Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-04
Mules
COPYRIGHT BY j. b. LTPPTNCOTT 60

is he goin' down ter see I the widdcll bach
up Hogs stiff" Pete nodde again.
"I shouldn't wonder il johnson had told the
truth, after all, for this occasion only" said the
gambler. "Nou see, the widow got Carlo to say
that the man would be treated well, whoever he
was, but who he was she wouldn't tell. Said
wes co him when the time came. If the bride
groom really is johnson, that explains it all.
She knew Corlo'd never go back on his word"
'Pd rather have Carlo 60 an see the widder
than me JUS now," observed Sam. shes eau
tion to cats when her backs up. She always
gets mad when she's scared, an she's scared now
fer fair, Manuel says. She's afraid that High
ioy'll come back after her, or SEN his ghost, er
sunthin'."
"Wish he would" said Pete Sam looked a
question.
"I had a little business with him. Pete cx.
planned, about some horses"
"Horses? Eh?" chuckled Perrin maliciously.
Gone horse. No? Mare Only two legs. Amt
that right"
Pete turned His face was not good TO sec, and
his hand twitched Perrin still laughed, but the
laugh was forced. and he sdled nervousy away
until he stood behind Sam.
Here comes Carlo" he said, glad to change
the subject.
As Perrin spoke the great man appeared around
the corner of the saloon looking perplexed and
troubled He sank heavily into his hideseated
chair and mopped his face with a handkerchief
of red silk, which he took from the crown OF his
hat For some time they waited vainly for him
to speak.
"Well, was Johnson's bluff good?" asked Pete
at last. Carlo scowled and nodded
Thought sc" said Pete
Perrin buzzed with questions to which Carlo
only growled an inarticulate reply. Suddenly the
King rose, and shifting his chair so that 1t faced
Pete he sat violently down again.
"Look here" he said. "Got to swaller John
soa ,,.o ILL l,,,-o IJa told IL STRAIGHT: |
the wilder. She's tough Tell the boys, he con-
tiuued turning to the gambler Tell 'em not
to say nothing more about it to no one J. don
want to hear no more about it. y low we take
a consider" And followed by the crowd, he
went into the saloon.
On hock a short distance from the tran
stood Frog Tanks only public edifice.- 1t was
rectangular, shedlike building, with wide door
at one end The walls were boarded but for a few
feet above the ground, so that their upper parts
consisted entirely of windows separated from each
other only by the pillars which supported the
roof The inside formed single room lhey
called it the courthouse, but it served for an
state occasions Here the circuit Judge held
court and very brief his sessions were, for Frog
Tanks usually disposed Of its criminal cases by
the summary process of hanging the thieves and
warning the murderers to leave the country,
while the civil cases were generally attenueu 10
by the ltigants themselves. Here wandering
evangelist preached, and as he preached mad
been murdered. Funerals we're held here and
dances. Here the wedding was to take place.
The sudden darkness Of those latitudes had
come with sunset The night was moonless, and
the stars glowed brilliantly in their settng ot
yelvetv blue The silence seemed emphasized by
the faint sounds of revery which came from tne
distant saloon, and by the sough OF rising
wind that swept intermittently over the DESERT
Within the courthouse in the rear OF the room,
lo,ry etaoa about which some Mexican
women moved to and fro carrying smoky Ian
terms by the light of which they were giving the
finishing touches to bank OF the Wa3y, green
branches of greasewood behind the brazen cross
that stood upon high bench, draped and pressed
into service as an altar. In the dim light, near
thc altar stood the priest, the straight folds OF
his cassock merging into the darkness and deprv-
inc Of form the body it enfolded. The women
having arranged the green boughs to their liking,
the nriest surveyed the decorations critically.
0Nhen the light falls there the effect will be
GOOD" he said in Spanish, "and that IS well, for
many Of those who will be present are heretics'
1,o now. and in the space of half an hour bring
tbe woman. Manuel" he continued looking
towards the spark of cigarette which glowed
at intervals in the darkness "tell Don Carlos
that all is now prepared that the guests may
come and with them the bridegroom.
The cigarette disappeared in the direction of
the saloons: the women, with their lanterns,
str1ck OIL towards Jne house ol Cne Wluo"' Ih0
nr;est stood in the doorway watching the lights
hob away down the path The wind was blowing
gale. 1t carried some of the clay-mixed sand
of the desert came sweeping through the open
windows and blurred the lights of the retreating
lanterns Re-eptering the padre dropped the
canvas curtains which were the only means of
closing the windows, and tied the CORDS that
fastened them to the sllls.
"Now soon they will be here" he said aloud,
as a gust of wind brought distinctly the shouts
and laughter of the wedding guests, pouring out
of the saloons. Then, going to the doorless por-
tai, he dropped the curtain that closed it and
waited.
Frog Tanks filed up the path in long, thin
and his guests, thei: broad SOM
breros set well back to shield their necks from
the singing sand, which now began to fly thickly
Within the courthouse a large headlight Ian
tern hung over the door. It's brilliant beam split
the length of the room and threw semcircle
Of light upon the green-backed altar, gittering
on the cruciix and quenching the feeble light of
the two candles which burned beside it. In the