The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-12-09
"A Coup in Mexico
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y Jim went to the small window an(
!, looked out across the waste of SHIN
mering sand and buffalo grass. relieved
here and there by a few stunted mes
quite bushes. The heat radiated il
Q wavy zigzags, and seemed to stif1e hin
, In his cell. He longed to be on hi:
broncho Looping across the range after
the cattle, and it panied him to think
= that such a 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 trou-
! BILE with Rafe Mendoza if he did. Men
doza was 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 off
as long as she could.
Old Gonzales, an evil-looking Mexican
with one eye, regarded Jim with dis
tinct disfavor. So did his wife. They
tried in every way to show him that
his presence was unwelcome Jim saw
their game, but was unruffled by it.
He was as polite as he knew how with
Rafe Mendoza. But one night, after he
was leaving the abode of the Gonzales
a Winchester cracked from behind
clump of mesquite bushes, and bullet
clipped a 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 a
a., figure as 1.-the and graceful as that of
a tiger. Her eyes were as bright as
stars, and large and full of expression.
Her complexion was the purest 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 insist
ing. She could not forget Jim and his |
evident admiration of her. She did not
understand all he said to her, but she
understood enough to know that he low
ed her, the thought made her very,
very happy, indeed. And when Jim
went to Los Cruces he bought her a
little gold heart on a chain, to wear
about her neck. She wore it under her
1t, or her father.
She had been threatned and brow
beaten by her father since the death of
Mendoza, and she had cried her eyes
out at the thought of her testimony
hanging lei Senior jim who had been
so good to her and who had got in
trouble on her account. But, Them the
truth was, she did not see Rafe with I
the knife. He might have had it in
mis- hand as he started toward Jim, but
she did not see it.
The next day the courtroom was
Old Gonzales was there with /
Ill his relatives and friends to get re- t
,enge for the loss of a rich Son-in-law,
Who would have supported him in idle t
less the rest of his days. Rafe had z
OTIS of friends, also, who wanted to see h
he crushed gringo punished. And Inez a
vas there also, with her eyes red with
weeping. She sat in the courtroom and v
danced furtively at Jim. Once their p
axe met, and she found no anger in the
onest blue eyes. Her own fell to the
DOR. c
Jim's lawyer noticed all this. He n
new that on the facts there was no /,
over to save Jim. The girl held his t.
fe in her hands. There was no plea "
nat he could make that would excul- o.
ate the prisoner-not even temporary II
lsanity. Self-defense could not be
loaded, as there was not scintilla OF -
yidence to support it.
The minor cases were disposed of, and
lie noon hour approached. Court was
ljourned until o'clock, and it was
that the case of the State
J. James Griggs, murder, would be
ken next The sheriff led Jim to his
II, and the gang of Mexicans filed out nj
exult in the coming downfall of the
tied gringo. All except IneZ-she sat ii
the courtroom and refused refresh II
ent and repulsed her peoples ad- st
Lnces, alone in her sorrow. Il
Jim's lawyer walked over to the ca
eriff's office. OF
joe" said he, ain case I wanted to K:
We a little confab with Jim, and We're NJ
bring a couple of other parties in, Pa
would be all right, wouldn't it? No St
a little talk Kf
Sure; yes. I'm mighty sorry for Jim. Mi
8 bad case. This here country is Ks
ghty nigh gone to the dogs when a Ka
lite man gets hung for a-killin' of a Oil
easer. Next thing they'll be arrestin' Pa
for KILN coyotes. Yes, I'll let you Iol
any time that you want Ms
ssSasS ~ ~ ~ 49, 81 SaS saS 80: