Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-08-29

this cut in Our permit Is gOOd-ha
hasn't tried to buffalo Meudez-ond
it's a cinch he cant deuounce the
claim himself"
Maybe he figures on letting us do
all the work and pay all the d.uounce-
meut fees and then spring something
big on old One-Eye," propouudcd Hud
Scare i'm mp or buy i'm off, aud have
him transfer the tile 90 him. That's
the way he worked EruraA"
We'll. say urged Phil. lets 20
ahead with our deuouucpua-t before
be starts sometime. Besides. the
warm weather is coming on now. and
if We don't get move ON we're likely
10 get run out by Tho r,valtu.n-."
Nope said Bud. 81 don't ugt this
into Aendez's hands until know hes
our maH-aud il ever DO ro ahead IU
keep him under my siEslpu.rr until
the last paper is signed. l,urv. me {
hlo" We're in bad Somewhere. but
hurrying up won't help none.
Now / tell you What well do-sou
go to the mining agent and get copies
Of all oar papers and send them up to-
that GadsCeH lawyer I'm g1u- 90 20
down and board with NaudrZ and see
If ] can read his heart"
So they separated. and while Phil
stayed in town TO look over the rec
ords Bud ate his beans and tortiIlas
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 fun meals a
day. From his tent farther up the
canyon Bud could look down and
watch the children at play and see the
cOmely 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
testations of gratitude And yet, you
never can tell
Bud had moved out of the new house
to furnish quarters for FL 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 al
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 Pancho and Josefa
with a well-worn Sunday supplement.
This gaudy institution, with its spicy
stories and startling illustrations, had
penetrated even to the wids 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 it
wistfully.
Mira, said Bud, laying his finger
upon the Sinking visage of one of the
comic characters, look, and will tell
you the story"
And so, with laborious care. he
translated the colored fun. while the
little Mendezes squirmed with excite
ment and leaped with JOY. Even the
simple souls of Eel Tuerto and Maria
wer moved by the comicas, and Men
dez became so interested that he
learned the words by heart, the better
to explain them to others.
But as for Mexican treachery, Bud
could find none of It, In fact, finding
them so simple-hearted and gcod-na-
tured, he became half ashamed Of his
early suspicious and waited for the
return of Phil to explain Don Cipri-
amos complacency.
But the next Sunday, as Bud lay
reading in his tent, the mystery solved
itself. Cruz Mendez came up from the
house, hat in hand and an apologize
smile on his face, and after the GUS
tomary roundabout remarks he asked
the boss as a favor If he would lend
him the page of comic pictures.
"Seguro!" assented Bud. rolling over
and fumbling for the funny sheet;
then, failing to find 1t Instantly, he in
quired: What do you want it for?"
"Ah IN show to nv howl" pXDlainad