Evening star., 1936-03-15

Johnny" he cried-and at the words
Joaquin's dark head rolled a little
negatively and his eyelids fiickered
family.
Just knocked out" Johnny ex-
claimed. The brothers washed his
face and forced q small drink of
aguadiente between his puffed and
bleeding lips; presently Joaquin
sighed, opened his eyes and gazed up
at them a moment, then closed them
again.
"Tabbard, Wilson, Moody and
Clay" he murmured. -Four men.
We fought. They-ordered me to
Sonora-my friends, my friends!
Where is Rosita?"
She amt here. Joaquin. Must
have run for help"
"Ah, no. They hurt her. I saw
them kick her as she lay on the
floor. I was-helplesS-four men
too maryland was unarmed.
Please lift me up"
They sat him in a chair and
bathed his bruised and aching head
with cold water. In about 10 min
utes Joaquin pulled himself together
and stood up, clinging to Bill Warren.
He pointed toward the closed door of
the bed room and Warren assisted
him to it and opened it, while Johnny
followed with a candle. In the dim
light they saw RoSita, naked save for
a few torn strips of clothing, lying
across the bed, with her head and
arms hanging down one side. Rev.
erently Johnny lifted the poor little
body back on the bed and covered
RoSita with a blanket; Joaquin sat
down on the bed.
Give her to me, please" he whis-
pered, and Johnny placed her bruised
face to his and kissed her lips; he
laid his cheek against hers and COM
menced to murmur endearing words
in Spanish, the while he swayed to
and fro. Rosita drifted up from un-
consciousness; her eyes slowly opened
and in the dim Pickering candle light
they beamed upon Joaquin love un-
utterable after q while she whis-
pered to him in Spanish Bill and
Johnny left the room and closed the
door behind them.
What's to be done?" Johnny asked
his elder brother.
Nothing. There amt a doctor in
Sawmil Flat. If she lives-she lives
but whether she lives or dies those
four brutes signed their own death
warrants when they failed to kill
Joaquin. They must have been too
drunk to realize they hadn't done a
complete job. Johnny, they violated
her. The mad brutesl Go down town
and see if they're there, but don't say
anything to anybody"
For half an hour after Johnny left
Bill Warren sat in the little kitchen
listening to the scarcely audible mur-
mur OF Joaquin's voice in the next
room. Then, because he was a man
OF action, he entered the bed room
again. Set her down, Joaquin" he
begged. 1--WE got to see where she's
hurt. We got to do something"
He lifted q fold Of the blanket
back from Rosita's face and cried out
In horror. Her lips and chin were
scarlet with blood of a hemorrhage
from her lungs; her face was cold
and the color of old ivory; her eyes
were open but .unseeing. Bill War
rem felt for her pulse, but found it
not, so he brought tiny mirror from
the crude bureau and held it over her
lips, but even that test failed. Gently
he removed Rosita from her husbands
arms, laid her out on the bed and
composed her limbs, folded her quiet
hands over the breast where the
faithful heart never again would beat
with love and happiness: he closed
her eyes and drew the blanket UP over
her face. Joaquin stood by, turned
him and led him out into the kitchen.
Friend" he said huskily, shes
dead"
Joaquin nodded dumbly-and sud-
denly Bill Warren commenced to
weep; thereupon the dumb agony in
Joaquin's big dark eyes gave place to
wonder. "a gringo weeps for-usl"
and then the dam of his terrible grief
broke and he put his arms around
Bill Warren and laid his battered
head on the big mans shoulders and
sobbed his heart out
Johnny was unable to locate the
assailants of Joaquin and Rosita that
night; about midnight he returned
to the Murietta cabin and found his |
brother sitting outside on the porch
bench. Jesus and the old lady are
In there with Joaquin" he said, $50
I figured gringo out Of place. Wen |
go home, Johnny"
Joaquin came out and Joined them.
He was perfectly calm now; not the |
slightest remorse showed in his voice |
as he said:
"It is my duty to kill those four
men. I owe that to RoSita. You will
not talk to me. please, Of the gringo |
law"
The Warrens, by their silence, gave
the consent he demanded.
Joaquin and Jesus and his blind |
mother prepared for the grave, which |
Bill Warren and Johnny dug on a |
little knoll under q pine tree. The
brother constructed the coffin in |
which they lay her; for two nights |
they alternated on the death watch; |
on their broad shoulders she was car |
ried to the grave and consigned to |
the soil Of her adopted land without |
bell or book.
At that simple, lonely funeral |
Joaquin gave no evidence OF grief,