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Show -: I The Land of Broken Promises 1 g , . . By DANE COOUDGE -A Stirring Story yiaorc i? ,of the Mexican "Hidden Woftrj" I ;X IeVollXt'on "Thm Tcxican," Etc. Illustrations by Don J.Lavin i;i J ' - 1 (Oryrnbt. 1914 by titzJi A Mtm7.) SYNOPSIS. Rurl Hookor and Phil Do Lancey are forted, owlnir to a rovolutlon In Mexico, lo give up their mining claim and return lo (he Uniti il States. In the border town of Gadsden Hud meets Henry KrUKer, a wealthy miner, who makes him a proposition propo-sition to return to Mexico to acquire tillo to a very rich mine which Kruer had blown up when ho found he had been cheated out of the title by one Aragon. The Mexican subsequently spent a larKe sum in an unsuccessful attempt to relocate relo-cate tho vein and then allowed the land to revert for taxes. Hooker and Da Lan-cy Lan-cy arrive at Fortuna near where the mine, known as the Eatrlo Tall, Is located. lo-cated. They ennae the services of Cruz Mendez, who has been friendly to Kruger, lo .acquire the title for them and get a permit to do preliminary worlt. Arajron protests and accuses them of Jumping his claim. , CHAPTER VII Continued. For a minute Don Cipriano stood looking at him, his black eyes heavy with rage; then his anger seemed to Inll away from him and he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Very well," he said at last, "1 perceive per-ceive that you are a gentleman and have acted In good faith it is only that that fellow Mendez has deceived you. Let it pass, then I will not quarrel with you, my friend it is the fortune of war. But stop at my store when you go by and come and see me. H is indeed lonely here at times, and perhaps I can pass a pleasant hour with you. My name, senor, is Don Cipriano Aragon y Ti es Palacios and jours ?" He held out his hand with a little gesture. "Philip De Lancey," replied Phil, clasping the proffered hand: and with many expressions of good-will and esteem, with a touching of hats and a wiggling of fingers from the distance, they parted, in spite of Bud, the best of friends. CHAPTER VIII. There are some people in this world with whom it seems impossible to quarrel, quar-rel, notably the parents of attractive daughters. Perhaps, if Gracia Aragon had not been watching him from the window Philip De Lancey would not have been quite so cordial with her father at least, that was what Hooker thought, and he was so badly peeved at the way things bad gone that he said it, too. Then, of course, they quarreled, and, one thing leading to another, Phil told Bud he had a very low way of speaking. speak-ing. Bud replied that, whatever his deficiencies of speech might be, he was not fool enough to be drawn in by a skirt, and Phil rebuked him again. Then, with a 6cornful grunt. Bud Hooker rode on in silence and they said no more about it. It was a gay life that they led at night for the Fortuna hotel was filled with men of their kind, since all the staid married men had either moved across the line with their families or were under orders to come straight home. In the daytime the hotel was nearly deserted, for every man in town was working for the company; but in the evening, when they gathered around the massive stove, it was a merry company com-pany indeed. There were college men, full of good Btories and stories not so good, world-wanderers world-wanderers and adventurers with such tales of the East and West as never iiave been written in books. But not a eollege boy could match stories with Phil De Lancey, and few wanderers there were who could tell him anything any-thing new about Mexico. Also, when It came to popular songs, he knew both the words and the tune. So he was much in demand, and Don Juan passed many drinks across the bar because be-cause of him. t In all such festivities the two pard-ners pard-ners 6tayed together; Bud, with a broad, indulgent grin, listening to the end, and Phil, his eyes alight with liquor and good cheer, talking and laughing far into the night. Outside the winter winds were still cold and the Mexicans went wrapped to the eyebrows; but within the merry company was slow to quit, and Phil, making up for the lonely months when he had entirely lacked an audience, audi-ence, sat long in the seat of honor and was always the last to go. But on the evening after their spat Hud sat off to one side, and even Phil's sprightly and ventrlloquistic conversation conversa-tion with the-little-girl-beliind-the-door called forth only a fleeting smile. Iiud was thinking, and when engaged en-gaged in that arduous occupation even the saucy little girl behind the door could not beguile him. But, alter he had studied it all out and ccme to a definite conclusion, he aid not deliver an ultimatum. The old good-natured smile simply came back lo his rugged fate; he rolled a cigarette; cigar-ette; and then for tiie rest of the eve-I'.in-' he lay back and enjoyed the snow. Only in the morning, when they went out to the corral to get their lorscs, he carried his war-bag with ilm and, after throwing the saddle on o Copper Bottom, he did the same for heir ?jiare mount. "What are you going to pack out. lud'.''" Inquired. Phil, and Bud slapped . -., ff-voroa. bed. for an. answer. Then, with a heave, he snaked it out of the harnessroora where it had been stored and slung it deftly across the pack-saddle. "Why, what's the matter?" said De Lancey, when they were on their way; "don't you like the hotel!" "Hotel's fine," conceded Bud, "but I reckon I'd better camp out at the mine. Want to keep my eye on that Mexican of ours." "Aw, he's all right!" protested Phil. "Sure," said Bud; "I ain't afraid he'll steal something but he might take a notion to quit the country." "Why, what for?" challenged De Lancey. "He's got his wife and family here." "That's nothing to a Mexican!" countered Bud. "But I ain't figuring on the excuse he'd give that won't buy me nothing what I want to do is to keep him from going. Because if we loss that Mex now, we lose our mine." "And" "No 'and' to it," said Bud doggedly. "We ain't going to lose him." "But if we did," persisted De Lancey, Lan-cey, "why, then you think " "Your friend would get it," finished Hooker grimly. "Ah, I see," nodded De Lancey, noting the accent .on "friend." "You don't approve of my making friends with Aragon." "Oh, that's all right," shrugged the big cowboy; "it won't make no difference differ-ence now. Go ahead, if you want to." "You mean you can get along without with-out me?" "No," answered Bud, "I don't mean nothing except what I say. If you - It Was a Merry Company, Indeed. want to palaver around with Aragon, go to it. I'll round up Mendez and his family and keep 'em right there at the mine until we get them papers signed after that I don't care what happens." hap-pens." "Oh, all right," murmured De Lancey Lan-cey in a subdued tone; but if his conscience con-science smote him for the moment it did not lead to the making of any sentimental sen-timental New Year's resolutions, for he stopped when he came to the store and exchanged salutations with Aragon, Ara-gon, who was lounging expectantly before be-fore his door. "Buenos dias, Don Cipriano!" he hailed. "How are you this morning?" "Ah, good morning, Don Felipe," responded re-sponded Aragon, stepping forth from the shadow of the door. "I am very well, thank you and you?" "The same!" answered Phil, as If It were a great piece of news. "It is fine weather no?" "Yes, but a little dry!" said Aragon, and so they passed it back and forth in the accepted Spanish manner, while Bud hooked one leg over the horn of his saddle and regarded the hacienda with languid eyes. But as his gaze swept the length of the vine-covered corredor it halted for a moment and a slow smile came over his face. In the green depths of a passion-flower vine he had detected a quick, birdlike motion; and then suddenly, like a transformation 6cene, he beheld a merry face, framed and illuminated by soft, golden locks, peering peer-ing out at him from among the blossoms. blos-soms. Except for that brief smile he made no sign that he saw her, and when he looked up again the face had disappeared. Don Cipriano showed them about his mescal plant, where his men kept a continual stream of liquid fire running from the copper worm, and gave each a raw drink; but .though De Lancey gazed admiringly at the house and rraised the orange trees that hung ter the garden wall, Spanish hospitality hospi-tality could go no farther, and tho visit ei-iied in a series of adioses and much-as much-as graciases. "Quick work!" commented Phil, as they rode toward the mine; "the old man has got over his grouch." "Um." mused Bud, with a quiet, brooding smile; and the next time he n..1e if" town he looked for the masked face among the flowers and smiled ajiln. That was the way Gra-' cia Aragon affected them all. He did not point out the place to Phil, nor betray her by any sign. All he did was to glance at her once and then ride on his way, but 6omehow his heart stood still when he met her eyes, -and his days became filled with a pensive, brooding melancholy. "What the matter, Bud?" rallied Phil, after he had jollied him for a week; "you're getting mighty quiet lately. Got another hunch like that one you kad up at Agua Negra?" "Nope," grinned Bud; "but I'll tell you one thing If old Aragon don't spring something pretty soon I'm going go-ing to get uneasy. He's too dog-goncd good-natured about this." "Maybe he thinks we're 6tuck," suggested sug-gested De Lancey. "WTell, he's awful happy about something," some-thing," said Bud. "I can see by the way he droops that game eye of his and smiles that way that he knows we're working for him. If we don't get a title to this mine, every tap of work we do on it is all to the good for him, that's a cinch. So sit down now and think it out Where's the joker?" "Well," mused Phil, "the gold is here somewhere. He knows we're not fooled there. And he knows we're right after it, the way we're driving this cut in. Our permit is good he hasn't tried to buffalo Mendez and it's a cinch he can't denounce the claim himself." "Maybe he figures on letting us do all the work and pay all the denouncement denounce-ment fees and then spring something big on old One-Eye," propounded Bud. "Scare 'im up or buy 'im off, and have him transfer the title to him. That's the way he worked Kruger." "Well, say," urged Phil, "let's go ahead with our. denouncement before he starts something. Besides, the warm weather is coming on now, and if we don't get a move on we're likely to get run out by the revoltosos." "Nope," said Bud; "I don't put this into Mendez's hands until I know he's our man and if I ever do go ahead I'll keep him under my six-shooter until the last paper is signed, believe me. I know we're in bad somewhere, but hurrying up won't help none. "Now I tell you what we'll do you go to the mining agent and get copies of all our papers and send them up to that Gadsden lawyer. I'm going to go down and board with Mendez and see if I can read his heart." So they separated, and 'while Phil stayed in town to look over the records rec-ords Bud ate his beans and tortillas with the Mendez family. They were a happy little family, comfortably installed in the stone house that Mendez had built, and rapidly rap-idly getting fat on three full meals a .day. From his tent farther up the canyon Bud could look down and watch the children at play and see the comely Indian wife as she cooked by the open fire. Certainly no one could be more innocent in-nocent and contented than she was, and El Tuerto was all bows and protestations pro-testations of gratitude. And yet, you never can tell. Bud had moved out of the new house to furnish quarters for El Tuerto and had favored him in every way; but this same consideration might easily be misinterpreted, for the Mexicans are slow to understand kindness. So, while on the one hand he had treated them generously, he had always al-ways kept his distance, lest they be tempted to presume. But now, with Phil in town for a few days, he took his meals with Maria, who was too awed to say a word, and made friends with the dogs and the children. The way to the dog's heart was easy, almost direct, and he finally won the attention of little Pancho and Josefa with a well-worn Sunday supplement. This gaudy institution, with its spicy stories and startling illustrations, had penetrated even to the wilds of Sonora, and every Sunday as regularly as the paper came Bud sat down and had his laugh over the funny page. But to Pancho; who was six years old and curious, this same highly colored col-ored sheet was a mystery of mysteries, and when he saw the big American laughing he crept up and looked at it wistfully. "Mira," said Bud, laying his finger upon the smirking visage of one of the comic characters, "look, and I will tell you the story." And so, with laborious care, he translated the colored fun, while the little Mendezes squirmed with excitement excite-ment and leaped with joy. Even the simple souls of El Tuerto and Maria wer moved by the comicas, and Mendez Men-dez became so interested that he learned the words by heart, the better to explain them to others. But as for Mexican treachery, Bud. could find none of it. In fact, finding them so simple-hearted and good-natured, he became half ashamed of his early suspicions and waited for the return of Phil to explain Don Cipri-ano's Cipri-ano's complacency. But the next Sunday, as Bud lay reading in his tent, the mystery solved itself. Cruz Mendez came up from the house, hat in hand and an apologetic smile on his face, and after the customary cus-tomary roundabout remarks he asked the boss as a favor if he would lend him the page of comic pictures. "Seguro!" assented Bud, rolling over and fumbling for the funny sheet; then, failing to find it instantly, he inquired: in-quired: "-hat do you want it for?" "Ah, to show to my boy!" explained El Tuerto, his one eye lighting up with pride. "Who Pancho?" "Ah, no, senor," answered Mendez simply, "my boy in La Fortuna, the one you have not seer." Bud stopped fumbling for the paper and sat up suddenly. Mere was a new light on iheir faithful servitor, and one that might easily take away from Mb value as a dummy locator. "Oh!" he said, and then: "How many children have you. Cruz?" Cruz smiled deprecatingly, as parents par-ents will, and turned, away. "By which woman?" he inquired, and Bud became suddenly very calm, fearing fear-ing the worst. For if Cruz was not legally married to Maria, he could not transfer the mining claim. "By all of them," he said quietly. "Five in all," returned Cruz "three by Maria, as you know two by my first woman and one other. I do not count him." "Well, you one-eyed old reprobate!" muttered Bud in his throat, but he passed it off and returned smiling to the charge. "Where does your boy live now?" he asked with flattering solicitude, the better to make him talk, "and is he old enough to understand the pictures?" pic-tures?" "Ah, yes!" beamed Mendez, "he is twelve years old. He lives with his mother now and my little daughter, too. Their mamma is the woman of the mayordomo of the Senor Aragon a bad man, very ugly she is not married mar-ried to him." "But with you " suggested Bud, regarding re-garding iim with a steely stare. "Only by the judge!" exclaimed Mendez virtuously. "It was a love-match, love-match, and the priest did not come so we were married by the judge. Then this bad mayordomo stole her away from me the pig and I married mar-ried Maria instead. Maria is a good woman and I married her before the priest but I love my other children, too, even though they are not lawful." "So you married your first wife before be-fore the judge," observed Bud cynically, cynical-ly, "and this one before the priest. But how could you do that, unless you had been divorced?" "Ah, senor," protested Mendez, holding hold-ing out his hands, "you do not understand. under-stand. It is only the church that can really marry the judge does it only for the money. Maria is my true wife and we have three nice children but as I am going through La Fortuna I should like to show the picture paper to my boy." Bud regarded him in meditative silence, si-lence, then he rose up and began a determined de-termined search for the funny sheet. "All right," he said, handing it over, "and here is a panoche of sugar for your little girl the one in La Fortuna. It is nothing," he added, as Mendez began his thanks. "But oh, you marrying Mexican," he continued, relapsing into his mother tongue as El Tuerto disappeared; "you certainly have dished us right." CHAPTER IX. Not the least of the causes which have brought Mexico to the brink of the abyss is the endless quarrel between be-tween church and state, which has almost al-most destroyed the sanctity of marriage mar-riage and left, besides, a pitiful heritage her-itage of deserted women and fatherless father-less children as its toll. Many an honest laborer has peoned himself to pay the priest for his marriage, mar-riage, only to be told that it is not legal in the eyes of the law; and many another, married by the judge, has been gravely informed by the padre that the woman is only his mistress, and the children born out of wedlock. So that now, to be sure that sha is wedded, a woman must be married twice, and many a couple, on account of the prohibitive fees, are never married mar-ried at all. Cruz Mendez was no different from the men of his class, and he believed honestly that he was married to the comely Maria; but Hooker could have enlightened him on that point if he had cared to do it. Bud was playing a game, with the Eagle Tail mine for a stake; and, being be-ing experienced at poker, he stood pat and studied his hand. Without doubt Mendez had lost his usefulness as a locator of the mine, since Maria was not his legal wife and could not sign the transfer papers as such. According Accord-ing to the law of the land, the woman now living with Aragon's mayordomo was the "legitimate" wife of the contract, con-tract, and she alone could release title to the mine once Mendez denounced the claim. But Mendez had not yet denounced the claim though for a period of some thirty days yet he had the exclusive ex-clusive privilege of doing so and Bud did not intend that he should. Meanwhile they must walk softly, leaving Aragon to still hug the delusion delu-sion that he would soon, through his mayordomo. have them In hi. Pwer-and Pwer-and when the full sixty days of Crui Mendez's mining permit had expired they could locate the mine agam But how-and through whom? That was the question that Bud was study-Tng study-Tng upon when Phil rode up the trail, and inbis abstraction he barely returned re-turned his gay greeting. "Well, cheer up, old top!" cried De-Lancey. De-Lancey. throwing his bridle-reins to the ground and striding up to the tent "What ho, let down the portcullis, me lord seneschal! And cease your vain repining, Algernon-our papers are all O K and the lawyer say to go ahead. But that isn't half the news! Say we had a dance up at the hotel last night and I met " Yes sure you did," broke in Bud, "but listen to this!" And he told him of El Tuerto's matrimonial entanglements. entangle-ments. . "Why, the crooked devil!" exclaimed De Lancey, leaping up at the finish. "Oyez! Mendez!" "Don't say a word," warned Bud, springing to the tent door to Intercept him, "or you'll put us out of business! It is nothing," he continued in Spanish as Mendez came out of his house, but put Don Felipe's horse in the corral when he is cool." "Si, senor with great pleasure, smirked Mendez, running to get the horse, and after he had departed Bud turned back and shook his head. "We can't afford to quarrel with Mr. Mendez," he said; "because if Aragon ever gets hold of him we're ditched. Jest Tet everything" run on like we'd overlooked something until the sixty davs are up then, if we get away with it, we'll locate the mine ourselves." our-selves." . "Yes; but how?" "Well, they's two ways," returned Bud; "either hunt up another Mexican citizen or turn Mexican ourselves." "Turn Mexican!" shrilled Phil, and then he broke down and laughed. "Well, you're a great one, Bud," he chortled; "you sure are!" "I come down here to get this mine," said Bud laconically. "Yes, but you're a Texan or was one!" "That makes no difference," answered an-swered Bud stoutly. "The hot weather is coming on revolution is likely to begin any time and there ain't a single sin-gle Mexican we can trust. Jest one more break now and we lose out now how about it?" "Who's going to turn Mexican?" questioned De Lancey, "you or me?" "Well I will, then!" "No, you won't, either!" cried Phil, forgetting his canny shrewdness. "I'll do it myself! I'm half Mexican already, al-ready, I've been eating chili so long!" "Now here," began Bud, "listen to me. I've been thinking this over all day and you jest heard about it. The man that turns Mexican is likely to get mixed up with the authorities and have to skip the country, but the other feller is in the other way he's got to stay with the works till hell freezes over. "Now you're an engineer and you know how to open up a mine I don't. So, if you say so, I'll take out the papers pa-pers and you hold the mine or if you want to you can turn Mex." "Well," said De Lancey, his voice suddenly becoming soft and pensive, "I might as well tell you, Bud, thai I'm thinking of settling in this country, coun-try, anyway. Of course, I don't look at Aragon the way you do I think you are prejudiced and misjudge him but ever since I've known Gracia I've" "Gracia!" repeated Bud; luid then, stirred by some great and unreasoning anger, he rose up and threw down his hat pettishly. "I'd think, Phil," he muttered, "you'd be satisfied with all the other girls in the world Without " "Now here!" shouted Phil, rising as unreasoningly to his feet, "flon't you say another word against that girl, or I'll" "Shut your mouth, you little shrimp!" bellowed Bud, wheeling upon him menacingly. "You seem to think you're the only man in the world that" "Oh, slush, Bud!" cried Pnil in disgust, dis-gust, "you don't mean to tell me you're in love with Gracia too!" "Who me?" demanded Hooker, his face suddenly becoming fixed and masklike; and thsn he laughed hoarsely hoarse-ly in derision and sank down on the bed. Certainly, of the two of them, he was the more surprised at his sudden outbreak of passion; and yet when the words were spoken he was quick to know that they were true. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |