Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-08-23
(treesl, corta (cut). and danos (dam.

dressed yisitant felt aggrieyed, and
was demanding damages for the two
little lilac ash trees. The two Ameri.
cans could hardly keep from laughing
Such cavalcade and such fuss about
so mere a trifie They were willing
enough to pay for the wood.
"Esta bien," said Brett, with diff
Guilty retaining a grave face (AI
right. "Quanto?" (How much?)
But their faces heightened when
they heard the mans demand. To
their amazement he exclaimed, pom.
pously:
"Dos cientos pesos !" 1.-TWO hun
dred dollars y
They could not believe it. "You
want two dollars ?" said Forney.
mo, senores; want two hundred
dollars, and two hundred will have r
cried the Mexican, most ernphatically;
and at the same moment he made a
sign to his poems, who closed round the
two Americans, carbines in hand.
Our friends hardly knew what turn
to give the affair. The demand was
outrageous. They had hardly that
amount of money by them. To resist
by force of arms, in that remote spot,
was out of the question. Not little
disturbed, they attempted to remon-
strate with the fellow; but their in
'gnant objections were met by gen.
eral cooking of guns on the part of the
poems, who evidently waited but a nod
from their master to shoot.
"Will you pay me?' was the per-
emptory question of their captor.
"We cannot" Brett replied.
"Ccme along with me, then," was
the next equally peremptory reqlisi-
tion and making a virtue of necesi-
ty our two friends went along as bid
den.
They walked about three miles,
when they came to rancho upon a
hacienda (estate) of which their cap
tor was apparently the proprietor.
The buildings were surrounded by a
high wall, or corral, of adobes.
When they had entered within the
inclosure the Mexican repeated his
demand for two hundred dollars. They
told him they could not pay it.
Every wel,' was the response.
"You will stay with me till you do"
Whereupon he ordered them into one
of the low stone buildings with barred
windows.
The idea OF being shut up as
prisoners in such hole was SO repug-
nant to both that after consulting
together they determined to pay the
two hundred dollars and trust to
fortune to get out of the country.
They accordingly handed over the
money-though they had barely eight
dollars left-anl were allowed to
depart without further plucking.
Indeed, the Mexican's success put
him in such good humor that, after
the customary formula Of Spanish
po' 'iteness. he asked them to come
again to visit him, saying that his
house and all in it was theirs
On their part they would not allow
him the satisfaction of observing their
chagrin, and they very courteously and
good-humoredly bade him good-day
and adios (gocd bye).
They went back to their camp and
looked at their two-hundred-dollar
stakes-a3 philosophically as they
could. But whatever view they took
of the matter, the fact was before
them that they were in 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.
Under such circumstances the reader
will perhaps excuse Mr.. Brett for sum-
ming up their financial condition in
the one characteristic Western term,
Busted To which Forney re-
sponded, Busted--clean openP'
"What do you say?' Brett ques-
toned. What's to be done2'
Its too bad to let that fellow get
away with all that money" said For
ney.
"True," said Brett; "but how can
we help it,"
II 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 well 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 proprie-
tor fer something to eat He seemed
little surprised, but welcomed 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 dis
covered on his estate, and tried to get