Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-09-11
CHAPTER vi.

Boston who would consider the whip
saving of Cruz Mendez a very repre-
hensible act. And one hundred dol
lars Mex was certainly a very small
reward for the service that he was TO
perform.
But Bud and Phil were not travelling
for any particular uplift society, and
one hundred pesos was a lot OF money
to Cruz Mendez. More than that, II
they had offered him a thousand dol.
lars for the same service he would
have got avaricious and demanded ten
thousand.
He came to the hotel very early the
next morning and fingered around an
hour or so, waiting for the American
gentleman to arise and tell him his
fate. A hundred dollars would buy
everything that he could think Of. In
Guiding a quantity Of mescal. HIS
throat dried at the thought Of 1t.
Then the gentlemen appeared and
asked him many questions-whether
he was married according to law,
whether his wife would sign the pa
pers with him, and If he believed in
a hereafter for those who played false
with Americans. Having answered all
these in the affirmative, he was taken
to the agente mineral, and, after sign.
ing his name-his one feat In penman-
ship-to several imposing documents,
he was given the precious permit.
Then there was another trip to the
grounds with a surveyor, to make re-
port that the claim was actually va.
cant, and Mendez went back to bis
normal duties as a packer.
In return for this service as a dunn
my locator, and to keep him under
their eye, the Americans engaged Ell
Tuerto, the %one-eyed. to pack out a
few tools and supplies for them; and
then, to keep him busy, they employed
him further to build a stone house.
All these activities were, Of course,
not lost on Don Cipriano Aragon y
Tres Palacios, since, by a crafty ar
rangement of fences, he had made It
impossible for anyone to reach the
lower country without passing through
the crooked street of Old Fortuna.
During the first and the second trip
Of the strange Americans he kept
within his dignity, hoping perhaps
that they would stop at his store,
where they could be engaged In con
versation; but upon their return from
a third trip, after Cruz Mendez had
gone through with their supplies, he
cast his proud Spanish reserve to the
winds and waylaid them on the street
"Buenas tardes, senores," he salut
ed, as they rode past his store, and
then, seeing that they did not breal
their gait, he held up his hand fol
them to stop.
Excuse me, gentlemen" he said
speaking genially but with an affected
Spanish lisp, Il have seen you ride
past several times-are you workinl
for the big company up at New For
tuna?"
mo, senor," answered De Lancey
c~ourteously. I'VE are working for our
selves"
Good" responded Aragon with ia
. therly approval; 1T is better 80. Ant
/ are you looking at mlnes?"
YES" said De Lancey non-commit
tally; I'VE are looking at mines"
That is good, too" observed Ara
! gon; land l wish you we'll, but sine
you are strangers to this country an,
3 perhaps do not know the people a
we'll as some, l desire to warn yol
against that one-eyed man, Cruz Mer
DEE, with whom | have seer you rt
ing. He Is a worthless fellow-a YER
pela'o Mexican, one who has nothing
and yet he is always seeking to in
s pose upon strangers by selling ther
Y old mines which have 40 value.
O Il have no desire to speak i'll of m
z n%eighbors, but since he has move
h into the brush house up the river
v, have lost several fine little pigs: an
his eye. as | know, was torn from hi
head as he was chasing another man
IS COW. | have not suffered him on m
ranch for years, for he is such a THE
and yet he has the effrontery to repr
is sent himself to strangers as a Door b,
?" honest man, | hope that he has M
imposed upon you in any way ?"
No; not at all, thank YOU" respon
d, ed De Lancey, as Bud raised h
ap bride reins to go. we hired hi
to to pack out our tools and supplies ar
he has done it very reasonably. B,
at many thanks, sir, for you warnin
a. Adios!"
lie touched his hat and waved h
w hand In parting, and Bud grinned
II he settled down to a trot.
gu You can't help p~alavering EN-, G.
nit YOU, Phil?" he said, NO matter VIII
nd you think about EN-, you got to .
polite, haven't you? Well, that's d
ne Wy you get drawn in-next time v,
.ol. go by now the old man will pump "
dry-you see, No, sir, the only W
e1, TO get along with these Mexicans
not to have a thing to do with "a
81" No savvy-that's my mottp!"
be Well muehas gracias' Is NINE"