The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1915-06-19

TEL L4C'I tlIttt IlltS St4ttItl
A conspiracy had sprung up to get
rid Of him, to harry him out Of the
country, and behind it was Arason.
But now. with the big whistle blowing.
Aragon would have other concerns,
He had his wife and daughter. the
beautiful Gracia, to hurry TO the town,
and perhaps the thought Of being
caught and held for ransom would de-
ter him from stealing mines. So rea-
soned Bud, and. dragging a reluctant
ing in for supplies.
At the store he bought -four and cot
fee and the other things which he
needed most. AS he was passing by
the hotel Don Juan de bios halted him
for a moment, rushing out and thrust
ing bundle of letters into his hands
and hurrying back into the house, as
If fearful of being detected in such an
act of friendship.
Long before he had lost his pardner
Bud had decided that Don Juan was
trimmer. a man who tried to be all
things to all people-as a good hotel
keeper should but now he altered his
opinion little for the letters were
from Phil. He read them over in the
crowded plaza, into which the first
refugees were just beginning to pour.
and frowned as he SKINNED through
the last
or Gracia and vain protestatfons OF
devotion there was enough and to
spare, but nothing about the mine
Only in the first one, written on the
very day he had deserted, did he so
much as attempt an excuse for so pre-
cipitately abandoning their claim and
his Mexican citizenship. Phil wrote:
MY mail was being sent through head
quarters and looked over by Del Rey. 50
l knew / would never receive the papers.
even If they came. l hope you don't feel
hard about it, pardner. Kruger says to
come out right away l would have
stayed with it. but 1t wasn't any use.
And now Bud. 1 want to ask you some-
thing. When you come out. bring Gracla
with you Don't leave her at the mercy
of Del Rey. l would come myself II 1t
wasn't sure death Be quick about 1t.
The other letters were all like that,
but nothing about the mine. And yet
it was the mine that Bud was fighting
for-that they had fought for from the
first. The railroad was torn up now,
and flight with Gracia was hopeless.
but it was just as well, for he never
would abandon the Eagle Tail.
In two months, or three, when the
rebels were whipped off. his papers
might come Then he could pay his
taxes ard transfer his title and con-
slider the stealing of Gracia. But since
he had seen her and touched her hand
something held him back-a grudging
reluctance-andh he was glad that his
duty lay elsewhere. II she was his
girl now he would come down and get
her anyway.
But she was not his girl and, gazing
back grimly at the seething plaza and
the hotel that hid her from sight, he
rode somberly down the road. After
all, there was nothing to get excited
about-eyery revoltoso in the country
with four hundred soldiers to oppose
them and artillery to shell their adj
vance, it would be many long day be-
fore they took that town.
Twice already Aqua Negra had
fallen before such attacks, but now it
was protected by ride-pits and ma
chine guns set high on mud roofs. And
then there were the Yaquis, still faith
full to Madero. They alone could hold
the town. if they made up their minds
to fight So reasoned Hooker, mulling
over the news that he had heard. But
he watched the ridges warily, for the
weather was good for raiders.
A day passed, and then another. and
the big whistle blew only for the
shifts; the loneliness of the hills OPP
pressed him as he gazed out at the
auiverng heat. And then, like a toad
after a shower, Amigo came padding
into camp on the heels of thunder
storm, his sandals hung on his hip and
his big feet sQuelching through the
mud.
Across his shoulders he wore a gay
serape, woven by some patient woman
of his tribe; and in the belt beside
Buds pistol he carried heavy knife.
bIacksmithed from a ten-inch file by
some Yaqui hillman. All in all, he
was fine barbarian, but he looked
good to the lonely Bud.
lola, Amigo!" he hailed, stepping
out from the adobe house where he
had moved to avoid the rains; and
Amigo answered with his honest smile
which carried no hint Of savagery or
deceit.
Try as he would Bud could not
bring himself to think Of his Yaqui as