Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1940-11-07
CHAPTER XV-Continued


between them that only they under
stood.
The three rode together. AS they
approached the river Carmen point
ed. ''Do you see those two cabins
across the Melena?"
Bowie looked. II do see them.
What are they?"
1.-TWO unlimited neighbors of ours
-Americanos, who have settled
there"
"But that is on the rancho"
''They seem to think our rancho
is theirs. They are what you call
squatters."
"They should be driven off. Does
Don Ramon know"
''He has been across there to see
them. One of them is your old
friend, Captain Blood. He pointed a
rifle at Don Ramon and told him to
get off his property or he would
shoot him. And said, incidentally,
there were too many greasers in
this country, anyway"
Carmen spoke in the calm tone
most calculated to arouse the anger
of an honest man.
Bowie exploded. He swore saw
agely in English.
81 don't understand, said Car
men innocently, though she had
pretty correct idea of his language.
eff Don Ramon allowed that ;"
blurted out Bowie.
'He was unarmed. And he didn't
want to get killed."
"But somebody's got to do some
thing. These scoundrels will COB
BILE the whole rancho piecemeal."
Carmen sighed. 'Discouraging for
the poor Spaniards," she said re-
signedly. "But the good God will
do something for us. We are 60
ing too far, senior; let's turn this way
to the valley. Does Guadalupe look
very different to you from what it
used to?"
At dinner the talk turned on the
squatter problem already seriously
agitating the owners of the ranches
about the bay region. The scum
of camp followers, always ready to
move and emboldened by Fremont's
invasion, had spread over the land
like noxious insects, devouring all
in their path.
But Garments heart was set on
the merienda, for the success of
which she was accountable, and
next morning she had long list of
things to be done in making ready
for the picnic. Bowie was called on
to such an extent that more So
phisticated man might have suspect
ed she had sent for him chiefly to
help her. The Texan, however, en-
joyed his work hugely and, having
wrung from Don Ramon the privi-
1ege of supplying the wine, made
a trip to Monterey for some import
ed vintages and for those delicacies
procurable only along the shipping
front.
Carmen was startled next day
when two carretas were unloaded at
the ranch house. Certainly" she
said as she stood with Dona Maria
and Bowie, watching the servants
carry in supplies, "you Americanos
are wonderful
"But please remember, senorita,
am not an Americana. I am a
Tejano. You said the merienda
would last three days. And there
will be some good eaters among our
guests. There won't be much of all
these things left to carry home"
1t is sometimes more fun to get
ready for a trip than to make the
trip. Carmen, with her assistants,
had capital time getting ready for
her picnic. The weather favored
her, and the party set out from the
rancho in high spirits; indeed, with
the family, the servants and the
vaqueros loaded with hampers, and
the two carretas, the string of
horses and riders looked like cav
alcade. It was led by Senorita Car
men, attended this time by Bowie.
AS was BETTING, they were early
on the ground-among the first
and busy morning went to max
ing all ready and greeting new ar
rivals. Following the annual Gus
tom, the first dinner late in the day
was a gala affair before settling
down, ostensibly at least, to the
work of gathering strawberries.
Don Ramon presided at the first
table with his Dona and Senorita
as hostesses. Henry Bowie and a
few special guests sat with them.
The dinner was featured by game
provided by Guadalupe vaqueros.
Bowie complimented the hostess on
it's variety.
81 was lucky" she confessed to
him in an aside. "Sanchez brought
in practically all of 1.-THE venison
and elk and the quail and pigeons
all in two days. Sanchez is the best
hunter on the rancho"
Carmen was walking on air. Her
face reflected every emotion hap
py hour could awaken: low bubbling
laughter; natural color deepened by
pleasure and excitement; quips and
retorts rolling from ready tongue;
teeth and eyes that flashed together.
And when the wines were served,
her guests at the tables under the
trees sang with extraordinary fervor
drinking song punctuated by the