Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-09-03

Z ing lQEA tMnL u was 70 take NuA-sAAA
: al Captain del Rey-but six months II
: Mexico had made him careless. and h,
half hoped the Yaqui would win.
The captain had II coming 70 hin
for his brutality. but with Aragon Il
was different-Aragon had a wife and
daughter-and. with the memory Of
Gracia in his mind. Bud sent his horse
plunging down the ridge to warn them
before IL was too late.
There we're some brush fences TO be
jumped. but Copper Bottom took them
flying, and as they cut into the river
trail he made the mud-puddles splash
Across the fields to the south Bud
could see the poems running for cover
the insurrectos must be in sight be
yond the hills.
He was going south. they were NOV
ing west, but 1t was five miles north
again to the town. Speed was what
was needed and Copper Bottom gave
his best. They dashed into Fortuna
like a whirlwind, and Hooker raised
his voice in a high yell
'Insurrectosl" he shouted. "Ladro-
mes! Pr-onto a Fortuna"
There was rush, a moments ST.
lence, and then heads appeared from
every window and women ran scream
ing with the news. Aragon came rush.
ing from the store and confronted him
angrily; then, reading conviction in
his tones, he called for horses and ran
| frantically into the house.
A shrill screech came from the hill
| side, where a serying-woman had
scampered to view the valley, and, as
she pointed her finger and screamed,
mothers laid hold OF their little ones
and started up the valley on foot.
Still the men ran about in the horse
pen and Aragon adiured his women
| folk In the house. Burning with i'm
patience, Bud spurred his way to the
corral where they were fumbling with
reata and rigging and dropped rope
on the first horse he saw. Then he
snatched a side-saddle from trem-
bling peon and slapped it on the
brute's back. Grabbing up the bride,
he led the horse back to the house and
bridled 1t while he shouted for haste
Still the women tarried, and the
sound of galloping came from the
south Then, as all seemed lost, the
Mexicans came humping out from the
stable with the family coach, Aragon
and his wife leaped in, and Gracia,
neatly attired in riding-sktrt, came
tripping down the steps.
Even in such times as these she
seemed to realize her first duty to
herself, and Hooker had to gaze for
moment before he helped hersup. She
offered her foot ans vaulted1 lightly
into the saddle; tbs zach went pound
ing on ahead; n Viii She So n
scattered beforS klIl - gal5wing the
at the side Of 3 peril N
Behind them the tsIe Eof Instant
hoofs rose UP like tndfSoaring of wa
tiers, and the shrieks Of fleeing women
echoed from the roadside, but once
safely in the canyon their lead was
never lessened and, with coach-horses
galloping and positions flashing from
both sides, the whole cavalcade swept |
into the plaza while the town of For
tuna went mad.
Already the great whistle was blow
ing hoarsely, its deep reverberations
making the air tremble as if with fear
Americans were running back and
forth, distributing arms and rushing
their women to cover; Don Juan, his
chin quiyering with excitement, was
imploring all corners to be calm; and
the Aragons, coming flying up to the
door, added the last touch to the panic
They with their eyes had seen the
rebels; they we're riding in from the
south! Other men, equally excited,
swore they were coming from the
north, and a disorderly body of So
nora miners, armed as If by magic
with guns which had long lain hidden,
banked themselves about the store and
office and clamored for more and more
cartridges. Then rip of gun-ire
echoed from across the canyon, and
the miners made rush to the attack.
The whistle which had obscured all
sound as a cloud obscures the light,
stopped suddenly in its roar, and the
crowd at the hotel became calm. The
wiry, gray-haired
little man, with decision in every
came running from his
house on the hill and ordered
all the women to take shelter there I
and take their children with them. {
So, while the rifles ratified and stray '
bullets began to knock mud from the {
walls, they went struggling up the hill, l
-ich and poor, patrician and peon, I
while the air was rent by the walls
IF the half-Indian Mexican women,
who held themselves as good as cap 6
AIRED by the .revoltosos, concerning I
whose scruples they entertained no
Illusions.
The women of the aristocracy bore I
themselves with more reserve, as be- r
lifting their birth and station, and the v
americans who gathered about them a
With their protecting rifles pretended k
hat all would be well; but in the a
minds of every one was that same G
error which found expression in the |,
'eon wall and, while scattered rebels