Evening star., 1936-03-29
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day he was climbing up into the
Mother Lode country again and al
though he was stopped from time to
time and questioned, he replied in
broken English and showed his letter
Of recommendation: with suspicion
dimmed he was permitted to pass on.
In Sawmill Flat he paused to visit
the graves Of Jesus and Rosita and
place some wild flowers upon them.
He and Juanita reined up where Bill
Warren and Johnny were sluicing
gravel from the claim Joaquin had
decided to them that day he had cast
respectability behind him forever. He
ga1ed upon these old friends and
sighed because he could not dismount
and shake their hands. He could have
killed them both and robbed theh
sluice box, for he knew that claim was
rich and the robbery might have
yielded him a few hundred dollars.
But the ancient sentiment remained
He could not harm Gringo whose
calloused hand he once had clasped in
loving friendship.
The miners were nearly all gone
from that region now; the placers
had been worked out. Presently the
claim the Warren brothers worked
would no longer yield wages, and they,
too, would seek new claim elsewhere,
or with their accumulated gold, retire
into the great interior valleys or San
Francisco and engage in some business
He dug up the gold he had cached
here and there and loaded it in can
vas bags on the pack mules: he and
Juanita moved leisurely, and no man
molested them; frequently he met men
who would have recognized him had
he remotely resembled the bold. reck-
less. dominant Joaquin of year ago.
In Sonora he found one of his old
hands tending bar in a cantina, but
did not reveal himself, for there was
still price on his head. In Murphy's
Diggings he passed another of his men
on the road and the man glanced at
him sharply and passed on. Juanita,
looking back, saw that the man had
pulled up and turned and was making
critical survey of their horses.
That was Romauldo Gonsalez," she
whispered He was not certain of our
identity. but he may be- I think he
recognized our horses"
Joaquin turned and the man
spurred rapidly away Without an in
stant's hesitation Joaquin pursued
him, overlook him and blew out the
brains Of Romauldo GonSalez. When
he rejoined Juanita. IT never trusted
that fellow. Once, in a fight near San
Juan Capistrano, you will recall, he
flew from us. A coward will betray his
own mother for S1O.000-and I am
worth much more than that now, in
view of the great credit my beloved
Three fingered Jack has conferred
upon me-"
1T is better, dear one" Juanita
agreed, TO be certain than sorry. And
We must find new horses. These we
ride are excellent, we'll bred and fast,
but-there are others. These may be
recognized"
Joaquin found two such at a ranch
when they came down through Mari
posa County and into the San Joaquin
Valley again. He laughed as he left
their old mounts in place of the stolen
horses. Il grow honest" he declared.
1t was now the middle of April, and
he had an engagement to meet Three
fingered Jack in Refugio Pass on the
1st of May. Once more he rode
down the west side of the San Joaquin,
once more he rode past the Rancho
San Luiz Rey, where he had known
his first great thrill of happiness. 1t
was fenced now; the wild, long horned
scrubby and inbred California COWS
sucked their Spring calves, and
Joaquin noted in these calves new
blood, indutiable evidence of the ef-
flciency of the hated Gringo. Verify,
the old order was passing and a sud-
den despairing feeling came to Joaquin
that soon he, too, would pass. Juanita
wept as she gazed upon the old
hacienda where she had been born,
sad scene of the vanished glory of a
day that was done.
They came at night to the entrance
to the Arroyo Cantova, but did not
enter. At dawn they rode to the top
of the ridge and, before topping the
crest, dismounted and tied their horses
in that scrubby timber. From that
vantage point Joaquin swept the hid
den valley with telescope, but moth
ing moved in it save a few grizzly
haQrC and fY,1 al IL ~,
for hours, but no smoke rose from a
campfire, so, concluding his enemies
were not there waiting for him, they
rode down and buried the gold they
had with them. With profound salts
faction Joaquin noted that his old
cache was still there.
In the afternoon they rode out of
the Arroyo Cantova because Juanita's
illusion of treachery still prevailed;
she was terrified at the thought of
spending an unnecessary moment
there. They crossed through the Coast
Range Mountains lower down and
came out in the Santa Maria Valley;
they rode down through it and the
Gaviota Pass to the coast, skirted the
coast and turned east up Refugio Pass,
arriving there on the evening OF May
l. They saw a small campfire far up
the pass, and Joaquin dismounted
and, after dark, made a careful recon-
Nuisance afoot. He found Three-fin-
gered Jack and five men he had not
previously known seated around the
campfire.
Yielding to his still strong impulse
OF admiration and loyalty, Jack so
far forgot the difference due his su-
perior officer as to embrace the latter,
nor did it occur to him as strange
that joaquin, with evident satisfac-
ton, accepted the bearlike hug.
We'll. old tom-cat,' he greeted his
lieutenant, "how fares it with thee?"
1T might fare better, but why
should one in our line of business
complain, my captain? I have gath
cred together about 5000 in $40 gold
pieces and I have few more ears"
and he pointed to half O dozen pair
being smoked on a line over the
campfire. "Also have a half -healed
Inf = d.