Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-06-25
tiful woman in her day. with golden

: [ IL Is the old eastman ndir, and the
I. are proud OF IT, The Sonora Aragol
: married beneath her statiOn--it wa
+ in the City OF Mexico. and she did no
j know that be was an Indian-but shI
. Is a very nice lady for all that ant
? never omits to bow TO me when sh'
comes up to take the train. l remem
, Der one time"
Does Cruz Mendez work for him p
} interiected De Lancey desperately.
mo. indeed" answered Don JuaI
patiently: "he packs in wood from the
hills-but as was saying" and
failing courtesy OF the Sonora Aragon
to a gentleman whom, whatever bis
present station might be. she recog-
nized as a member of one of the oldest
families in CASTLE.
De Lancey did not press his in
quiries any further, but the next morn
ing, instead of riding back into the
hills, he and Bud turned their faces
down the canyon to seek out the elusive
Mendez. They had. of course, been
acting q part for Don Juan, since Kru-
ger had described Old Fortuna and the
Senior Aragon with great minuteness.
And now, in the guise of innocent
strangers, they rode on down the river.
past the concentration with it's multiple
tanks, its gliding tramway and noun
tains of tailings, through the village of
Indian houses stuck like dugouts
against the barren hill-then along
river bed that oozed with Stockings I'M
til they came in sight of the town.
La Fortuna was an old town. yet not
as old as it's name, since two Fortunes
before it had been washed away by
cloudbursts and replaced by newer
dwellings. The settlement itself was
some four hundred years old, dating
back to the days of the Spanish con-
quistadores, when it yielded up many
muleloads of gold.
The present town was built a little
up from the river In the lee of great
ridge of rocks thrust down from the
hill and we'll calculated to turn aside
a glut of waters. 1t was comfortable
huddle of whitewashed adobe build |
ings set on both sides of a narrow and |
irregular road-the great trail that led |
down to the hot country and was worn |
deep by the pack-trains Of centuries.
On the lower side was the ample |
store and cantina of Don Cipriano,
where the thirsty arrieros could get a
drink and buy panoche of sugar
without getting down from their
mounts. Behind the store we're the
pole corrals and adobe warehouses
and the quarters of the poems, and
across the road was the mescal still,
where, in huge copper retort and
worm, the fiery liquor was distilled
from the sugar-laden heads Of Yuccas.
This was the town, but the most i'm
portant building-set back in the
shade of mighty cottonwoods and
aloof from the road-was
he residence of Senior Aragon. 1t was
his, in fact, which held the undivided
of De Lancey as they rode
quietly through the village. for he IL
lad become accustomed from long
omething elusive, graceful and femi-
line in houses set back in garden.
Nothing stirred, however, and having
,ood reason to avoid Don Cipriano,
hey logged steadily on their way.
Some housed" observed Phil with
last hopeful look over bis shoulder.
"Uh," assented Bud, as they came
D fork in the road, Say" he con-
nued, lets turn off on this trail.
ct of burro tracks going out-eXpect Il
IS our friend, Mr.. Mendez." h
"All right" said De Lancey alb
emily; wonder where old Aragon
eeps that beautiful daughter of his
lie one Don Joo-an was telling about
ave to stop on the way back and :
ample the old mans mescal"
Nothing doing!" countered Hooker
stantly. Now you heard what l u
Id you-there's two things you leave b
one for sixty days-booze and wom- D
l. After we cinch our title you can fc
It as gay as you please"
"Oo-ee!" piped Phil, hear the boy II
XXI" But he said no more of wine ~
i'd women, for he knew how they do ~
duplicate life. w
They rode to the east now, follow II
g the long, fiat footprints of the bur 7,
s, and by all the landmarks Bud r.,
W that they we're heading straight "a
r the old Eagle Tail mine. At Old u
rtuna the river turns west and at n,
3 same time four canyons came in =,
I'm the east and south. or these II
by had taken the first to the, north u,
d it was leading them past all the NJ,
| workings that Kruger had spoken d,
out. In fact, they we're almost at ~
mine when Hooker swung down NJ,
idenly from his horse and motioned a.
il to follow. -,
There's some burros coming" he W.
d, glancing back significantly; and ~
en- the pack-train came by, each ~,
NAL piled high with broken wood
two Americans were busily tap
g away at section of country La
k. A man and boy followed be- PEI
d the animals, gazing with wonder no
the strangers, and as Phil babe WI