Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

«) !*«= THE FATAL WAGER. j There was C siilian lil>»u«l iirtlie wins nt ilie liark-taced man who gailujHMj into Taos, in New Mexico, at the close of a Beautiful day in mid An uuin. Mis physique was faultless, his restless eye dark and piercing, and tile uplifted brim of his Mims Wrero disclosed a lofty forehead. A great mustache, whose long hairs were blown behind his ears by the wind, added to his personal adorn tuent. This man was Benito Mannajo, a wild, reckless t'eMow, lamouse, among other things, fur the summary man ner in wh’ch he swept all rivals from his path. Almost incredible stories of his love linking are still told in the towi.s of New Mexico, and the meanest peon has his deeds at his tongue's end. Lei as record his last act. •'•might, to the most prominent drinking house of the town rode li-i.ito Maimaj > on the evening afore mentioned. I.e found the usual lojugevs about the b.sr—young blonds of rank in tbe ten .lory, and bis friends and admirers. His first art was the treating of the crowd and when the I qu.*r had disappeared, one of the loungers said, bantcringl) : “ To morrow night the beautiful Se. ora I z becomes tbe Nortliener’s bride. Wlni among u- lias site in\i* ten u> her nuptials? The young mail looked at Manna- jo .i» he SjjOixc, as d Ins were address ed to that indiv dual alone. The Mexican’s face flushed. *’ Nor Benito Mannajo !’ wa> the grating response. ‘The sen na is free to choose whomsoever she may, tmt those who are a-ked to the mar riage least do not always attend.’ The words conveyed a subtle mi .ining, as the speaker’s look and the manner in which th'*y were spo ken indicated to his auditors.) ‘Thirty ounces of gold that the bride-groom does not kiss h s bride to-moriw night.’ .J? As the last words fell from bis lips, Mannajo, tbe Mexican, drew a well- filled purse from his bosom, and tos sed it upon the counter. His com paniotis exchanged startled and significant looks. ■Who takes my wager?’ The dark-skinned Adonis cried, defiantly, his eye sweeping the coidon of fines that surrounded him. ‘Thirty ounces of gold! Come senor, cover them, and Jose, onr barkeeper, shall hold the yellow stakes.’ A moment’s silence succeeded, when a young man who had entered the place in time to hear the offer, exclaimed, as he elbowed his way towards the Mexican: •I’ll cover it, Senor Mannajo ! I will pul thirty ounces of gold upon your j urse, and wager thirty more that they will hold it down.’ A slight cheer went tip from the crowd, and the handsome reprobate turned smiling upon the youth. ‘Ah, is that yourself, senor Igleuii ?’ he exclaimed, extending his hand, ‘You must be one of the disappointed ones.’ The young man blushed deeply, lor it was generally known that he bad once sought the hand of the scnorilu, who stood so near the attar • Whether I am or not, it does not effect the wager,’ he repl ed, nettled s nne»' hat by the Mexican’s words. ‘1 cover your purse thus, Mannajo. These senors are our witnesses. * And Jose, here, the stake-holder ?’ ‘ S : , senor,’ ‘Good! Now, Jos?; let us have the best liquor that your house supplies.’ The wag«»£ was sealed in draughts of tolerable liquor, and Benito Mar- mnjo withdrew from the edmival company and remounted bis lithe limbed steed. ‘Day after to-morrow, senors,’ he said, with a smile to the few who were able to wish him adiuse from the porch of the house and touching his horse gently with the spurs he was soon beyond the boundaries of the town. One by one the drunken revolvers left the drinking place with brains too befuddled to think of the covert threat coucealled by Martnajo’s wa ger. They did not dream of tbe blow that was hovering over the head of t he young N« rthemer who had en tered the tenitory and won, over the adoration of many native hcanx, the hand of Senora Inez. Beautiful, wealthy and good, the maiden, a descendant of one of Cor tez’s mailed followers, had long been the belle of the country around Taos. Her father’s large hacienda swarmed with cattle, and boasting ot silver mines of great wealth, would in the course of time become hers. Thus she was the richest heiress in the country. To all her admirers, save Richard Compston from the States, she had turned a deaf ear. The handsome Mannajo had courted her smiles in vain, and the youthful Iglean had poured the story of his passion into her ears, while she thought of the American who had won her heart And it was to be a grand wedding. The.bride’s father had invited the officers of the territory, and the wealth and beauty of the country were expected to grace the occasion. But Mannajo, the disappo tiled sui tor, had wagered thirty ounces of gold with iglean that the American would not kiss Inez on the wedding night. % jj; * It was gt tting dark mi the teght o'" l*>e wedding, when a mounted man drew rein under t. e branches nt a tree that stood at the edge of a iff- ro.v Mexican road, lie wore a broad- brimmed sombrero that shaded his lace, but the dark mustache that al most touched his shoulders, and the hands small as a wc man’s, proclaimed his identity. It was Benito Mannajo. The coil of a lariat hung from his saddle’s pommel, and he seems to be awaiting the approach of some one from the South-east. Immovable as a statue, and speaking not, he sat upright in his saddle; but his eyas wen* re-ile s and itill of anxiety and expectancy. He was not {far from the house of the happy Senora. A fe\^ moment^’ gallop would lave brought him t<» the house already ringing with the laughter of wedding guests, but the Mexican with Spanish blood did not intend to vi-it the marriage board. At last lie started and uncoiled the lariat. Then the tread of a hotse became d slinctlv audible and a minute later an object appeared in the moonlight that slumbered in the road not far away. ‘Alone!’ muttered the watcher, astonished, and then, with the lariat dangling from his hand, he said : * It is well. Now for the thirty ounces which Iglean staked.* The horseman continued to ap proach apparently unconscious of the presence of the dare-devil Adot is of New Mexico, wh^se eyes were fas tened upon him with the glare of the bullock’s orbs. ‘ I know ’tis lie—t! e hated Ame rican !’ hissed Mannajo, as lie pre pared the lariat for a throw. ‘ Would to Jesus that Loon were here to see the deed. The boy w ays prides himself on the use of the cord.’ Leon w as the speaker’s In other, a hoy whom he had not seen for several years, but whose imago was enshrined in his heart as the only person whom lie had ever loved. Nearer and nearer came the Lssocr’s victim, gal loping .-lowly over the narrow road, now in moonlight, and now again almost h st among the shadows. Al. at mice the lariat described a circle about Mannajo’s sombrero. Then it shot towards the horseman and drop ped over his head like a noose of diath. Tl.e next moment the Mexican’s steed darted forward, and the victim was jerked violently from the saddle as the exclamation. * Jesc, pity ’ fell from liis lips. The infernal noose had piuioned his arms to his sides, and a smile oi malicious triumph crossed Mannajo’s face as he looked over his shoulder and saw the object which bounded ove^lhc ground at his horse’s heels. i southern banker Through the ehapparal and into the unobstructed moonlight the Mexican urged his steed, whieh seemed eager to escape, as it were, the dreadful thing that the lasso dragged behind l,im - , — ii-? ‘ The thirty ounces are mine/ said the lass.ier, looking back, and then laughed. ‘ Marmajo kuew when he bet that the Americano would not kiss the senora to-niglit.’ His horse did uotBeeui to tire. Over the gentle undulating country, and iu the golden light of the moon, lie Imre bis reckless rider, whose heart beat last with a devilish triumph. The spurs jingling in: heir sockets, ever and anon touched the blood stained rowels and the wind sang through the rider’s wanton hair. Bouncing over the ground like a ball, the lassoer’s victim followed in his wake, staining the stones a dreadful crimson tha. looked ghastly iu the weird light. No cry welled front the bruised lips. They had long been silent, and the hands which a few moments since had resembled Mar- inajo’s had been battered into a bleed ing pulp. On, still on! Was the devil never going to draw rein ? The wind blew b ck tbe froth that dropped from the horse's mouth and now and then it fell like snow-flakes upon the victim of his master’s re* venge. As Marmajo could not-.ridc ,.i ihe c of the w * rid he slopped at last. Upon the borders of the .l.ciiu that ran tliron.h the eon.try to the m< re pretentious Gila the re probate drew rein. The moon, high up in the heavens when he flung his lariat, was near the horizon ; but its beams fell tqion the water, and the wild flowers that beautified its bauks. Marmajo dismounted and witii a fiendish look walked towards his victim. 1 Well, my love-making Ameri cano,’ he exclaimed. * I fancy that Setio.a L<ei would not see miic^ beauty in your face were she to itu r et yon now.’ A dreadful sight met the lasSoer’s gaze when he stood over the man tylioni lie had,dragged at hisIgQtev heels for twenty miles. The sem blance of humanity was all that had withstood the journey, and over this the Mexican stooped with a wild cry. He had discovered that his lariat had dropped over the head of the wrong mail! But another and more terri ble discovery was yet to come. Upon the bre ast,| torn by the rocks an l briars, glistened something that at tracted Mar—ajo’s attention. Snatch ing it eagerly, he held a locket in his hand. Ore glance at it and he staggered to his left with a piercing shout—one long, loud eiy of killing agony. For a moment he swayed to and fro, then with a cry ot ‘Lion, my brother?’ he fell forward upon his victim, and glued his lips to the bat tered lace. He had not only lassoed the wrong man, but his brother, Leon. In the agony of that moment the joyful past came over the Mexican’s mind, and the moon’s last beams fell on him in speechless misery at his brother’s side. By and 'bv l«e remounted and crossed tbe stream. The object which he had diagged at the heels of his horse now lay in his arms, and he was talking to it like a ma l man. All ibis time Richard Compton wpis looking into the dark eyes of his young bride. Marmajo lis<t lost his wager. With much anxi- tv the loungers ■ f Taos waited for news from tbe feast, and when it came they looked at one another in wonderment. ‘ lit* must have ridden off with his brother who passed through Taos inquiring tor him,’ said one. Yes, but no one ever dreamed of the brothers meeting, and Richard Compton, the American, never dreamed of bis escape. Young Igleau raked in the stake money, wondering what had become of Marmajo. ^ , ^ The stars might-tHbHm. Always on a bust—the load mck and shoulders. : JULY 9, ms. BLACKSMITH IN —AT— OUR NEW BRICK SHOP —AT THE— Corner Clayton And Jackson Sts. First-Class Horse-Shoeing. A Specialty, by the best Sheer in Georgia. Gunsmithing. Guns, Pist-.ls, locks, etc., repajr*xl »t short notice and satisfaction given. STF.EL WORKING. Axes, Mill Picks, IIoss, etc., of the finest toin; Work warranted. PLANTATION WORK. Plows, Wagons, Carriages, e»c., repaired in tin- best maaner and at short notice. Sole patantee of Bassett’s plow stock. J"olxn. Basssti. nv»rcli20-ly. T. B. LXTCAS, DKALKR IK COAL COKE AND LIME, BLACKSMIT H Coal a Specialty. A’fclioaas, Georgia. april23.3m. PRESCRIPTION FREE! Forth**speetlyTun*oi .scsn.ir.ti 'Aim.* . . . *»<t Manhood nut] till disorder* brought on >y .mint* cretion or excess. Any Urugtrist has the Insrro- clients. Adtlrm, l>r. IV. J IQU:> A* « «>., 1IIO IVt’it Mlxflli Sim*!, nitrinuaii. O. D r Tutt’s , XPECTORANT It the most cental balsam ever used by sufferers from pulmonary diseases. It is composed of heroal products, which have* specific effect on the throat and Iuuks; detaches from the air cells all Irritating matter; causes it to be e>- B rated, and at once checks the in- latlon which produces the cough, tie .lose relieves the most distress- paroxysm, soothes nervousness, liable* the sufferer to enjoy quiet t night. Being a pleasant cordial, nr* the weak stomach, and 1s specially recommended for children. What others say about Tutt’s Expectorant. Had Asthma Thirty Years Rai.timorKj February 3,1875. * 4 I have had A>«hm.t thirty year*, and never found a medicine that had such a hannv effect " W. F. HOGAN, Charles St A Child’s Idea of Merit Nxw Orleans, Movemler it, n>;6. “Tatt** Ex|wctor..nt is a familiar name in my house. My wife thinks it the best medicine in the world, and the children bay it is * nicer than molasses candv.’" NOAH WOODWARD, 101 N. Poydrss St. “Six, and all Croupy.” ••I am the mother of six children: nliorthem have been crouny. Without Tutt’s Expectorant, I don’t think tncy could have survived some ol the attacks. It i* a moih*r’s hlessinr. *’ MARY STEVENS, Fran* fort, Ky. . A Doctor’s Advice. “ In my practice, 1 advise all tamilie- to keep Tutt’s Expectorant, in sudden emerj,c:ici. e, lei coughs, croup, diphtheria, etc.’- T. P. ELLIS, M.D., K.wsrk, N. J. Sold by all druggl*!*- 1‘ri. r $ J no. Ofttct 35 Murray Street, AVir ivrk. “THE TREE IS KNOWN BV ITS FRUiT.” M Tutt*j»PUU are worth their weight in eold.** HEV. I. R. ^IMPSON, Louisville, Ky. •‘Tutt’s Pills ere a special blcssir.g of the nineteenth renlurv.” * REV. F. R. OSGOOD. New Yo*k. “I have used Tuti 1 * Pills for |or;»* r i f f • liver. They are superior to any incdu.it. o tor biliary disorders ever made.** L P. CARR, Attorneyat Law, Augusta, Us. •• I have used TuttN Pills five year- in in*. * - ily. They are tiueaualed lor rostiveisess ;»»;d I iousness.”—F. R*WILSON, Georgeiov/n,Texas. •*I have used ‘rtSPsMedicine xvi’h »*r- benefit.’*-W.W. MANNJEditor Mobile Re<;idor. •‘We sell fifty hojcT^TTutt’s PitU \n five of all others.”—SAYREj&CO., Cariersville. Gi. “Tutt’s Pills havc"ooty t«» be trvd to «*•- tablish their merits. They \vo»k 1 • .” W. H. BARRON^^fi^ummer St., Boston. “ The"e is no medieTmTsjrwe ll n* ? *u»t**d U> t!»e f ire of bilious diconler* as Tull’s !*i l>.” JOS. BRUMMEL, Richmond, Virginia. AND A THOUSAND MORE. Sold bft dmgglsfH. 25 rent* a tmv. Ojjlre 35 Murray ti'tr.et, JNVic Turk. OH’S H&IR DIF nrooassD. i HIGH TESTIMONY. FROM TitK PACIFIC .lot it > it: i vhlch restores youthful Iteautv to lh- hair >. "hat eminent chemist has uncrwi***! iu*- discing a Hair Dye whicii io.fi.,?* ‘ urfc to |M*rf**clIon. Old harhelor- tu *' ow rejoice.” f. Vioe $1.00. Ojjim sit Mumw 2fcw York* Sold by nil s.jt. staossg, Watchmaker and Jeweler, (Singer Machine Office, Oollege Avonuc) ATHSXTS, - OEORGaCsB- I liave opened at the above place, where I will give strict attention to repairing *ud eieauing of Watches, Clocks and Jewelry. All work done iu first class style and at reasonable rates. Give me a coll. april 23-6m. OPIUM sail Morphias hsMtcnred. Th« O rlsl n a I **1 ab»olau CURE. w m3iiuu f«r book oa Opium Ratln$. *•» ' v h 8qnlr% WvrtUacki. Grecao Co., 1m* PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY MORXING AT Terms, #2.00 a Year, Invariably in Advance. The “Southern Banner,” established in the year 1816. is, consequently, sixty-two years old. Beginning when sci ence in this country was, comparatively speaking, in its in fancy—when the “art” of printing was carried on by a slow and tedious process—when “buck skin balls” were used to spread tbe ink overt-lie rough and unsightly types upon which the paper was printed, with Homo News one and Foreign News two months old, the different Proprietors have battled with the changes of time-kept pace with the advancement of science, and the rude types and rough presses have been laid aside and their places are now occupied by*all the beau tiful appliances known to the art. The Banner is not only the oldest but the largest paper in North-east Georgia, and its columns are weekly tilled with reading matter suited to all classes and conditions, embracing NEWS, POLITICS, / RT, SCIENCE, LITERATURE, POETRY, . ‘ AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, DOMESTIC AND OTHER RECEIPTS, STORIES, WIT, HUMOR, &C., AtJ N 0 \Y 1 S T H E TIME TO S U B S C RI B E. In view of the vital questions which arc agitating this and foreign countries, and the elections that ate to take place this fall in Georgia and throughout the United States, a synopsis and discussion of which will be contained in our columns, we are sure that our paper will not only be acceptable but a necessity to every family. 1 herefore, send in your names and money and keep posted with the progress of the times. CORRESPONDENCE. Recognizing the fact that nothing adds more to the popu larity of a paper than an interchange of views between (those among whom it circulates, we invite correspondence upon all topics of interest to the public, and especially the current news and agricultural progress of the section of coun try t in the’territorv of North-east Georgia. TO ADVERTISER S. With a bona fide circulation of 2,000 copies weekly which guarantees not less than 8,00U readers, throughout Georgia and the South, and especially in North-east Georgia, one of the richest sections in the South, we are confident that ad vertisers could find no better medium through which to make their wants known than the columns of the Southern Ba>ner. Address, H. H. CARLTON, Editor & Prop’r*