Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 150 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

_—— — = ——— = - Rt et Le — = — -_-~ 16 El Rubio Bravo, King of the Swordsmen. for one of the girls, if she did not object to we a ‘ He took the gl fellow’s Sunday clothes and went out into the grove, where he called: “Carmelita! come here! I have found clothes.” He was answered by a timid voice. ‘“‘Go away then, and leave them where we can find them.” ‘“* Here they are, then,” he said: and he hung them ona banana bush, and went back to his co e. Ten minutes later he was startled by a little Mexican boy, in clothes a size too large for him, who aegeero? oO him in the moonlight, r t with wtrsary 4 t made him laugh, as he recognized Pepita. But the girl was not in a laughing humor, though shecould not help that self-conscious hectoring air woman are apt to assume when ie on male attire. ‘You must, find something for Carmelita,” she said, “and while you go I will take care of poor Carlos. Much relieved to have got one girl out of an embarrassing serape, and realizing that the two would keep together as long as Charley was asleep, the Dane set off on another pilgrimage to the hut, which revealed nothing more, There was no other body there, though the — Jarocho seemed to have hada wife; for here were traces of woman’s attire in the little hut, in the shape of an Indian blanket. After satisfying himself on this point he blew out the lamp and was going out when he heard the low murmur of voices somewhere near and stood still. “If I go ou he thought, ‘‘ they will see I have been inside. IfI stay they may come to see who it is.” a ay he ost under the table, which stood in a corner and waited. Presently came gaa and a man and. woman entered the ut. CHAPTER XXTI THE JACAL. THE man who entered wasa dark-whiskered balf-breed ruffian,in the dress of a common peon, but the woman evidently belonged to the same class as the. dead jarocho ; for she wore a silk a a handsome reboso or shawl, and black satin slippers—on feet guiltless of stock- ings, but very pretty and well shaped... he had a k Gipsy face, with laughing black eyes and abundant hair. She seemed afraid as she came in and said: “For the love of Heaven, Maso, don’t take them. There will be a curse on them, He wore them last.” ‘“*T’ll take the risk of that, Juanna,” retorted the half-breed, with a coarse laugh, ‘' You didn’t want to come in when you saw the can- dle pened for fear his spirit had done it; but if I didn’t fear him alive, 1 don’t dead.” As he spoke he gave the body a contemptuous kick, and the woman uttered a slight cry: sf % do that, Maso. Remember, he was my husband this morning.” : aso uttered a foul Mexican epithet. “He wasa coward. See how easily I killed him. . Where are the clothes, Juanna?” “They were there,” she faltered, turning away her head and pointing. He uttered another oath. “They’re not there. You good-for-nothing! if you have hidden them, Ill kill you, too,” e Dane listened and understood. It was evident that the poor jarocho had been murdered by his wife’s lover, but what had pre- vented the murderer from taking the clothes before was yet a mystery. Juanna began to cry. ‘Cruel Maso! when I have given up my soul for your sake, to quarrel over a few clothes! I saw them hanging there at the very moment Se ran away, when the vaqueros came by. Jery likely they came in and stole them.” ois turned on her savagely, “You lie, you she-devil! You've hidden them. Tell me where they are, or—” A long knife gleamed in his hand as he spoke, = - woman started back to the door with a e In the same moment Olaf jum up, and sent table, lamp and all flying at Faso’ head causing the peon to utter a yell of terror and dash out, knocking down his partner in guilt, The swordmaster followed, and saw him running like a deer across the fields, while the woman senseless by the door in her terror, The Dane laughed scornfully as he looked at the fi ing half-breed. ‘ ye ° Wha a people are these Mexicans! He was not afraid of a ghost, forsooth! Then it was not fear made him run, Well, if this is what I find at the first step on Mexican soil, it must be a lively country. re isa suit of clothes for Carme if the woman was dead, but she is only in a faint. What shall I do?’ e woman began to stir, and he went into the hut, An idea had struck him, She sat up confusedly and looked round, mur- rself: : muring to herself: “Ay de mi! [ have lost my soul. What shall I do to escape hell? The padre told me that all murderers were burned forever.” Olaf spoke solemnly from the hut: “Juanna!” . She started up with a shriek. “It is his voice, his spirit. Oh, Jesu, save me! She sunk on her knees, praying fervently. ‘‘ Juanna!” he called n. ‘‘Spare me, spare me,” she wailed, “I will do penance all my life, if you will only not ne Joanna,” ted, ‘li d obey.” * Juanna,” he re , ‘listen and obey. “T will, I will.” faltered the superstitious woman, trembling. ‘‘I will do anything.” ‘“*Take off those fine clothes that you wear, the wages of sin, and put on vm your work- ing clothes. Never again should you wear finery. Your life is to be given to prayer and nance,” ‘*T will do it all,” she sobbed, and Olaf heard her, somewhat to his dismay, tearing off her clothes. Then she dashed into the hut into a corner, snatched up something, and he saw her come out into the moonlight in the simple blanket and loin-cloth of an indian woman. ‘Now go to Maso,” pursued Olaf,” and if he kills you, it will serve you right. I will wait for you in the better land. Go,” The woman slunk away, wringing her hands and moaning, and as soon as she was out of sight Olaf came out, picked up her simple dress, and carried it away to the girls in triumph. As he approached them he saw the slim figure of Carmelita slip away into the bushes, but the Mexican boy held h Aires bravely, and graciously observed, as Olaf handed him the petticoat and reboso : ‘You were meant for a soldier, colonel; you are such a good forager.” A few minutes later the whole party was re- united, and Carmelita, looking as pene ay, as & picture in the graceful dress of the jarocha, crept to her loyer’s side and whispered to him: ‘*A thousand thanks! Now I feel a lady once more; not a creature,” Olaf smiled and wondered to himself how both girls would feel, if they knew the true history of their garments. However, he left them to their blissful pet rance and went to the once more, where he piled cornstalks dry palm leaves over the body from the stores around the hut, pulled the f tenement down into a heap on the dead man, and made baa” bs really to fire the pile in the morning. After that he went to sleep by his wounded friend, Charley. CHAPTER XXII. ‘THE GOMEZ BROTHERS. THE city of Chiapas, like most Mexican towns OF BBY. Reees, Se. ees a cathedral and a plaza, course a cathedral implies a bishop, and bishops are plentiful in Mexico, with quite a sprinkling of archbishops, and all the other porns ia of an orderly and well-regulated ierarchy, The town of Chiapas is further celebrated for its chocolate, of which the ladies are so fond that they drink itin church, and poisoned the only bishop who ever dared protest against this secular anomaly in divine service. At least that is the legend, which has given rise to a Mexican proverb about “ Chiapas chocolate.” But Chiapas, for all its cathedral and choc- olate and bishop, has a bad reputation for another thing, unciamentos and revolu- tions, which it gets up on the smallest occa- sion, without reference to the central authority at the city of Mexico. Mexico, being a confederacy of States, like our own Union, has a central authority, but it is very seldom powerful enough to assert itself, and the different States of the confederacy have a fashion of getting up independent rev- olutions on their own responsibility. The latest pronunciamento at Chiapas had been issued Don Baldassare Ortega, who held the whole State, and had very strong desires to be President of Mexico itself. Don Baldassare had no trouble to raise an army, for Mexico is always full of soldiers of fortune. He was at almost as little trouble to maintain it, for Mexico is a rich country, and has stood the exactions of three centuries of robbers without collapsing. . Don Baldassare’s met of raising troops was to issue a unriamento or signe ey calling. .all t gentlemen to his standard. After he got them there, he ordered. forced EL ae the Hoare so much to each, and pai troops with the proceeds. And besides this, which was but enough to pay for horse-feed and it was well under- stood that the officers were allowed to have *onglas libres ”—nails free. Inside the town, forced’ loans, outside, the Asap presence of the sociable bandit, who asks or purses with a bow, and _ kills. the unwilling with a smile. Altogether pleasant State, Chi- apas; a pleasant land that of Mexico, and a great contrast to the wilder Central American republics, where the people are too fond of fight- ing to have much left to steal. exico being richer, the people are too fond of stealing to aight, except in a sort of half-hearted manner, as they did at Buena Vista and such battles. 3 The town of Chiapas, like most others in Mexico, has _ its walls and fortifications; and it was from the southern gate of these that a party of five gentlemen, on very bandsome orses, rode out, the evening after the destruc- tion of Ramirez and his little band by the men of the Lost City. They were all gentlemen, in the Mexican sense; that is, wore handsome purple man- gas or mantles, instead of the ordinary serape, and each man had about a thousand dollars worth of silver buttons on his jacket and trowsers. They were all dressed very near alike, with broad white hats girt with silver cords an inch thick, with tassels half a foot long. Under these broad white hats their swarthy faces and long black hair looked doubly dark, and their were set off by the black velvet jackets and calzoneros, both slashed with red or yellow silk, and loaded with silver buttons. ach man bad a voluminous silk sash of red or yellow, and a long straight saber swung at his side, though they did not seem* to be pro- vided with firearms, They were all stalwart, handsome men, very well mounted; and the same extravagance of silver, in the form of studs, was shown in their saddles and on the head-pieces of their bridles. t is hardly necessary to say that they all rode wells 96 in -cnpry en i eter oe toa e that have no roads to speak of, but sbi half their time in the saddle, As they rode out, one of the gate loungers said to another: “Tt’s easy to see where the Gomez brothers are going to-night.” _ H ush,” said his comrade; “‘ they will hear u. ‘““Not they,” retorted his friend—lowering his voice however—“‘the horses make too much clatter for us to be heard.” They watched the six horsemen till they were lost in the dust of the plain. “Our Lady dig busied travelers who are com- ing into Chiapas from the south to-night,” re- marked the first lounger. ‘* They will come in pretty light, if they come in atall,” His friend laughed. “Serve them right. They should stay home.” From the conversation of these gentlemen it was clear that the Gomez brothers, while to all appearance rich haciendados were in reality professional brigands, and this was actually the case. The fact that they could practice such a pro- fession so openly speaks volumes for the state of society in the Mexican republic. Meantime the six rode along at a canter, and the youngest brother at last, observed: ‘“*T am rather tired of this humdrum life, Jose Jesus. Here we have come out three nights running and never taken a purse.” pine “What would you have, Jose Maria?” the next man retorted, ‘‘ One cannot have luck all at Foon opto bari th third I “ Por ,” inte 1e “*T am of Jose Maria’s opinion. I am tired of Chiapas, and pro we shall go out into Gautemala again. it's a long time since we’ve heard from brother Pepe and our cousin Bragamonte, and I want to see them.” ‘‘Hear Domingo talk!” laughed the fourth. ‘‘ One would think he was afraid some disaster had happened to Pepe or Tolomeo.” “ And so I am, Martino,” answered Domingo, seriously. ‘‘ We have never before been so long without news from either. I leave it to Pe drillo if he does not agree with me.” “I certainly do,” replied Pedrillo. ‘‘ Ask Gil what he thinks,” Gil Gomez was the oldest of the brothers, a ve, ee et man, rather shorter than the rest, but heavier than any. They were all strikingly alike in face and dressed their hair and beards exactly alike. ‘“‘T am of the opinion,” he said, ‘that if we do not have some great stroke of luck to-night, we should take our mules in the morning and start for Guatemala to see our cousin Bragamonte, and firid out what is the reason he or Pepe does not come or write.” ~ ” cried Jose Maria, gayly. ‘‘ And if we have luck to-night it will put us in spirits for our journey, I vote we go anyhow.” As he spoke they neared a clump of tall organ cactus, around the foot of which the broad leaves of the maguey made a shelter fit to con- ceal man and horse. , Beyond them spread on all sides a brown dusty plain, the withered, the broad, fleshy ? ves of the cactuses flouris g. Here they dismounted, and Gil said: “Let us wait till the moon rises, If nothing COMERVOOKS: ECO ; >