The Washington herald., 1921-04-03

nifty OF the state. +
Two squares down the street
stood the Top Notch Saloon. Here
Buckley came upon signs of, recent
upheaval. A few curions spectators
pressed about fts front entrance,
grinding beneath their heels the
fragments of a plate glass window.
Inside, Buckley found Bud Dawson
utterly ignoring a bullet wound in
his shoulder, while he feelingly
wept at having to explain why he
failed to drop the blamed mas
| querooter" who shot him. At the
entrance of the ranger Bud turned
appealingly to him for confirmation
of the devastation he might have
dealt.
"You know. Buck, I'd "a plum got
him, first rattle. IL ia thought q
minute. Come in a-masque-rootfn'
playin' female till he got the drop,
and turned loose. never reached
fooa gun, thinkin' 1t was sure Chi
huahua Betty, or Mrs. Atwater. or
anyhow one of the Mayfeld girls
| comm a-gunnin', which they might.
liable as not. I never thought Of
that blamed Garcia until"
/ "Garciaw snapped Buckley. How
| did he get over here?"
| Buds bartender took the ranger
by the arm and led him to the side
door. There stood. a patient grey
burro cropping the grass along the
gutter, with a load Of kindling wood
tied across its back. On the ground
lay a black shawl and q voluminous
brown dress.
"Masquerootin' in them things"
called Bud, still resisting attempted
1 - IA - a..
Thought he was a lady till he give
yell and winged me-"
He went down this side street"
said 'the bartender. He was alone,
and he'll hide out till night when
his gang comes over. You ought
to find him in that Mexican lay
out below the depot. He's got .
girl down there-Pancha Sales"
How was he armedT' asked Buck
ley.
Two pearl-handled skies, and a
knife"
Keep this for me. Billy" said
the ranger. handing over his Win
chester. Quixotic, perhaps. but II
was Bob Buckley's way. Another
mainland a braver one-might have
raised a posse to accompany him.
1t was Buckley's rule to discard
all preliminary advantage.
The Mexican had left behind him
wake OF closed doors and an
empty street, but now people were
beginning to emerge from their
places of refuge with assumed un-
consciousness of anything having
happened. Many citizens who knew
the ranger pointed out to him with
alacrity the course Of Garcia's re-
treat.
AS Buckley swung along upon the
trail he felt the beginning Of the
suffocating construction about his
throat, the cold sweat under the
brim of his hat, the old. shameful,
dreaded sinking of his heart as
1t went down, down, down in his
bosom.
The morning train Of the Mex
lean Central had that day been three
hours late. thus failing to connect
with the I. & G. N. on the other
side of the river. Passengers for
Los Estados Unidos grumblingly
sought entertainment in the little
staggering mongrel town of two
nations. for, until tomorrow, nc
other train would come to rescue
lucm. OruulDiiuBly, UCOausc t"O
days later would begin the great
fair and races in San Antoine. Con-
slider that at that time San An
tone was the hub of the wheel OF
fortune. and the names of its spokes
were Cattle, Wool. Faro. Running
Horses and Ozone.
- In those times cattlemen played
at crack-loo on the sidewalks with
double-eagles, and gentlemen back
ed their conception of the fortui-
J tous card with stacks limited In
height only by the interference OF
gravity. Wherefore, thither jour-
: neyed the sewers and the reapers-
; they who stampeded the dollars. and
, they who rounded them up. Espe'
: cially did the caterers to the amuse-
, ment of the people haste to San An
= tone. Two greatest shows on earth
/ were already there, and dozens OF
J smallest ones were on the way.
: On a side track near the mean
/ little 'dobe depot stood a private
) car, left there by the Mexican train
; that morning and doomed by an
, Intellectual schedule to ignobly
await, amid squalid surroundings
+; connection with the next days reg
! ular.
. The car had been once a common
= day-eoach, but those who had sat II
> II and cringed to the conductors
r hat-band slips would never hav,
recognized 1t in its Transformation
. Paint and gliding and certain do
? mestic touches had liberated 1t from
, any suspicion of public servitude
: The whitest of lace curtains Judi
, ciously screened its windows. From
, its fore end dropped in the ,torric
: air the flag of Mexico. From 1T
rear projected the Stars and Stripes
Z and a busy stovepipe. the latter re
, inforcing in its suggestion Of Gu
!. linary comforts the general sugges
. tion Of privacy and ease. The be
. holders eye, regarding its gorgeou
sides, found interest to culminat'
!, in a single name in gold and blu
!. letters extending almost its entir
: length-a single name, the auda
! cious privilege Of royalty and ge
! MUS. Doubly. then, was this AFRO
: CANT nomenclature here justified
for the name was that of "Alvarita
Queen of the Serpent Tribe. This
) her car, was back from a triumph
. ant tour of the principal Mexican
cities. and now headed for San An
0 tonic, where, according to promis
sorry advertisement. she would ex
e hjbjt her Marvellous Dominion an
Fearless Control over Deadly an
e yenomous Serpents, Handling Then
o with Ease as They Coil and His
to the Terror of Thousands o
y lTongle-tied Tremblers"
r One hundred in the shade kept tn
8 vicinity somewhat depeopled. Thi
l<,,a rtar of fha fawn WAS a rarre