Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-07-03
THE BANDOLERO.
~ ANCHO PARCO leaned lazily

~ ANCHO PARCO leaned lazily
against his gate on the outskirts
Of the Southern California town
and looked down the road. 1t was a
beautiful Sunday morning in May
Pancho was an old man, but there was
nothing in his appearance indicative OF
his age except his bristling gray mus
tache, the deep lines in his brown face
and the dull, bloodshot black eyes that
must once have been as fierce as those
of an Indian. With his arms resting on
the gate, Pancho rolled himself huge
yellow w-papeted cigarette, which he pro
ceeded to enjoy. Suddenly he pulled
the brim Of his big white sombrero fur
ther down over his face as he deserted
man walking toward him on the path
beside the road. The newcomer was a
young man, and Pancho's opposite in
every particular.
Como esta, senior"
Good morning, Pancho. Has Seno-
rita Helena gone to churchY'
mo, senior. Pretty soon she come.
You 60 with herr"
"If she'll allow me-"
''Oh, she glad to take you to church
glad to take any one. She is good She
want to make poor Pancho go, but he
NO go any more"
did you hear of the hold-up on the
Santa Maria road, PanchoY" asked the
American, casually.
At once 1t seemed that the sombrero
cast a darker shadow over Pancho's
face, while his eyes narrowed into Sits
Isl, heard Of him. They make big fuss
bout little thing. 1t was deefferent,
senor, in early days before" His in
born politeness gave him pause.
Before the gringos came" supple
mented the other, laughingly.
"Si, senor. before the gringos came,
born here, senor, feefty-seexty-se
enty years ago. My father had un ran
.cho grande near here. Every one know
el Rancho Parco. No banks those days,
senor. We keep all the money in the
casa de rancho-what you call house.
Plenty Of bandoleros then, you bet. You
not know a bandolero. You meet him
in the mountains; he take all you got;
the next day you meet him in town and
shake his hand, but you not know him."
well, Pancho, it's pretty hard to
identify him these days." watching him
closely.
"Oh, dom know, eef you smart.
What your beesiness, senor?"
The question was asked with much
apparent Indifference, but George How
ard was not deceived. Suspecting, he
saw himself suspected. Real estate"
he replied, promptly; 'I'm down here
looking up the purchase of some land"
$50" said Pancho. "And will you
buy him or-take him? Americanos get
all the land all the time. Long time ago
you come here, senor, you would come
to me to get land. 1 own all. Now all
gone, and Pancho not got five centavos.
Pancho has lost his creep. Sometimes
I geef away the land. You see where
all those houses up street stand? One
day Pancho see big black horse-the
horse do for his new saddle and silver
spurs. geef thousand acres for him.
Those houses on the ground geef
away. The rest'-with a sudden and
comprehensive sweep of the hand
fduCuO r-CODDeu VI! LOU near NE,
senor. 1 say-r-robbed! and now they
make big fuss bout poor bandolerow
Father is pitching into the kmeri-
cans, as usual, suppose" said girl
ish voice behind then5.
Both turned to look upon Helena Par
co, dark, bright-eyed, with the rose and
the olive blended in her cheek.
''To hear my father talk" she went
on, blithely, zone would think he was a
foreigner while he is an American him
self"
ISL" broke in Pancho, "un Ameri-
cano, but not"
"a gringo," interpolated Howard.
"Well, it Is foolish Of you, dear old
father, to talk SO. In a cosmopolitan
country such as ours"-and then as she
realized that her language was unin-
telligible to one of her hearers, at least
-"but, Mr.. Howard 1 must go to
church. The Mission bells are ringing
already and I am the organist. l will
be glad if you will go with me. Like
the Salvation Army lassie, want every
one to come to our hail."
The two went down the road together,
leaving Pancho meditatively smoking
his cigarette. And as he smoked he
eommuned with himself and wondered