The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-01-19

HONOR OF CARACAS
BY II. C. CARR.
BY 4. c. CARR.
(Copyright.)

(Copyright.)
Old Jose smoked a cigarette In his
corner.
ooh, senor," he said, times change
YER much. I was once majordomo Of
the great Garcia rancho. They had
more as million steers, and SO many
horses no man can count in a whole
year."
Where is the Garcia rancho?" I
asked.
There is no Garcia rancho" said
Jose sadly. Cali gone. Garcias is
all poor men. Old man Garcia die
pauper."
When l asked him why, Jose said,
slowly shaking his head. "Couldn' IN
derstand. Couldn' understand Ameri-
a way. He lose all"
And to explain, he related these
facts:
Pancho Warren flung his empty
purse under the faro table.
Il stake my horse" he said excited
ly-1ushed with gambling.
The American faro dealer paused
and considered the excited young half
breed.
where's the horse?" he asked.
Pancho turned very white and sprang
to his feet. you doubt me?" he
cried. The gambler merely sat toy
ing with the cards. so Pancho added
weakly: We'll, the horse he iss down
by the front of the hotel"
The gambler peered out Of the front
windows Of the old Pico House down
into the turmoil Of the plaza. as it
was in the early days of Los Angeles
young grandees with jingling spurs
and be%ll-trousers, tearing up and down
at full speed; drunken Indians sleep
ing in the cutters; cattle roaming
around, and the studded doors Of the
old mission chapel of the padres look
ing down upon the Gene.
Pancho's horse, with magnificent
silver-mounted saddle, whose tapa-
deras swept the ground, was standing
In front Of the hotel. While Pancho
was pointing him out, the faro dealer
noted where Pancho's bet lay and
quietly fixed the deck to harmonic
with the circumstances.
At the next turn of the cards,
Pancho lost his horse. Stripped clean,
he rose from his chair and cried: Il
give the name of Miguel Garcia for
n thousand pesos"
The Spanish side Of Pancho's ma
ture was immensely naughty over the
fact that he had once stood sponsor
at the baptism Of a child with the
great Miguel Garcia-which made
them compadres.
The faro dealer looked up at him
and smiled as one might at a naughty
child.
What" Pancho almost screamed.
you think I hat no influence with
Miguel Garcia!"
Half out of his senses with the gam
bling madness, Pancho rushed from
the room to the office of the hotel,
where he called for ink and paper and
without more ado wrote out a promis-
sorry note for one thousand pesos, and
unblushingly signed the name Of
Miguel Garcia. Hurrying back to the
game, he flung the paper insolently on
the table in front of the faro dealer.
Who's Miguel Garcia?" asked the
gambler coolly. glancing at the paper.
Pancho almost strangled with an
attempt to say all the words Of aston
ishment and protest at once.
you dom know Miguel Garcia?" he
squealed. almost incoherent with *
element. Miguel Garcia he has a
million-he don't know how many cat
ties he has-Madre de Dios!-he can
travel for two weeks on bees own
land-he-"
He paused, s%pluttering. Words
failed him.
The gambler prepared to turn the
next card.
You put up the dinero or you don't
play in this game" he said briefly.
But Miguel Garcia"
"T'hell with the Garciasl"
Beside himself with shame and ex-
element, Pancho snatched up the
spurned note and rushed from the
room, downstairs and out into the
street, where he swung onto the horse
he had just wagered and lost. At the
corner, where Arcadia swings into
Main street. was Cohn, the pioneer
pawnbroker.
Pancho gave Cohn the forged note
and demanded the cash. Cohn
shrugged his shoulders.
We'll, | donno," he said APOLOGIZE
cally.
you doubt Miguel Garcia?" roared
Pancho.
"No-no-no!" protested Cohn. over
awed at the great name. 81 couldn't
know yet, if l got the cash in the
SAFE"
See how much you have" ordered
Pancho. The pawnbroker hurried
over to the safe in the corner, and
stood up-red and putting.
Eight hundred pesos" he said
deprecatingly.
"All right" said Pancho with great
m~agnifcence. "You a keep the
change"
Pancho went back to the game,
where he lost the eight hundred pesos
without delay.
A day or two a~fterward, a mes
senger rode to the hacienda of the
great Garcia and gave the old man a
note. 1t was in English, and the old
hidalgo couldn't make it out very we'll.
His son Luis hati just come home
from college at Santa Clara, and old
Miguel gave him the note to read
taking great pride in Luis learning,
Lius read the note. This says,
papa, that you W Mr.. Cohn in Los
Angeles, one thousand pesos, and he
would be much obliged If you would
come and pay"
"What?" roared Miguel. 81 owe
Send one of the men for my horse.
Bring me the old dapple gray. He
has carried me through many trou-
bles."
When the vaquero came back with
the gray, old Miguel was waiting.
He had his sword-a relic of his army
days-ready to make fast to the great
silver-garnished saddle. for this was
an errand to clear his honor of an in
suit. Fearing a tragedy, Luis followed
him at a discreet distance.
The old man galloped holly to town
and rode his horse straight into the
pawnshop and banged on the counter
with his saber.
Come outl" he cried.
Cohn appeared at the inner door,
smirking and rubbing his hands.
What's this insult?" demanded old