Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1883-09-13

them that they were it the midst of a
foreign country with no money, or
only eight dollars, and two hired In
dians on their hands, to whom they
already owed twenty dollars.
Undersu circumstances the read
er will perhaps excuse Mr. Brett for
summing up their financial condition
in the one characteristic Western
term, "Busted." TO which Forney
responded, 'Busted-clean open !
What do you say? Brett question
ed. What's to be done ?
IT'S too bad to let that fellow get
away with all that money said For
ney.
True, said Brett; but how can
we help it?'
q can't say yet,' replied Forney.
But let's go back to his place, by
and-bye, and tell him we want some
dinner. He invited us, you know, and
he cannot we'll refuse us, now that he
has got all our money. We will eat
with him, talk to him, and draw him
out one way and another, and may
get some hold on him
Accordingly, toward evening they
went back to the ranch with their
two poems, and as politely and non,
chalantly as possible asked the pro-
prietor for something to eat. He
seemed little surprised, but well
coined them with grave courtesy, and
at once asked them to dine with
him
At dinner our two countrymen
tried him on various subjects. First
they told him of the mine they had
discovered on his estate, and tried to
get hin in as a partner to work 1t
with them. Then they offered him a
contract which they had the refusal
Of for ties for the proposed new lne
of railroad through the state. and
proposed other schemes.
But their host only shrugged his
shoulders in the peculiar style of his
people. 1 do not care for it,
He did not care for anything of
the sort; but he produced pack of
cards and the poems brought in a
roulette stand, and another game Of
bolas, or balls, for guessing and bet
ting They saw that the only thing
to interest their host was some gamD-
ling operation.
Our two friends were not accus-
toned to gambling. They declined to
play at three card monte or roulette
and We're not inclined to dwell upon
the subject Of betting with the bolas.
They found, however, that nothing
else would interest the Mexican; and
they were finally led into several pc
culiar wagars with him, in which
Yankee shrewdncss was curiously
matched against Mexican trickery.
1t may not be known to all readers
that every Mexican is named from
the saint in the calendar whose day
chances to be his birthday. For ex-
ample, if boy is born on the 18th Of
January he is named Antonio, that
being the day of the saint of that
name. So that if you heard u MeXl-
can lad addressed as Antonio you
may know that his birthday is the 18th
Of January,
Brett had incidentally learned this
usuase since he came TO Mexico; but
Foruey knew nothing of it.
As they talked the Mexican asked
them their names, and they showed
him their surnames in their passports
merely pointing them out to him,
but not allowing him to see anything
else.
He then asked whether their ages
and the dates of their births were set
down in the passports. The told him
they were. He then turned to For
ney and said :
1 bet you dollar to dollar (aposto
peso peso) that | can guess your
birthday
1t came out afterward, through the
poems, that, in their furry when they
paid the two hundred dollars, they
had unwittingly dropped an old en-.
velope with Forney's name-Gerald
Son it. The Mexican had picked
- ~, ond uup,,oc;nr r tbat christ eujn mo-