Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-08-07

Cruz Mendez, Win MS VIE ana chill
dren and all his earthly possessions
on his burros, came h~urrying in from
he camp and told them he could serve
them no more.
ut Is my womanl" he explained;
"my Maria! All, If those revoltosos
should see Maria they would steal her
before my eyes!"
So he was given his pay and the
fifty dollars he had earned and, after
the customary "Muchas gracias," and
with the faithful Maria by his side, he
went hurrying OF to the store.
And now in crowded vehicles. with
armed men riding In front and behind,
the refugees from Moctezuma and the
hot country began to pour into town,
adding by their very haste to the panic
of all who saw them.
They we're the rich property owners
who, having been subjected to forced
contribution before, were now fleeing
at the first rumor of danger, bringing
their families with them to escape any
being held for ransom.
In half a day the big hotel presided
over by Don Juan de Dios Bracha-
monte was swarming with staring
dued families of children; and final
ly, to add eclat to the occasion and
compensate for the general confusion,
Don Cipriano Aragon y Tres Palacios
/ anne driving up to the door with his
wife and the smiling Gracia.
If she had been in any fear of cap
ture by bold marauders, Gracia Ara
gon did not show 1t now, as she sprang
lightly from the carriage and waited
upon her lady mother. Perhaps, after
q year or more of rumors and alarms,
she had come to look upon impending
revolutionary conflicts as convenient
excuses for a trip to town, a long stop
at the hotel, and even a dash to gay
Gadsden in case the rebels pressed
close.
However that may be, while Don
Juan exerted himself to procure them
a good room she endured the gaze of
the American guests with becoming
Q1dCAQ1tJ dAQ3 90 Lndb VI oOAAO NAAACe
she even ventured to look the Ameri-
cans over and make some comments
to her mother.
And then-or SO it seemed to Bud
the mother glanced up quickly and
fixed her eyes upon him. After that
the mine, and Phil said they would
stay inside for a week. But as for
Don Cipriano, when he came across
them in the crowded lobby he glared
past them with malignant insolence
and abruptly turned his back.
At La Fortuna he was the lord and
master, with power to forbid them the
place; but now once more the fortunes
of war had turned against him, and he
was forced to tolerate their presence.
The band played in the plaza that
evening, it being Thursday of the
week, and as the cornet led with La
Paloma," and the bass viol and guitars
turn / that direction, and the fear of
the raiders was stilled.
Around and around the band stand
and in and out beneath the trees the
pleasure loving maidens from down
below walked d%ecorously with their
mothers; and the little band of For
tuna Americans, to whom life for some
months had been a trife burdensome,
awoke suddenly to the beauty Of the
evening.
And among the rest of the maidens,
but far more ravishing and high-bred,
walked Gracia Aragon, at whom Bud
in particular stole many secret glances
from beneath the broad brim Of his
hat, hoping that by some luck the In
surrectos would come upon the town,
and he could defend her-he alone.
For he felt that he could do it against
any hundred Mexicans that yer
breathed.