The Huttig news., 1914-07-25

Quick work!" commented Phil as they rode toward the mine; the old man has got over his grouch." "Um," unused Bud, with a quiet, breeding smile; and the next time he rode into town he looked for the masked face among the flowers and emiled again. That was the way Gra- cia Aragon affected them all.
 He did not point out the place to Phil, nor betray her by any sign. Al he did was to glance at her once and then rioe on his way. but somehow his heart stood still when he met her eyes, and his days became filled with pensive, breeding melancholy.
 What the matter. Bud?" rallied Phil, after he had jollied him for a week; you're getting mighty quiet lately. Got another hunch-like that one you had up at Agua Negra?"
 Nope" grinned Bud; but I'll tell you one thing-if old Aragon don't spring something pretty soon I'm go- ing to get uneasy. He's too Gog-goned good-natured about this"
 Maybe he thinks we're stuck" sug- gested De Lancey
 Well, he's awful happy about some thing" said Bud. "I can see by the way he droops that game eye of his and smiles that way-that he knows we're working for him. If we don get title to this mine, every tap of work we do on it is all to the good for him, that's cinch. So sit down now and think it out-where's the joker?"
 Well" unused Phil, "the gold is here somewhere. He knows we're not fooled there. And he knows we're right after 1t, the way we're driving this cut in. Our permit is good--ht l hasn't tried to buffalo Mendez-and l it's cinch he can't denounce the claim himseIf."
 Maybe he figures on letting us do all the work and pay all the denounce- ment fees and then spring something big on old One-Eye,' propounded Bud. Scare in up or buy i'm off, and have him transfer the title to him. That's the way he worked Kruger"
 Well, say" urged Phil, Tets go ahead with our Announcement before he starts something. Besides, the warm weather is coming on now, and if we don't get move on we're likely 70 get run out by the revoltosos."
 Nope" said Bud; q don't put this into Mendez's hands until know he's eur man-and if ever do go ahead I'll leep him under my six-shooter until he last paper is signed. believe me. ! know we're In bad somewhere, but hurrying up won't help none.
 Now 1 tell you what we'll do-you go to the mining agent and get copies of all our papers and send them up to that Gadsden lawyer. I'm going to go down and board with Mendez and see if I can read his heart"
 So they separated. and while Phil stayed in town to look over the rec o,ds Bud ate his beans and tortillas with the Mendez family.
 They were a happy little family comfortably installed in the stone house that Mendez had built, and rap idly getting fat on three full meals a day. From his tent farther up the canyon Bud could look down and watch the children at play and see the comedy Indian wife as she cooked by the open fire.
 Certainly no one could be more in- nocent and contented than she was, and Fl Tuerto was all bows and pro- testatiors of gratitude. And yet, you never can tell.
 Bud had moved out of the new house to furnish quarters for El Tuerto and had favored him in every way; but this same consideration might easily be misinterpreted, for the Mexicans are slow to understand kindness.
 So, while on the one hand he had treated them generously, he had all ways kept his distance, lest they be tempted to presume. But now, with Phil in town for a few days, he took his meals with Maria, who was too awed to say word, and made friends with the dogs and the children.
 The way to the dogs heart was easy, almost direct, and he finally won the attention of little Rancho and Josefa with well-worn Sunday supplement- This gaudy institution, with its spicy stories and startling illustrations, had penetrated even to the wilds of Sonora, and every Sunday as regularly as the paper came Bud sat down and had his laugh over the funny page.
 But to Pancho, who was six years old and curious, this same highly col ored sheet was a mystery of mysteries, and when he saw the big American laughing he crept up and looked at 1t