The Press., 1903-09-10
| MARIA OF, THE
sMAEEMGK.
BY ROCKWELL BROWN
cspwsoAs. Isos. BY 7. @. Mcclure

Il
Peeos BIN lay on the floor cursing
broken. arm. Downstairs In the dance
Aall musicians were twanging their
fddles. The sound came through the
boards 10 the boy. He was tall, sun
hrpwned young fellow. His blue shirt
was stained, and his boots were dusty.
Ga the floor by him was his coat rolled
ND for pillow
The door opened, and Maria came In
She was q small girl. Her eyes were nj
dark as her hair. and her skin was Of 9
Eaeh olive color. She lighted candle.
1--WE been trying to get up to see you
~ day. Bill but couldn't. Where
were yon shotT'
"In the arm" growled Pecos Bill
eand It's stiff as thunder"
Its your right one, too" said Maria
"No matter; my left's Just as good
Rut I've got to get 1t fixed somehow,
and then I've got to go away. When
that sheriff's convention finds out I'm
here the crowd IL tear the town down
10 get me-" -.
Maria barred the boys broken arm,
disclosing a round, purple wound, cut q
handage from her petticoat and bound
IL
'T don't see how q little thing like
that queered me So" said Bill. "It
made me sick all, pyer."
'sNow TX my gum" said Pecos Bill.
lie passed 1t to her. 81 suppose the
crowds all here by this time" he add
ed while he watched her, fill the cham
\ bers Of the six shooter with cartridges.
Course 'em, why couldn't they go some
place else" he growled. cit wasn't my
| fault anyway. Graham was cheating,
and he'd killed me sure IL hadn't got
the drop on him first"
Maria clicked the gun playfully.
you'd been all right eef you hadn't
| got shot," she said.
'.Guess / amt any good any more. I"
whined the boy. ''Confound those sher-
fffs. 1 wish they'd hold their conven-
tion in Jericho"
Maria left the candle on the floor and
| opened the door. The crowd in the
dance hall below was singing. There
were loud laughs and the noise of boot
ed men lining up at the bar. She crept
| down the stairs. ......
The dance hall was crowded. Dark
skinned Mexicans and gayly dressed
Mexican girls from across the river,
cowboys and gamblers danced and
chatted or patronized the games Of
chance. Three grave looking fiddlers
played on a platform. Across one side
OF the long room was the bar.
Bob Cowan, who ran the Ell Paso
Daily Maverick and was reputed to be
the best judge Of stock and liquor in
west Texas, and who was pointed out
to strangers as Eel Paso's next mayor y
bought Maria bottle of st. Louis beer,
imported at great expense, and later
danced with her, to the admiration of
all. Maria, whirling over the slippery
floor, frequently glanced at the ragged
rafters cobwebbed overhead.
"Know that fellow" asked Cowan,
pointing to tall, loose Jointed man.
Most prominent man in Texas today,
bar none. Sheriff, empire builder, he is.
Bill Sopes of San Antoine, president Of
the sheriff's convention"
Maria danced and sang and enjoyed
herself with the others until the sun
came up. She danced often with Bill
Sopes, her eyes shining, her loosened
black hair falling around her face, and
her white teeth glistenfng between her
parted lips.
who's the grip asked Scopes. loung-
ing up to Cowan.
Cowan glanced down the long room.
Maria stood binding up her hair.
''Oh," said Cowan, that's Maria;
Mexican girl She's typesetter on our
paper. Amt she Jim DandyT
'She Is" said Sopes.
At o'clock Maria climbed upon her
stool at her case In the dingy Office Of
the Maverick and began to set type
busily. She could not read English, but
she knew the alphabet.
At noon Cowan wrote the story Of
the sheriffs' convention. then In session
In Ell Paso. and dealt the takes" to Ma
ria and the other girls. Maria clicked
the type merrily until suddenly she saw
the only two printed words she knew
Pecos Bill. She found the big capital
p with haze before her eyes. Then
she found the small letters. and the big
capital B with the other small letters,
and set them up mechanically, faint
with fear. ri .s-s.
: The two words were near the end Of
the take, She finished ii, thrpsting the
remaining bits OF type savagely into
their places and clinging by. the heels
OF her slippers to the. rpng Of the stool.
Lunch time arrived. The girls fled. out,
followed by Bob Cowan, putting at q
black cigar.
Tommy remained. Tommy was fore
man. He set heads, read proof, helped
Cowan to make mp" the paper every
day, and, when the proper time came,
locked the forms and carried them to
the press on his shoulder. Maria re-
membered a report. once current, that
Tommy was In love with her. but she
had never considered him seriously.
He was always so drunk. or had just
been drunk, or was In a fair way to be-
come drunk. that she never had cared
to 30 near him 1t occurred to her that
this was an exceptional case.
She slid from the stool with the stick
Of type in her hand, lodging between
the rows OF cases, until she came to the
long, narrow shelf where were ink and
roller, and struck or a proof.
-
Tommy was setting the head for the
convention story, when Maria touched
his grimy sleeve and smiled at him.
please read this to me, Tommy" she
begged.
Tommy took the proof. His eyes
rolled wonderingly. "I want to learn
% read, and I-want you to teach me-"
she explained. His face frightened
under the ink. He gulped twice and
read:
1.-THE morning session was adjourned
at II o'clock, with twenty-six delegates
present Bill Sopes of San Antonio,
president OF the convention, made the
announcement that reward Of $500
had been offered for the arrest Of Pc
cos Bilr'-
"Dias mia" said Maria.
A.