Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-07-03

about many things. Helena was SO un.
like Parco, he thought. She was not
content to mix with the Spanish people
exclusively, as her mother had done be-
fore her, but was welcomed every.
where. She did not hate the Ameri-
cans, but told him, her own father,
many times that it was wrong to
| cherish hatred against any one. Surely
she was strange, dear child. But the
| Parco blood would tell even in her If
| the occasion arose-he was sure Of that.
Making himself another cigarette,
Pancho strolled idly into the town. He
Joined several groups of Spanish-Amer-
leans standing on the sidewalks in their
Sunday clothes, nodded familiarly to
the store-keepers in front of the shops.
and finally brought up before crowd
of men and boys who had surrounded
and were listening to Sam Smiths de-
scription of the recent hold-up. Sam
| was the stage-driver.
81 threw out the box all right enough, ="
Sam was saying, with great caution,
"but it was my old fake box. The
right one was on behind, tied up In a
roll of blankets. The fellow was just
about the build of Pancho there
Pancho passed on as If he had not
heard, but knowing smile Of satisfac-
tion played about his lips.
The delightfully."- monotonous summer
days Of blue sky and yellow sun came
and departed before the town was again
awakened from its languorous sleep of
satisfied traquility. In the vicinity Of
Los Alamos Sam Smith was held up
once more. The lone highwayman COM
PEELED the doughty and shrewd Samuel
to descend from his seat and produce
the express box from a roll Of blankets.
This being accomplished, the luckless
passengers were lined up on one side Of
the road and the man with the gunny-
sack over his head and the Winchester
in his hand relieved them Of their val
uables in turn.
The following day the broken express
box and piece of the gunny sack were
found in the bushes near the scene of
the robbery. Pancho was suspected on
Sans report and his house searched.
There the rest of the gunny sack was
found. Pancho had already taken to
the hills, and a large reward was Of
fered for his capture.
Sympathy, sincere and universal,
went out to the old mans daughter,
but with the blow a change came over
her. Every glance of pity was met by
a look Of suppressed indignation and
scorn, for pity implied a belief in her
fathers guilt. In her eye a new fire
kindled-a fire that burned in Panche's
eyes when he was young. Except her
own, no roof knew her now but that of
the Mission. But all thiswas only the
brave exterior. In little whfaesit was
known she was i'll. Within two months
she was dead. The wise doctors gave
the cause as quick consumption.
Two days afterward two men moved
cautiously down the slope of the cone
shaped mountain, at the foot of which
stood the Mission. Both were armed,
and both crept crouchingly from bowl
der to bowlder and from bush to bush,
as If they feared detection. As they did
SO the bells of the Mission began to
toll. The sweet-toned sound from the
little bronze bells-cast in old Spain
came up the mountain, and the two
men stopped and looked down at a fu-
neral procession passing slowly along
the country road to the grave yard, q
short distance away. For one Of them
that funeral was a magnet. Following
the hearse came wagon in which sat
a number Of young girls clothed in
white, and behind 1t many buggies,
wagons and a motley description Of We
hicles filled with people.
The man in the rear gazed intently at
the moving spectacle for a time, and
then his eyes wandered searchingly
over the mountain slope. Suddenly he
stood erect and brought his gun to his
shoulder; for the first time he had dis
covered the other man, leaning against
a slanting rock, not twenty feet away.
Hands up, quickw he shouted, "or
I'll fire."
"CarajoY burst from Pancho's lips,
as he made a movement to seize his
gun.
Don't! I'll kill you"
Slowly Pancho's hands went up. How
ard advanced to disarm him. 1t was
Pancho's turn: "You no comei'' he cried.
''Dios! You not take me alive"
Howard stopped. The two looked at
each other steadily. The Mission bells
still tolled, and the funeral procession
wended its way along the country road.
You must 60 with me, Pancho. I'm
sorry, but must do my duty" =,
Il say 1 no gov' cried Pancho, his
eyes blazing with excitement "You
think Parco 60 to Jail"
It'll be all right, Pancho, old man.
Ifyou're not guilty you can easily prove
it."
"Geelty? You mean no hold up the
stage? You want me say that. l no
say 1t. 1 did hold him up, but 1 not
geelty. How is it when, the damned
grlngos take all Pancho got? The grin
gos geelty, eh? What you say? Pancho
no bandolero. Pancho only take a
leetle of what Is take from him. But
no use talk. Every one say Pancho
geelty. 1 no care. Nina mia, dead.
You see down there? They take Helena
to. the grave. 1 no want leef. 1 no
'fraid death. When they put Helena mia
In the grave, Pancho die too. You watch,
see." Il
The procession was entering the grave
ward