Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-07-29
reward for the service that he was 70

M ---7-7-TTT
reward for, the service that he was TO
perform. 8
But Bud and Phil were not travelling
for any particular uplift society, and
one hundred pesos was q 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. d
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 it.
Then the gentlemen appeared and
asked him many Observation-Disclosures
he was married according to Law,
whether his wife would sign the pa
pers with him, and If he believed in
q 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-to3 several imposing documents,
he was given the precious permit
Then there was another trip to the
grounds with surveyor, to make re
port that the claim was actually va
cant, and Mendez went back to his
normal duties as a. packer.
In return for this service as q dunn
my locator, and to keep him under
their eye. the Americans engaged Ell
$Tuerto. the one-eyed. to pack out q
few tools and supplies for them: and
them to keep him busy. they employed
him further to build q stone house.
All these activities were. Of course.
not lost on Don Cipriano Aragon ,
Tres Palacios;$ since. by crafty ar.
rangement Of fences. he had made 1t
impossible for anyone to reach the
lower country without passing through
the crooked street OF Old Fortuna S
During the first and the second trip
81 the strange Americans he kept
within his dignity, hoping perhaps
that they would stop at his store,
where they could be engaged In con-
yersation; 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 break
their gait, he held Qup his hand for
them to stop.
Excuse me-. gentlemen" he said,
speaking genially but with an affected
Spanish lisp, II have seen you ride
past several tmes-are you working
for the big company up at New For.
tuna? 2"
""No, SENIOR" answered De Lancey
courteously. I'VE are working for our
selves"
Good" responded Aragon with IA.
therly approval; 1T is better SO. And
are you looking at mines Z"
Eyes" said De- Lancey non-commit.
tally !; " are looking at mines !
That Is good, too" observed Ara
Eon; "and I wish you we'll, but since
you are strangers to this country and
perhaps do not know the people as
we'll as some. I desire to warn you
against that one-eyed man, Cruz Men
dez, with whom I have seen you rid
ing. He is a worthless fellow-avery
pela'o Mexican, one who has nothing
and yet he is always seeking to Inn
pose upon strangers by selling them
old mines which have no value.
Il have,no desire to speak i'll Of my:
neighbors, but since he has moved
into the brush house up the river l
have lost several fine little pigs; and
his eye, as l know. was torn from his
head as he was chasing another mans
COW. I&have not suffered him on my
ranch for years, for he is such q thief.
and yet he has the effrontery to repre-
sent himself to strangers "a q poor but
honest man. ! hope that he has not
imposed upon you Ia any wayi
NO; not at all. thank you."" respond
ed De Lancey, az Bud raised his
bride reins to 80. eve hired him
to pack out our tools and supplies and
he has donei II very reasonably. Bxt
many thanks. sir for your warning.
L H
He touched his, hat and waved his
hand Ia parting, and Bud grinned e
he settled down$to q strot.
"You can't help palavering 'em, can
you, Phil?"" he said. NC matter what
you think about ''em. you got to be
polite. haven't you? Well that's the
way you get drawn in---next time you
60 BY now the old man will pump you
,dry-you see. No, sir. the only way
to get along with these Mexicans 10
not to have q thing to do with 'em.t
No savvy-that's my motto!"
- !