Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1940-10-24
CHAPTER XIV

CHAPTER XIV
The surgeon logged back to Mon
terey, feeling somewhat guilty about
his breach of confidence. He busted
himself framing a story to break
Bowels anger.
He reached home late; so late he
thought there would be no danger Of
facing the Texan before morning.
Yet within ten minutes after he had
lighted his lamp in his bedroom adj
joining the office there came a tap
ping on his window.
Henry" he protested after he
had carried the lamp into the office
and let in the Texan, 81 didn't ex-
pect to see you before morning. You
don't sit up all night, do your"
GLOW did you find things at the
rancho?"
The doctor shook his head doubt
fully. "Not very bright, Henry"
"Has Don Ramon got the small
pox?"
''He has motifs chicken pox, but
mes pretty SICK With 1t.
''How is Dona Maria?"
worried to death but not sick"
Doane was amused at the way the
questions came, slowly and covering
one person at time.
"Senorita well?"
"Seems to be, yes. She is looking
a little peaked. I vaccinated every
body on the ranch, from the soul
lions up. What's the news with
your"
'I'm tied up here for few days.
Spear sent man down to say he
had to 60 to Santa Barbara again
and wouldn't be back till the end of
the week."
"All right, camp here with me.
There's an extra cot in the bed
ROOM"
elbow are the vaqueros?"
Eat Guadalupe? Pedro is foreman
with Sanchez for a second"
"What about the stock?"
whats left is all right. / told
you everybody's stealing it. Let's
60 to bed"
"There was big bunch of cattle
there when I left"
"What the gringos leave, the Mex
leans help themselves to-it's too
bad, isn't it?"
The doctor shot the question to
catch him unprepared and sue
ceeded.
"You see," Doane ran on as he
turned out the light, II like those
folks. To me, they're the very pic
ture at Guadalupe of the splendid
Spanish tradition that came to the
New World from the Old. Ever been
in Spain, Bowie?"
There was no answer in the dark.
But moment later the doctor, lis
tening in the dark, heard calm but
distinct question not to his liking.
"Did you say anything about my be-
ing here?"
Doane, in turn, took his moment
before answering. 81 was hoping
you wouldn't ask that; tonight, any
way. Well, told nobody but Dona
Maria and cautioned her against
telling any of the rest of the family.
Pm dead tired, Henry; I'll tell you
more about it in the morning."
eff you had seen her face light up
when I told her you were here you'd
have forgiven me for breaking con-
fidence-you would, indeed" contin-
ued the doctor at breakfast in the
morning. "She thinks lot of you
in fact, everybody does at Guada-
lupe. The first question Sanchez
asked was whether I had ever heard
anything of you"
Bowie offered no comment on any,
thing. The doctor thought he was
deeply offended but made up his
mind it was better not to pay any
attention to his mood. After dinner
Bowie asked the doctor to lend him
fifty dollars.
And the surgeon was surprised in
the afternoon by the appearance in
the street before the office of two
pack mules with loaded hampers.
Two Mexicans rode up soon, and
one of them, knocking at the office
door, asked for Senior Bowie. Bowie
himself appeared within few min
utes, casual as usual. He asked
the doctor for paper and pen, wrote
short note, addressed it to Dona
Maria and handed it to one of the
Mexicans and babe him and his
companion be on their way. He
then asked the doctor to lend him
one hundred dollars more. Taking
the gold without comment, except
brief Nfhank VOL ~ Rnluin cfarfad