Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-07-17
A Little Greaser
Girl
By F. A. Mitchell

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have been anywhere between fourteen
and twenty; no one could tell because
she was of the small kindl went into a
saloon in Arizona to sell some little
posies she had made Of wild flowers
for ! cent each. A cowboy named
Bucklin-a good looking chap-bought
one, for which he paid her quarter
and wouldn't take any change. Buck
lin didn't like the way she looked at
him when she thanked him. There
was something in that glance that
meant a suddenly born love The cow
boy knew something about these hot
blooded girls of the south, these greas-
ers. and didn't care to have any of
them fall in love with him. Either
the love must be returned or the man
loved was liable to have a tarantula
put in his bed or knife in his heart
or something of the kind.
After selling Bucklin the posy the
Mexican girl went up to the bar and
stood beside big fellow-Jenks, who
was about as bad a specimen as the
country produced. and the bad ones
were very bad-and asked him to buy
posy. Looking down and seeing the
girl beside him, instead of buying q
posy he gave her a cuff and. with an
oath. told her to git along" Bucklin
didn't like to interfere. for in the first
place he expected to either kill or be
killed If he did, and in the second place
he didn't wish to become the girls
champion. for If he did he might not
get rid Of her without trouble. But
there was something in him that
couldn't abide jerks act and he
sprang for him from behind and tum.
bled him on the floor. Then, holding
him down with one hand he whipped
out his gun with the other and, press.
ing 1t against his cheek. said to him:
I've done this for what you did to
the girl. Your life is mine. I'll give
1t to you If you'll agree before these
witnesses to keep the peace with me-"
The man. knowing that it was death
or consent. gave his word for peace.
There was an unwritten law In that
part of the country that applied In
such case as this. and jerks knew
that If he killed the cowboy another
cowboy or some other person would
shoot him from behind. Being re-
strained from killing the cowboy him.
self, he concocted scheme whereby
some one else would do the Job for
him. He stole horse ard. leading It
to where Bucklin was asleep alone by
campfire. picketed the animal be-
side him. Bucklin was tried by the
vigilance committee and sentenced to
be hanged. but the night before he
was to be executed the little greaser
girl collected lot of vipers Of a poi
sonous kind and. throwing them
among the guard. scattered them, thus
giving Bucklin an opportunity to light
out
But the end of the story Is not yet.
With feminine. divining powers the
greaser girl understood that jerks had
got Bucklin into. the horse stealing
trouble. One day while walking along
road she saw the body of a man ly.
ing on the ground Since there was
no hole In him she concluded he had
died a natural death. A stroke of
genius occurred to her. Taking out a
little pistol she carried in her bosom.
she fired bullet into the dead mans
brain. then took things she found in
his pockets-there was quite enough
to identify him-then awaited her op-
portunity to put them In jerks pock-
cts. Having succeeded In this. she
went of and told a citizen that she
had seen jerks murder a man and
rife his pockets.
The recipient Of this secret told 9TH
ers. and several men went to where
the body lay. then proceeded to jerks
and interviewed him. The visitors
searched his garments. and jerks was
astonished at the result
Unfortunately for jerks. every one
in that region wanted to get rid Of him.
The bullet hole in the dead mans head
did not indicate that one of jerks enor.
nous bullets had passed through it,
Dut IL was ouSSeSteu LudL ue
have screened himself by using a diff
ferent weapon. And did not the ar
ticles that had been taken from the
mans pocket prove the murder? For
1t was soon learned who the man was
and that the things belonged TO him
1t has been said that "the wish Is IA
ther to the thought" and the same per.
tains to evidence. Every one wished
jerks to be proved guilty so that he
could be got rid of. and on this ac-
count there was little trouble in con.
victing him.
Meanwhile the little greaser girl
went about selling posies, looking as
innocent as a dove. Some who had
seen the fracas in her behalf suggest
ed that she had put up job on jerks,
but the idea that such q dull child
could have invented such plan was
generally secuted. jerks sent for her
and begged her to own that she had
lied. She looked more stupid than
ever. but in her eye there was such a
spark as may be seen in the eye of a
serpent that is about to bite. jerks
tmplored her to spare him. He might
as well have prayed to wild beast of
the jungle.