous nas to be , ,, , .. . , _ „ , , , especially when it dawned upon me that found underlying e\evy | j | ia ^ no wea p Qn not even a pocket phase of life in the try- j kn jf e _ j5 U t j knew the Mexican nature ink days when the west ! was a cowardly one. and even if Loyan- was young and civiliza- | cz was brave himself, ills followers were tion inits march toward I reputed to be cravens when alone, and ( A NEW OFFER The Finest Yet The Tri-Weekly ConstMon - one year The Southern Cultivator - - - one year ONLY 3? *00 trees, and there arc five in a hunch. [ Ilf> oru ' ns his for when he buys When tlie owner of the forest lias sold Ids load of trees be takes the chance nut bis stock at this figure, his interest* of selling them out at a good margin the setting sun was find ing its every step im- ipeded b\ some hard condition brought about bv an absence of la-.v and utter disregard of human gilts, and 1 recall well some of the in- whicli transpired during the riot’, many years ago. I spent at Oor- s Christi. Those were the days when man's safety generally -depended upon ] his skill witli a shooting iron, or Ills ■ e'everness with the Bowie knife, and as j it is u.:> to me to tell a story. I guess ! i will endeavor to entertain you with | .; few bits of the unwritten history of j tile western wilderness, history that was recorded under my own personal obser- j particular occasion. so I determined to put a bold face on the matter. I threw my hand to tho pouch o.t my side and lingered the fiat bottom of a 'black whisky bottle. The bottle looked like the butt ot' a big : Colt’s, and I saw that the greasers had | noticed my move and were not ndvane- | lag with the degree of assurance they I hacl first assutnerd. The first part of j my 'bluff went well, and I went further inio tlie game, even scowling down upon the motley crew from my saddle and ] looking just as though as I could. The Mexicans must have concluded that I was primed for a. light, and. knowing the character of the American cowboy when in a scrappy mood, they refrained from attacking me, as t looked a cow boy. even f didn't feel like one on that nd when 1 have finished you will agree with me ’lint the 1. with its security and safety, is than the dead past with its rerils | at I pitfalls. I The Story-Telling Club, at the Con- j tractors and Dealers Exchange was j h ldlng an afternoon session on a day i when business was slack, and AY. S. • I clancy. the well-known local contrac l lor. seated it lite licarr of the tab!'*, ] with the pipe burners and cigarette ] smokers around him. was doing the I Seherazade business /or the occasion, I mil while M . Delaney's attempt at 1 yarn spinning was not - as 'unusual ns s' me of the efforts of tlie Grand Vizier's j watching tli i daughter, it served the purpose well | the trees. I enough an1 1 ! l i hroki ti ch “Five of the men remained in the back ground. and the sixth came close to me j and held out a dirty paw for tit" to j shake hands frith him. 1 frowned sav agely, disdained the extended mitt, and I quietly awaited, my hand still resting on the whisky bottle. The Mexican I obsequiously doffed bis broad sombrero and asked me in Spanish if there was water about. T coolly pointed to the i | trees with my left hand, cursed him ' j in Spanish for tusking nic such a fool- ' ish question, and told him that there was water in the center of the mot. Without waiting for his reply. I touched my horse with my heel and rod,, slowly way. half-turned in the saddle and roups of scoundrels under I expected every minute lhat l tlie crowd together, an I they would come after me with their . until "finis” was ut- | revolvers (none of them carried winclies- l torsi, and 1 believed that, had T galloped my horse as though i was afraid of them, they would have selected me as a victim. But my bluff worked, ami 1 _ot bai-k to the ranch In safety. "Shortly after this, anil labile the Ri ers were hot on tlie trail of the bandits. ! a commercial traveler, a .voting mart from Xew Orleans—it's a pitv l cun t j j remember his name—employed by Schmidt & Zeigler. the local wholesale grocers, started out from Corpus Christ i an open wagon, intending to visit . . , small .(own about fifteen miles nr-fl murder was arried on by renc-gad? tan: The regular combination price is $1.85, but we are going to offer yea the two papers—the South’s Greatest Tri-Weekly Newspaper and the South’s Greatest Farm Paper-—-for a few weeks at $LQ®. TWO papers Sit the prioe of ONE. THINK OF IT! A Farmer's Newspaper every-othe? day, almost equal to a dolly* end tho South's premier ssMl-moathly Agricultural Paper, with its Field, Inquiry, Home, Poultry, tire Stock Departments, and other features. See these two splendid books, worth their weight in gold. SEND IN YOUR ORDER NOW1 The offer will be Withdrawn ohortly-^-this ie your Chance. “AGSIOTJItTURB FOB THE COMMON SOHOOIA” By the late Or, J&e. B, Husnl- entt, former Editor Of The feouthera Cultivate*. Is a new edition contadaioff?# iUuetraticc.3 and 260 pagoa. The printing and binding, as woll os the paptY is of exoefleat quality. This hook is also one or great value and interest to the farmer, whether he is a email of largo planter. Both Thu Southern Cultivator, Tils TriWoekly Coa- titutlon one year and "Agricul ture for the Coannoa Schools,’* all three for $1.50. "TEN ACRES ENOUGH." The book, "Tea Acres Enough," contains 650 pagns with illustrations, and is a re vised edition of the book, which was so well ob’enlutcd mors than 40 years ago. & was at one time styled "The Rotnaftce of tho Farmer," and whs road by ail prosperous farmers. If, treats es pecially on tho gardtm, tmdk and berry crops. Both Tho Sctrthara Cultivator, Tha Tri- Weekly CtmBtftHttca one year and "Tan Acre* Enough," all three for $1.50. ‘I*, was wu: kins: on a ranrli near CY>r- < Mirist i.” Mr. Ik-Iancy followed up S’ ><*«l l»oj»innint2:, •*\vhon tin* wlioh* r»*- »n was inffs;o«l by outlaws of tli..- »st (luring and dosperate stamp. Wore i ro Indians?” and the h-lb r of the turned on Ins inlerrogfi tor. M Xo. lot to speak of: the rod skins had foupiit oth« r iooaiities. a.~ tin y In iter hands than themselves monopo- 1 zinjs: the cut-Uiroat and li »ld-up trade, and the whole game of blood, robb^rv ; nif*i!e.uis. M< xk ans anj ltalf-breeds. “I -was working 1 in quite a sen lenient myself, whore numbers gave security. :*i d you may doaeiul upon it 1 seldom s *ught i In* lone reaclu or the quiet iprecincts A Maine Christmas Tree Forest. In some measure always obtainable. 1 But the Christmas tree comes at Christ- i mas alone. It is the symbol of the best . > all holidays. Even the poorest of 'hr.istmases is all right if a tree goes it, the best is nothing if the tree • • omitted. The favored home of the Christmas tree Maine, and from the hillsides and !■ Ids of the northermost state in the .T': comes the harvests, I eight weeks the work of getting' - • trees from woods to homes keeps 1 ut army busy. «wi"~" 1 ill- first week in November the Christmas tree lias come into commercial evidence in Maine. Having garnered, all .is other crops, the tarmer nns a chance . to devote himself to the children's crop, as tho Christmas tree yield might fairly be called. ONLY A PERCENTAGE. Those who love the forests, and who regret to see the ax laid at the root of i Iny tree, will rejoice to learn lhat the ! nalsam fir, so perfectly adapted to Christ:- j mas use, Is of no especial timber value, - i nd grows so quickly lhat its loss by j no means works the destruction of a I ract of wood. Moreover, the owners o! the land are I careful to permit the cutting of only a certain percentage. The right to cut and j gather the trees is usually let out, and ! the farmer always Imposes such protect- ; ive measures as will prevent tlie defer- j c-station of his land. In Maine the cutters usually work in j gangs of four. At the head of each Is j generally a shrewd yankee, who knows j every detail of cutting the right trees | and of getting them off to market in j fust the proper shape. ECe has been working for the children I ®f the United States for years, this j BP&int, long-bearded Yankee, and he pro- I in the transaction is done. He lias noth- J or having left oil ids hands a stock that ing to do hut count ids money. is utterly worthless as soon as Christmas The first of tlie army working for morning dawns Young America's Christmas has been paid, but the gathering and transport ing of the trees lias only been started. The cutter and iiis staff are next. The boss selects his trees by its top. j and Michigan in the middle He points his ax at that spot which 1 a big supply. will give him a short stem, witli'syni- Although tho spruce is an ideal tree metrical branches about it. This tree, j on account of ils beauty and the power fifteen feet tall from bottom to tip, is t of its branches in supporting heavy pres- plaecd on a trestle. The butt is sawed off J outs, the firs arc in greater demand, be- snioothly, painted, so that tlie sap will cause ticy are more open and require not run out, and the branches are care-i less decorations. fully bound together in form a compact j pinrs and hemlocks being less costly bunch, particular care being taken to | also find large and ready sales, prole- i the tip. on which depends t One of the worst of the terrors was Mexican. 1 think his lame was Jose lancz. or something ot the sort, and Xew York state vields many Christ-I beIon Si”S ” ™-e not fa- mas trees, thousands being cut annually ! for '•* bravery or courage, was as in tlie Catskill mountains; Vermont, Xew Hampshire, Pennsylvania. X'■ w Jersey st furnish Everybody advised Yum against tlie journey because of the bandits. I ut lie was good for a dozen greasers. The drummer carried with him a winchester rifle, and, sitting on the seat with the of tlie iprairie j driver, a young German, lie made five tho seashore, miles of tlie trip without mishap. T was no ’bully-stopper' or brigand ' "It was then that about eight or len nder-u.p. an i was not anxious of J horsemen were seen in the distant gai- oting any of the despot ado gentry j loping across the prairie from the south tic. holding a diagonal course tha: would soon bring them Up with the travelers The driver saw tlie men, and erving out that they were robbers, whipped up his team and put the horses on their mettle. But the brigands—for such the stran- , * crs Proved to be— had swift mounts, and Vi yelping and yelling like Indians they gained on the wagon ami finally galloped parallel with it and distant about 20 yards. The robbers bad only revolvers Many will want to get both o? the-co book*. One Year's aubserlp- tion to T’HJJ SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR- tud the TPWE'S'SXY CON STITUTION, with '‘Ten Acres Suough" and ‘‘Agriculture for Tha Common School* "-—both books and both papera, for $2.60. Address ail ofdefs to Constitution P&Hisibinc Co. ATLANTA, GA. hard to cope wi’h as the next one, and turned a place in the robber company that any evil-seeker after fame might ivi II be prouj of. Jose had a band at I his back, tlie ipeotple in the towns railed ! ‘The Greaser Wolf Pack,’ and that same ! ,,.iu „ ,, - h.uid ,„d an awful lot of slaughter and G™^ WiSUS r i! ^- v ty imr; were browsing on the prairie when her husband. the boys found them, and the body of the German was still hanging from the wagon, partly wedged between tho seat and the dashboard. “The rangers were after the bandits hot-foot about this time, and. coming up with them on a lonely stretch of sea beach, closed in on tlie crowd, and with carbine and Htle, wiped them out almost to a man. The greasers were cornered, or, i should say. surrounded, anil could not escape, so they fought desperately, and succeeded in killing two of the Amer icans and wounding four others. When the smoke of battle was over the rangers looked around for Loyanez. but he win nowhere to lie found, cither among the dead or wounded. Just when the byys were about to give up in despair, one of ranted sin ill "St hiring that -unless bet id make i foot. She had not the law of the day ibout arresting wom- of the Rangers flat- ion. But she beg z- l onsent was finally wagon started off it ty on the driver's lyepinioned and hand- and his faithful male large extent tlie value of the tree. FIVE YEARS TO GSBDW. A gang of four, working together, can clear up a remarkably large tract of lowland in a surprisingly short time. Then tlie boss pays off his three asso ciates, who average about three dollars a, day. The second force of the army working I f three million Germany, which is really the home of | the Christinas tree, does not come within 25 tier cent of this total, and the other for tlie American child is thus disposed | nat *°ns ot tlie world are nowhere, of, -Nor is Uncle Sam's ft alt v to the tree A Christmas tree takes five years to 1 surprising. It represents tlie keystone grow. The woodman who raises them ! "whole celebration under tlie stars ]lad a iwif", a lieauti',' ? / young Mexican woman, witli raven trlsses, dark lus- t’ous eyes and a figure which 1'T cor- ’wetness in lines was a marvel, and the srnora, as tlie people called her. roed with the brigands on pretty nearly all tlcir raids. "There was an old man named Clyde, r the union furnish two million, a total J who kept a general provision store about ten miles front Corpus t’hristi, and on a THREE MILLION TREES. The total number- of trees used in tlie United States is a number that startles. In Xew England one million trees are cut down every year, the other states T.iso across tlie Mexban. border, and ! arm shattered in tlu-e., "“V 1 tlle Sfeasers. wno must have and a w.ped out hfs ellowirg entirely. Jose The drummer held his rifl” " tV =rlK,e ' a ^ ail1s . t '; ,s ‘ '" f ‘• 1 V’ r ‘ ,! '" 1 1 minuet neiq his ,rifle in Ids h-?t tuin and nointing to a succession of arm. and even when he fell he. did no: U.iml dimes' near lie edge of the ,ea. relinquish his hold on the weapon. lfe said' ’He is there:' After giving the sustained no injury by the fall. and. \ information, tlie traitor, who had been springing to. his feet, was just in time] badly lilt in the skirmish, rolled over on to see tne frightened horses behind which ids side and died. The rangers, with i t i\ lie had just been riding dashing madly | their guns held ready to lire, approached tint across the plain, the body of the mur- i the sand dunes and, after about ten min-j of tiered German hanging over the side of ! utes' search, found Loyanez lying flat ,ll .f T Vag, ’ n ' , , ,1111 the ground, between two of the ridges. lie Mexicans rode in a wide circle ;m d at his side, wit:, her arm thrown around the traveler, but were out of ! over bis shoulder, was his magnificent pistol range. The American, with his wit y the dreaniv-evert Fan liita. right arm hanging limp and useless .-,^ raiieJS mam- resistance, but ris- at lus side, held the rifle i„ the hollow m •, his revolver and ■ u.nncd to ei 1 1 • when the wagoi tone p airic wit]; tty perched on runs, gorgeous it.loi to a success "The woman sperate; her :e- n: her husband v is hiring scheme she had t! man's release, an 1 was well out on the the unsuspecting dep- the seat, holding the Paneliha worked liar 'id fruition. •ai r: "d a dagger con- lands • a, "l stripes. Father and mother j Ian once every five years. This year he takes! fov weeks tlie kind of trimmings they his boy of five with him; five years from i Shall buy tiiis year, and during a greater now ho takes the boy again, a. lad who j part of Christmas eve and Christinas can be helpful; five years later the morning when tin- children are deep in begins to chop for biinseif in the same | dreams of what Santa Claus' pack will spot; and still five years later he is be-1 carry for them, the love of the parents ginning to count upon tlie proceeds of! is entwined in every hit of tinsel, every the Christmas tree from this piece of I ornament that is fastened to branches land, and is reckoning upon starling a I Lagrant with the scent of tlie woods, little chap of his own in business. ] Alone of Christmas features, tlie iree Thus from generation to generation • never fails. Presents sometimes disap- tiie.re is always a certainty that any | P"iiU, but nobody ever finds fault with gaps in the ranks of the tree gathering u "’ Trce Rc the 20-foot giant that army can always he quickly filled. j adorns the home of the millionaire, or The first two stages of ‘the gather- ! H 10 ,fA” t L lf> . att , i<: ,? f Poverty, ing are not costly. always the symbol that brings The big expense of 1 Yuletide joy to the children's ‘ fac es. •p- tiffakc Happy Thousands of Tots Christmas Tree Is Oue of World Greatest Institutions. line between Ratlesnake ‘mot* and Mus tang ‘mot,’ and Clyde iiad Incurred the enmity of the Loyanez gang by refusing to stake some of tlie bandits for ammu nition. I may as well explain now what rim term 'mot' means. The region in the vicinity of Corpus Christ! is for the most part rolling prairie, but at intervals ot every ten miles or so there are clumps of limber, some large and some small, and these patches of wood were called •mots.' How the name originated I don't know; there is nothing in it suggestive of timber that 1 can see. "Weil, Clyde lived between Rattlesnake and Mustang mots, as 1 said before, and having incurred the enmity of the ban dits. they would have killed him in the open had they dared. But Clyde was a ' nervy old fellow, kept a couple of win chester rifles always handy jm his store, and tinii. too. the cowboys from the neighboring ranch were generally hang ing around iiis place, so when the order went out to kill the storekeeper, one or the hand was commissioned to do tlie deed alone. "The murderer—a low-browed, sneak ing greaser—rode up to the store one aft ernoon when nobody was about, and, dis- ] mounting, bitched his horse to a runa- | way and entered the storm-scarred build- j I itig. only Clyde was In the store and the) ! old man. witli his head resting on his I i arms, which were crossed on ll’.e coun- j ter. was fast asleep. The Mexican saw J that tiic time was propitious for tlie crime lie contemplated, and he went j about the business with all the ferocity l of a Comanche Indian. Clyde had some new axes resting against the counter, | i and, selecting one of these implements. | I tlie Mexican raised it aioft in bis two) j hands and brought tfie keen-edged blade | i down with all his force on the sleeper s j i exposed neck. The blow was such that | flesh, sinew and bone yielded to tne ' bind' , i lie head bounded to i be floor and the body rose and fell, bumping against the counter and spouting blood. nit murder accomplished, the Mexican rob- j bed the safe and. remounting his horse, j rode away to join tlie band in a desolate! J place down near the gulf. When the | cowboys riding in that evening entered! ! the store they found Clyde's head lying j i on its side in a pool of blood near a j I salt shoulder barrel, and his trunk ex- | ; tending half way across the counter. An i i Indian boy had seen the Mexican When 1 he galloped away with the money bag j and t'nc identity of the murderer was | never a matter of doubt. I * "A few days after the murder T had | occasion to ride into Corpus Christi to 1 make some purchases, and, having a ! good horse. 1 made ill" journey to town j in a few hours without incident. With I my saddle lings tilled with bottles of 1 whisky and other tilings tlve boys want- ! cd. T started on tit/- return trip to the j ranch bright and early the next morn- | ing. The weather was very hot, and I when tlie trees of Rattlesnake mot broke ! tlie monotonous sweep of the prairie in j tin* distance 1 concluded that upon reach- j ing the timber, l would tether my horse, ! take a nap and resume my journey in tne ! cool of tlie evening. j "Jn a little while 1 reached Hie belt | of timber, hm before I could dismount, ! from between the trees there appeared ! six as villainous-looking Mexicans as one | could find on the whole border, and be- | him] I lie fellows, who were advancing on me, 1 saw their horses resting in the shade. *‘I knew the men at once from descrip- of his left. a s though steadying himself take good aim at the riders. The in the layers f her rich, bin k beneath the lace mantilla she and securing the weapon, sin* craf- ]gcd lie lo the front, of the wag m. d over, and with a sudden swe -p plunged the sliarp- L> the back of the blade drove through ek. the point coming Hi when Panchita a r - i w the weapon, tho' rong ii tiletto tic uti s neck, a i . t liroiigh 1 he i.at a t i lie i liroat t- rnpteil t" will knife, and submitted tamely to , , me handcuffs, which "ere snapped about- Mexicans saw the movement and rapidly hls WI . istsi . „ as , ak( . n the scene of the conflict, from which he had so recently lied to seek eoncealmcnt dar ing the smoke and excitement, and be hind him walked bis wife, wringing her: shapely bejeweled hands and sobbing and wailing as though having tost all hope. "The Rangers were due to sta'i on ■ the trail of a band of cattle rusllets. i and a deputy sheriff was given the mis- 1 :ml;, of tlie swarthy-:acpi], heavy-fen-! i .red Loyanez and instructed to ink. I ,m to Corpus Christi. A small wagon, wall two horses attached, was ohtailic l t.l a neighboring ranch, and ill this i i-jance was tlie deputy to make the twelve-mile journey wilh his prisoner. galloped out of reach of tlie rifle's liri and as the drummer advanced they con tinued their retreat, and at last, fearing to chance tlie encounter, and not know ing that the man was wounded, they whipped up their horses and loped in pursuit of the vanishing- team, l,y that time only a speck in the distance. "The American, although sorely hurt and weak from the loss of blood, walked ten miles in search of help, striking out ran eh about sundown. He recovered from iiis liurt in time, but whether or not he losl the use of his arm, 1 never heard. "Some of tlie boys from our ranch rode out on their swift mustangs and came up with Hie drummer's lost team. Tho horses, exhausted 'from tlieir long I Mrs. iD’yanez (pleaded hard t< "Panchita must have had a file with wl ifli sin* separated the links of the handcuffs, for she and her husband both ueceeded in cs.-a-ping. The horses, -bagging the empty wagon behind Hi m. dotted into Coons Christi# the morning oiler the battle on the seashore, .ml wlicn searchers went out to look for lie deputy and the prisoners they found c.ly :i-- murdered man's body lying fare downward in the high grass. M exit hut. IS killed in bowieknife encounter -with a Tex is cowboy j' .-I out of Matainorns. Ths American escaped across tho Rio Grande Brownsville, and was nc\ :.:rc*ie<i. \Vhat lie ante of th" bandit's it mlso :e .widow I never heard."—New t.»rh ns Pieayuuc. Woodman Cutting a Fine Christmas Tree,