The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-09
CREASER BALKED

degraded Latin, with full and perfect
knowledge OF The wires Of two ooptinent0
and an utter willingness to Be Ignorant q
all other things Americans In New Mex1
leo tolerate him ~ = necessary evil, Just al
they tolerate Cinnamon In California or
negroes In the southern states He Is cheap,
oven II he Is nasty, and he makes farming
possible BY his exceedingly low self valua-
tion.
Sometimes no shufiies on his servility
and becomes q Spsniard. Then IL requires
nerve to deal with him, and also quick
hand on the trigger. became aware Of
that fact few months ago, when was
staying with Jack Henderson. .
Jack went out to New Mexico flve years
ago with u bride and dream and So, 600.
When saw him. the bride had become Q
mother to the extent Of Jack, Jr., aged 3,
the dream was on the verge OF svanescence,
and the 50, 900 had gone.
Jack had settled on what purportod
eventually to become q fruit farm, when
company had worried out an impossible
irrigation scheme, 80 miles from Santa Fo
and seven miles from white man. There
were far mountains to tho east, with white
tops that purpled at sundown. All round
him were the dreary prairie, monotonous
as the sea, mile beyond mile of brown
parched grass, with here and there bunch
OF crawling bushes.
Roads, in the English sense Of the term,
there were none. We rode to the plaoo
over the baked mud tracks, yseemingly
without end or object, past the greascrs'
'dobies," as they call their little homely
mud huts, past myrlads Of prairie dogs,
scampering into their holes as We ap-
preached. And then at last we reached
Ix... g.. - ~tt H..
tho midst Of vegetable patch that had
literally fallen into the sere and yellow
leaf That was Jacks home, and prcseat-
ly came Mrs. Jack, with Jack, Jr., cling
ing shyly to her skirts, to give me well
come.
1t was broiling next day, hot after q
fashion that we In kindlier CLINE COM
prehend not whit. No white man could
lift his hand to his head without q weari-
ness resulting therefrom. Only the olive
hued greaser was available, and indeed
Jose seemed from tho short period Of my
observation To DO more on the Qui vive
than any other living thing.
Jose was jacks cook, q moist, unoom-
Portable looking greaser, with quivering
paunch and long limbs that seemed in
adequate to support tho superstructure. l
ventured a remark upon his unprepos-
sessing countenance, but Jack became elo-
qucnt upon his culinary virtues. Even
Mrs. Jack had something to say on the
subject, and felt at once that I was inter
fering with family idol.
When, therefore, Jack told me later In
the day that he had been obliged to dis
charge Jose, with instant orders TO depart,
1t was u matter Of no small astonishment
10 me. felt, however, that It was deli
cato subject and to this day have no
idea what was Jose's cause Of offense.
conjecture that Mrs. Jack was concerned,
and that the insult was deep, for Jose's ac-
oomplishments we're unparalleled, and no
slight matter could have caused his depo-
sition.
In the evening the temperature grew
endurable, not that 1t was cool or plsas-
ant or anything like an English version Of
a summer evening" but there was an in
effectual breeze, and the dobies cast long
shadows as tie sun died.
Jack and decided upon ride. We set
out upon our way, talking SO earnestly Of
/ know not what that we barely noticed
Jose as he mounted his pony at the back
door of the house.
When we wero 20 feet farther on, there
were whirring noise and sort OF muti,ed
thud. Jack was delivered OF q sound That
appeared to have begun life as an oath
and turned aside to be u gurgs; also his
horse jerked itself on its launches and
seemed to stagger helplessly.
By the time l could turn my head Jack
was half way out of his saddle. A leath-
er thong was girt around his elbows,
plnioning his arms to his sides. It's other
end was fastened to the pommel Of Jose's
saddle, and Jose was bending over his
horses neck with devilish sheen beneath
his heavy eyebrows.
Jack had his fingers on his revolver In
an instant, but crippled as he was by the
thong that cut deep into his flesh ne was
as helpless as though his arms had been
broken.
looked at him, frozen to my saddle, rs
useless to move to his rescue as though
the lariat WAS bound about me
Then there was a crack THAI startled me,
and the whole fascination dissolved. Jacks
arms were Free and Jo1e was tangled up
in confused mass of pony, harness and
man.
AS the pony fell there appeared behind
its body the figure of Mrs. Jack, pale and
quivering, with the lips set and sort Of
horror in the eyes that was a revelation
TO me in my study Of expressions In her
hand was a revolver, with thread OF
smoke trickling from tho barrel as IL hung
from her limp grasp. She swoonsd alter
ward, and lifted her from the ground.
Before that time, however, Jack had re-
leased himself, and when l looked round
he was standing over the prostrato greaser,
with his watch i'm one hand and his re-
volvor In the other.
Jose" he remarked a. placidly as
though he had been ordering dinner, lin
just three minutes am going to kill you.
/ shall tell you as the minutes pass"
1t was an unpleasant soene TO lock at.
The fellow howled like a hurt beast. He
clung to jacks knees and prayed for
mercy in the name of all his saints
''It's no use, Jose. I'm going to-two
minutes-kill you. have no use for such
as you, and 1 don't see how any body else
can have"
We buried him little later, and then
Jack collapsed also. had my hands full
for awhile, bringing the couple to q rea.
sonable condition Of nerves.