The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-03
Two Pieces
Of Silver.
BY LEWIS. EDDY.
"Muerte a los grfneoSl''

MucTlc d los BTfHBOS5
Black Rosa's small, angular form shook
with rage. Her black face grew blacker
than it's usual hue, ifnthat were possible.
Trembling in every nerve she glared vicious
ly and shook long, bony finger in the
faces Of the group Of miners who with
jests and jeers had met her suppications
for charity
Get out Of this, you black devil!' one
| shouted 1--WE have had enough of YOU
She's got plenty Of money! cried an
other.
Wears diamonds in the city," sneered
| third.
Get out! No beggars allowed!' they all
shouted.
"Muerte a los gringosr' repeated the
woman, with a Shrek which would have
chilled the blood of men unused to her
vicious ways.
Manager France, of the Bull Domingo,
| heard the disturbance between the miners
| up the gulch.
Here. my good woman" said he, there
| are two silver dollars. You had better
| not stay around here" he added kindly, as
| she took the money and called the blessings
| of the saints upon his generous soul. 1.-The
men are not used to giving aims and they
will only treat you unkindly."
| He'd better be savin' them two dollars
to help out the pay roll of the Bull Do
| mingo who has been keeping slate for
nearly three months for the accommoda-
| ton Of workmen on that property
Its woman as always breaks a suck
| er's heart" urged miner. And then the
| crowd fell to discussing the material af-
| fairs of the camp, and for time forgot the
| Mexican woman who occasionally came up
| from Durango on begging expedition.
Sonora Rosalina Ortiz once enjoyed a
happy home in the City of Mexico, her
irfh N1oo Shn ho1
| Of education, both in Spanish and English
| and in her early married life had travelled
| much. But misfortune came to her in the
| death of her husband and two of their three
| children, after the loss of all the property
| they possessed. They had for several years
| made their home in the United States
| where Senior Ortiz had died, leaving his
| widow penniless. Poverty and sin were her
undoing, and when the Colorado mining
| fever filled the mountains with fortune
| seekers of high and low degree Sonora
Ortiz drifted to Durango. She had sunk
| so low in vice and crime that she was ac-
counted well fitted for anything from beg
| ging to petty thieving, even to the cutting
| of throat
She was living his mistress with
| hardened character known as "Robber
| Dan," an American whose life both in and
out of the penitentiary was a series Of
| misdeeds. He had earned his title as she
had earned hers They were we'll mated in
| their criminal careers, though the woman
had thus far known more of prison
| life than is afforded by county jais. Her
| only child, boy of twelve years, had like
his mother become a professional beggar
| and thief.
The i'll treatment she had received at the
| hands and tongues of the miners at Rico
had burned into her soul like hot iron
though the wound was largely healed by
| the soft words and the silver SO kindly be-
slowed by John France. But, since she
| was not likely ever to be able to carry out
| ner threat of death to all save her own
race and equally incapacitated to insure
| the blessings of the saints which she had
| invoked neither her curses nor her PRAYERS
| were needed. However, none who knew
her had any faith in Black Rosa's possess
sion of good will toward any one of Ameri-
can or European blood
Even Robber Dan and his male COM
| panions in crime-who formed the most
| notorious and daring band of robbers in
| southern Colora do-did not escape the vim
| dictive spirit of Black Rosa. But the wom-
an was useful to them, and when plentifully
supplied with drink there crime
| too black for her wicked heart nor scheme
100 deep for her cunning BRAIN If she
| possessed a single redeeming trait no one
| had been able to discover it.
Durango had been ablaze with the glory
Of frontier life-a glory which comes but
| once in the lifetime of a new town. But
| there then little regard felt for the
| future by the fortune-hunters who swarmed
the streets and filled up the hotels and
held high revelry in the saloons and dance
| halls of that camp
| Honest men with capital seeking to
double their investments in fortnight.
stood on the same level of ASSOCIATION with
the horse thief and the road agent Mine
promoters and gamblers drank over the
same bar. The crack of the stage drivers
whip was but the echo of the pistol shot
Business conversations and ribald songs.
laughter and curses intermingled in a wild
nurrah chorus.
John France stood leaning with his back
against the end of the bar in the saloon
attached to the leading hotel of the town.
| His hands were thrust into the side pock-
| cts of his sack coat, while his face bore
4 puzzled look. John Frances handker-
chief was missing. That was a mere Incl
dent, yet he continued to look puzzled
Going back to the mine in the morn
ing?" asked the clerk of the hotel a min
ute later, as France approached the desk
and asked for writing material
Yes, surev'
Stage leaves at o'clock"
well, call me a half hour earlier, and
don't, for your head, let miss the
stage. l must be at the mine tomorrow
by all means. By the way, l have lost a
large white silk handkerchief with black
border. Look out for it,
A few minutes later, while France was
still busy writing, Sheriff Barney ap-
preached him and presented a little Mexi
/
found the silk handkerchief.
What shall 1 do with him?" asked the
| sheriff.
Lock him up: said the manager of the
Bull Domingo sternly. lock him up! That
is the little rascal who came to me few
minutes ago begging for money. l gave
him two bits and he shows his gratitude
by stealing my handkerchief"
| The attention of the loungers about the
hotel office was attracted by these loudly
spoken words of John France; but they die
not hear what he said in a hurried under
tone to the sheriff, there was a murmu,
Of Indignation against the man who would
seek the punishment of a child for steal
ing a silk handkerchef-and that after Il
had been returned.
John France laughed and went to hi.
room, while the sheriff smiled, as he Away.
smiled in danger and out. and led the boy
away The crowd looked puzzled
HE had my boy locked up, did hep
shrieked Black Rosa, when the details O.
this little episode Merel related to her. tn,
black face of the little Mexican woman
seemed ablaze with Indignation. He shall
pay for this!'
tainted Robber Dan; Il thought the senorf
might feel sorry that we had planned t.
rob this fine Americana. But it's all RICH
now-s it, dearestT' he added mockingly
Rob him! murder him. yelled BLACK
Rosa, and she staggered from her chair
as if she would carry out her own com
mand, but fell on the floor in a heap
Dan and his pals lifted the woman to g
bed. and the leader remarked that she
would sleep till morning, and k@ neithe,