Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-01-21
HOW HE SETTLED WITH
GRlNGO.
BY BELLE HUNT.

"Back in the seventies, F." said a Texas
merchant who was ION East buying
goods, ''when | was adjuster for big
mercantile house of Galveston, was sent
20 investigate a creditor of theirs out in
The southwestern part of the State, my
Instructions being to collect the claim or
.un an attachment on the concern.
AT the end of a thirty hours run on
1he train, found myself in -, the
nearest railroad station to p, the
town of my delinquent customer, which,
lpon inquiry, | found to be seventeen
miles west, on the Mexican border.
In my prowlings about -, whom
should | run across but my old friend,
Bill Scott, captain of the Texas Rangers,
who asked me what | was doing out
there frankly stated my business, and
asked if he knew the man was going to
settle with.
Know Gringo Perez Scott re-
oeated. We'll, / reckon [ do
hat is "by reputation" He's
regular tirc-eater! Why, man
alive, Gringo Perez has tine-hairs
ike you on toast for breakfast He is a
Greaser. you know, whom his fellow
citizens nicknamed "Gringo' -their term
Of contempt for an Northumberland
ne gave up sheep shcaring and horse
stealing and took to the slower but surer
business of merchandise. He's a holy
serror-adds notch to his pistol butt
every six months and two during cleo
lion! Pay2 Why, he don't pay for any
hing, and as for your attachment, you'd
rs well try to serve attachment papers
on the devil for back bills on brim-
stonen
. Say, Rice, | think I'd better ride
over with you. We are making this
headquarters while we make roundup
Of this seasons crop of horse thieves,
road agents and fence-cutters in this part
Of the country, and can leave word for
the boys to join me at P when they
come in this evening. We might come
N handy if you get into any trouble.
lit is needless to say that | accepted
Scott's offer with aviditv, though | gave
him to understand that had not under
taken to adjust that claim under the i'm
preston that Twas going to Sunday
school picnic and would need to wear my
billed shirt.
1T was about noon when we set out
for P, | riding one of SCOTS extras.
a why, nimble-footed little broncho.
had taken the precautionary measure of
getting out my attachment papers be-
fore we started-which | still hoped to
use only as a last resort in bringing Mis-
ter Fire Eater to terms.
1T was close upon o'clock in the
afternoon when we rode into p, a
typical Texo- Mexican border town. Nest
of the houses were one-story adobes.
Struggling along either side of the main
street, which was nothing more or less
than the continuation of the wagon road
from one settlement to another. There
were punches of chaparral here and there
about the outskirts of the town. and a
dense thicket of it lay about a mile away
to the west. Five of the nine business
houses had saloon in big letters over
the door, and calmly and peacefully con-
fronted me, when we got off our horses.
was the sign, C. Perez, Dealer in Dry
goods, Clothing, Hats, Caps, Millinery,
Boots, Shoes, Notions, Groceries, Hides,
Wool, Agricultural Implements, etc, ,
which covered the entire gable end of
The Imprinted, weather boarded store.
Tied to the racks on either side Of
the public well, were eight or ten ponies.
their Hanks weighed down bv the bio
Mexican saddles, which varied their
monotonous duration by biting and kick
ing at each other while their indifferent
riders loafcd on the steps and stoops OF
the stores, telling yarns, smoking cigar.
cites, playing poker and reading the
county papers, which were handed out.
regardless of address, by the obiging
postmaster.
I'VE found Perez H. He scooped
out, weighed and tied up a dollars
worth of sugar for q siab.sided girl
while | introduced myself and stated
my business. This professional duty
finished and the lid put back carefully on
the sugar barrel, be casually informed me
That my house might 80 o. ad
that he'd pay whtu be got ready and
not before
Naturally this reception d.d a1,
Tent O. increase me amahilfy aud /
promptly turned 80 uE hes. aad HeHf
oat Intending lo rHt my attachment
Pattl. " the hHAa at the daput
sA.ttH and Instruct h.m 81 seFya tham 8
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