St. Landry democrat., 1893-02-25
HOW HE SETTLED WITH
GklNGO.
By BELLE HUNT.

"Back in the seventies" said Texa
merchant who was son East" buying
goods ''when was adjuster for a bi!
mercantile house of Galveston, | was sen
to investigate creditor of theirs out il
the southwestern part of the State, m,
Instructions being to collect the claim OF
run an attachment on the concern.
AT the end Of thirty hours run OF
the train, | found myself in -, tn,
nearest railroad station to P, thu
town of my delinquent customer, which
upon inquiry, found to be seventeer
miles west, on the Mexican border.
I'm my prowlings about -, whom
should I run. across but my old friend
Bill Scott, captain of the Texas Rangers
who asked me what l was doing oui
there: frankly stated my business, and
asked if he knew the man was going tc
settle with.
"'Know Gringo Perez?' Scott re-
peated. We'll, reckon I do
that is "by reputation' He's
a regular fire. eater! Why, man
alive, Gringo Perez has tine-hairs
like you on toast for breakfast. He is q
Greaser. you know, whom his fellow
citizens nicknamed "Gringo''-their term
OF contempt for an American--because
he gave up sheep -shcaring and horse
stealing and took to the slower but surer
business of merchandise. He's holy
terror--adds notch to his pistol-butt
every six months and two during cleo
ton! Pay? Why, he don't pay for any,
thing, and as for your attachment you'd
| as we'll try to serve attachment papers
On the devil for back bills on brim-
stoner
Say, Rice, l think Id better ride
over with you. We are making this
headquarters while we make a 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
IN handy if you get into any trouble
ut is needless to say that accepted
scott's offer with aviditv, though l 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 nv
billed shirt.
1t was about noon when we set out
for P, | riding one of Scott's extras,
a wlry, nimble-f footed little broncho,
l had taken the precautionary measure of
getting out my attachment papers be-
tore we started-which I still hoped to
use only as last resort in bringing Mis-
ter tlre-Eater to terms
lit was close upon 4 o'clock in the |
{ ffbiaRa92 fftbHifaR99p lpeAwy wyhen we rode into p,
OF the houses were one sfornpw ofrnpwna71, a7,,MA ,MAGst
Struggling along either side of the main
street, which was nothing more or less
than the continuation of the WAGON road |
liom one settlement to another. There
were punches OF chaparral here and there
ABOUT the outskirts of the town. and a
dense thlcket of it lay about a mile awav
TO the west. Five of the nine business
houses had saloon in big letters over
inc door, and calmly and peacefully con-
lronteo me, when we got off our horses
was the sign, g. Perez. Dealer in Dry,
goods, Clothing, Hats, Caps Millinery
Boots, Shoes, Notions, Groceries Hides
Wool, Agricultural Implements. etc.,
winch covered the entire gable end of
the unpalnted, weather boarded store.
"Iied to the racks on either side of
the public we'll, were eight or ten Monies
their tanks weighed down bv the hi,
MeAican saddles, which varied their
monotonous duration by biting and kick
ing at each other while their Indifferent
rlders loafed on the steps and stoops Of
'he stores, telling yarns, smoking cigar
cites, playing poker and reading the
county papers, which were handed ont
regardless of address, by the oblieing
postmaster.
I'VE found Perez in. He scooped
out, weighed and tied up a dollars
worth of sugar for a slab sided rirl
while introduced myself and stated !
my business. This professional dutv
finished and the lid put back carefully ON
the sugar barrel, he casually informed me 6
hat my house might 90 to - and 6
mat Ina he,d pay when he got ready, and {
Naturally, this reception did not 6
end to increase my amiability, and I a
promptly turned on my heel and went |
'us, intending to put my attachment
,apers in the hands of the deputv- h
herltt and instruct him to serve them at n
nee. :.
"But the deputy turned pale at the l.
lention of serving papers on Gringo b
'erez, kindly explaining to me that his Al
resent lncumbency of office was the re. G,
Mt of his never, under no suckum- y
ances, meddlin' with other folkscs, t,
usinesses.' T.
"Of course, l did not attempt to gain a,
y SO obvious statement, and was lust d,
king mental inventory of my ammu- m
tlon, preliminary to man-tc- man set at
ement with Mister Gringo, when Scott be
,ertook me at the door of the deputy's u,
lice, and hearing the new turn given en-
my situation, said: o,
"Thats all right. I'll serve your pa fu
r.; The captain of the Rangers is viz an
ally sheriff anywhere in the state-at on
own discretion, you knowr laughing
a giving me the wink. ou
by George, old manrI exclaimed tn
asplng his hand. Il am beginning to look Sc
'on you as ''providential interven- ou
IN" in my favor on this tripr and we
liked On together over to Gringo,s de
,re.
1T was getting on toward dusk. and wi
lngo was in the back part of the room