The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-12-07
CHAPTER II.
=
THE SENIOR STRICKLAND.

visited village in the state OF Tam
aulipas, named Cunarvo, beautiful
place, half hidden in pine forests among
| the mountains. I came to this village
| because a friend of mine, one of the
brethren of the Order of the Heart,
wrote to me saying that there was an
Indian in the neighborhood who had in
| his possession an ancient Aztec scroll,
which, being in picture writing, neither
| he nor anyone else could read.
This scroll had descended to the In
dian through many generations, and
| with it a tradition that it told of a very
rich gold mine in the mountains where
of the site was lost, which had been
| closed to save it from the grip of Cortes,
by the order of Guatemoc, my fore
| father.
Now 1 had been taught the secret Of
the picture-writing when first | was in
itiated in the mysteries of the Heart.
This writing the Indian was willing
to give up to me as Lord of the Heart,
and accordingly journeyed to Cumar-
| house of my friend heard that the
Indian had died of sudden sickness,
and that his son would soon discover
where the scroll was hidden.
Another thing l heard also, namely,
| that white man, an lnglese, the first
| who ever visited these parts, had come
! to the village about six months before,
and was engaged in working some old
! silver mines on behalf of company, a
task that he found difficult, for the
| Mexican owners of land in the neigh
borhood, being jealous of him and
angry because he paid his men fair
wage, were striving to prevent Indians
from ]aboring in his mine.
l.. thu
| night Of nv arrival at Cumarvo. On
| the morrow saw the fruits of 1t as 1
walked down the little street. In the
middle of the street, lying in the shade
| of house, were two dead men. A
handsome Indian girl, with sullen and
unmoved countenance,. was engaged in
| winding serape, or blanket, round one
| of the bodies, but the othe: lay I'M
tended, certain stains upon the cloth
| ing revealing the manner of it's end.
On doorstep sat a third man, wounded
| about the head and face, while the bar
Der of the village, its only doctor, at
! tempted to remove his hair with pair
of blunt scissors, so that he might dress
| the cut.
"What is the cause of this, senor?"
! asked the barber.
ssI think that have the honor of adj
dressing Don 1gnatio," the little man
| answered, and, lifting his hands from
their work, he made sign showing
| that he, also, was member OF our
brotherhood, though humble one.
''Ah, I thought so, )" he went on as I
gave the countersign: 1--WE heard that
| YOU were going to visit us, and ain
glad of it, for I weary of dressing
wounds on Sundays, and perhaps you
may be able to put stop to these
| fights. The woman was the cause of
| it, of course. senior; these are not the
| DEATHS and he nodded at the girl who
was wrapping the body in a blanket.
With sigh was turning to go, for
| it saddened me to think that when
| drink got hold of them a woman should
have power to change these men, who
were nv brethren. into savage beasts
| thirsting for each others blood.
':Ah!" unused, had it not been for
| that other. woman who destroyed me
and my hope, by now l had begun to
| teach them better.
| At this moment I CHANGED to glance
up to see a man such as / had never be-
fore beheld, standing at my side and
gazing at me.
James Strickland, the Englishman,
! was a fine man. over thirty years in
age, short. in proportion to his swidth,
| though somewhat spare in frame and
delicate in limb. His features were as
clearly cut as those of an ancient god
upon a marble wall and his eyes were
| as blue as the sea and his curly hair
yellow as Mimosa bloom.
.sYour pardon, senor,'' said the man
in good Spanish, bowling to me as he
spoke, but unwittingly l have over
heard some of your talk, and cannot
understand how it comes about that
you. e stranger, have so much author
ity. I,wish that you would explain it
to me in order that might learn how
to put stop to such murders. These
| dead men were two Of my best work
men. and i do not know where shall
look to replace them
Il cannot explain it, senor.n | an
/ swered, returning his, bow, further
| than to say that have certain rank
| among the Indians. on account of
which they reverence me. Still though
/ have no right to ask it Of stranger:
/ pray that you will forget any words
| which may chance to have reached
/ your ears. since Of such authority the
government is jealous.
| BY all means. senior. they are al:
/ ready forgotten ell. adioa, this sight
/ IS not 30 pleasant That Is wish TO study