Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-07-23

favored the occupants of the adjoining
apartments with an aria from Beau
tiful DOLL
But for all such nights of romance
and music there is always morning
afterward; and fine tenor voice set
to ragtime never helped much in the
development of a mine. Though Bud
had remained Loyalty by his friend in
his evening serenade he, for one, never
forgot for a moment that they were
in Fortuna to work the Eagle Tail
and not to win the hearts of Spanish
Mexican senoritas, no matter how at
tractiye they might be.
Bud was a practical man who, if he
ever made love, would doubtless do
it in aAperfectly businesslike way,
WITHOUT ring any string bands. But
Ut iTTe Anne time he was willing to
make some concessions.
well, go ahead and get your sleep,
then" he growled, after trying three
times in the morning to get his pard-
ner up; I'm going out to the mine"
Then, with a saddle-gun under his
knee and his six-shooter hung at hlSs
hip, he rode rapidly down the road,
turning out from time to time to let
long cavalcades of mules string by.
The dead-eyed arrieros, each with his
combined ) mule-blind and whiplash
swinging free, seemed to have very
little on their minds but their pack
lashings, and yet they must be three
days out from Moctezuma.
Their mules, too, were we'll loaded
with the products of the hot country
-fanegas of corn in red leather sacks,
oranges and fruits in handmade
crates, panoches of sugar in balanced
frames, long joints of sugar-cane for
the dulce pedlers, and nothing to indi-
cate either haste or fight.
Three times he let long pack-trains
go by without word, and then at last,
overcome by curiosity, he inquired
about the revoltosos.
What revoltosos?" queried the old
man to whom he spoke.
Why, the men of Bernardo Bravo"
answered Bud; the men who are
marching to take Moctezuma."
When | left Moctezuma," returned
the old man politely, "all was quiet
there were no revoltoeos. Since then,
/ cannot say"
But the soldiers!" cried Bud.
Surely you saw them! They were
marching to fight the rebels"
Perhaps So" shrugged the arriero,
laying the lash of his topojo across
the rump of mule; "but | know moth
ing about It."
NO" muttered Bud, as he continued
on his way; land I'll bet nobody else
does"
Inquiry showed that in this, too, he
was correct. From those who Travelled
fast and from those who travelled slow
he received the same wondering an
swer--the country might be filled with
revoltosos; but, as for them, they
knew nothing about 1t.
Not until he got back to Fortuna
and the busy federal telegraph wire
did he hear any more news Of rapine
and bloodshed, and the light which
dawned upon him then was gradually
dawning upon the whole town.
It was a false alarm, given out for
purposes of state and the higher poll
tics" with which Mexico is cursed, and
the most that was ever seen Of Ber-
nardo Bravo and his lawless men was
twenty miserable creatures, half
starved, but with guns in their hands,
who had come down out of the noun
tains east Of Moctezuma and killed a
few cows for beef.
Thoroughly disguised, and yet
vaguely alarmed at this bit of opera
bouffe warfare, Bud set himself reso-
lutely to work to hunt up men for
their mine. and, as many poor people
were out of employment because OF