Daily camera., 1901-07-13

THINGS undoubtedly looked squal-
ly for jim. He realized ii, as he
paced up and down the narrow cell
in the Mesquite Jail. The seedy-look-
ing young lawyer the court had APP
pointed to defend him on the charge
OF murder also told him so, and in
lieu of clearing him on the charge Of
fered to write his will for him free.
Jim mournfully declined.
~ amt got nothin' to will away" he
said. "All had was stole from me
that night when the trouble happened"
"Well, l reckon you had better pray
some, for you're about as good as q
gone goslin'. Shall l send the priest
to you?"
Nav, darn the prayin'. Is Inez
bound to swear against me"
Sure. You see, when you shot Rafe
Mendoza you shot her feller. She was
goin' to marry him, and naturally she
don't feel kindly to you. He was the
best-fxed greaser in this whole coun-
try. And you know how these greasers
are, anyway. They just naturally hate
a white man. They will make q big
fiesta of the day when you are hung.
and eat tamales and drink pulque, and
enjoy themselves hugely"
II don't mind entertainin' folks gen.
orally, but / swear l hate to do so at
the end CT rope. Wish I'd left that
girl alone"
ut would have been better for you.
That girl is the only witness agains;
you, and her testimony will hang you
sure. II she wasn't a greaser, ! might
be able to persuade her to skip out,
but nowhere amt bit of chance"
II don't see why she's SO bent on
havin' me hanged. I've been nice to
her, and she liked me. That's the
reason l had to kill Rafe Mendoza-he
was jealous as he could be. and tried
to slip knife in my ribs that night
when ] came to zee her"
"But Jim, Inez says she didn't see
him with any knife, and when they
picked him up, after you had gone out,
those greasers say he didn't even have
a pocketknife. What do you make OF
that? Inez says the first thing she
saw was you drawing your gun, and
that you proceeded to pump him full
of lead without any warning.
II know it looks bad, colonel, but
that Ereascr did certainly try to knife
I me. saw it in his hand, and it looked
as big as sword. Those friends of
his made way with the knife when
they came to pick him up
We'll, I'll see you tomorrow in
court. Your case will come the first
on the docket, and it won't take long
to hear the evidence against you.
am sorry, but can't make testimony,
and what that girl will swear will hang
you, surely. Good-by." The young
lawyer left the dreary little Jail think
ing deeply.
Jim went to the small window and
looked out across the waste of SHIN
mering sand and buffalo grass, re-
lieved here and there by few stunted
mesquite bushes. The heat radiated
in wayy zig-zags, and seemed to stife
him in his cell. He longed to be on
his broncho, Looping across the range
after the cattle, and it panied him to
think that such pleasure would never
again be his. He knew that he had
acted foolishly in going about Inez
Gonzales-he had been warned that he
would have trouble with Rafe Men
doza il he did. Mendoza wns a well-to-
do ranchero, and the favorite with
The parents of the girl. They were
urging her to marry him, but she had
been putting him of as long as she
could.
Old Gonzales, an evil-looking Mex
lean with one eye, regarded Jim with
distinct disfavor. So did his wife. They
tried in every way to show him that
his presence was unwelcome. Jim
saw their game, but was unrufiled by
It. He was as polite as he knew how to
be, and even tried to be friendly with
Rafe Mendoza. But one night after
he was leaving the adobe Of the Con
zales', Winchester cracked from be-
hind u clump of mesquite bushes, and
ball clipped n piece out Of his hat.
Then he knew that henceforth it was
war between him and Mendoza.
Inez was the prettiest girl in the
country. She was small. and had fig
ure as 1.-THE and graceful as that Of Il
tiger. Her eyes were as bright as
stars, and large, and full Of expression.
Her complexion was the purcst olive,
and she wore her great mass of hair
braided down her back. She was
young, too, and she did not like to be
forced into a marriage with Mendoza.
but her parents were insisting. She
could not forget Jim, and his evident
admiration of her. She did not 'ull-
derstand all he said to her, but she
understood enough to know that he
loved her, and the thought made her
very, very happy indeed. And when
jim went to Los Cruces, he bought
her little gold heart on chain, to
wear about her Leck. She wore it un-
der her drcss-she was afraid to let
kafe see it, or her father.
She had been threatened and brow
beaten by her father since the death
of Mendoza, and she had cried her eyes
out ut the thought OF her testimony
hanging "El Senior Jim," who had been
SO good to her, and who got in trouble
on her account. But, then, the truth
was, she did not see Rafe with the
knife. He might have had 1t in his
hand as he started to" ID Jim, but
she did not see it.
The next day the courtroom wa,
crowded. Old Gonzales was there
with all his relatives and friends te
get his revenge for the loss Of ricf
son-in-law, who would have support
ed him in idleness the rest Of his days
Rafe had lots of friends, also, who
wanted to see the cursed gringo pun
ished. And Inez was there, also, hel
eyes red with weeping. She sat in thu
courtroom and glanced furtively a
Jim. Once their gaze met, and sh'
found no anger in the honest blut