The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 27, 1902, Page 3

THE SUNDAY CALL. It was Joaquin's u all sorts of men and projects to Brooke chose to bunt. E light, but sidered it bis business and none of Joaqul he started with Hi to shoot everyth in general, Joaquin in particular if he should choose to practice on him and Hi. They went through San Jose and down the county road toward Twelve-mile House, just this side of which there W & hive of wretched shanties, low and di- Iapidated, partly tiled and partly thatch- ed, known as Spanish Hell. This place was the resort of all the worthless and Gesperste characters in that section Brooke always avoided it at night. At the best BX dogs mobbed the passer by day, and the night output was the mob of dogs and, likely, worse. Had it been night he and Hi would have crossed Coyote Creek and picked their way along the foothills, but as it was day they kept the road. Passing a good-looking Mexican girl, Hi remarked: “A pretty neat ar-tick-le for this part of the ocuntry.” “Yes; reminds me of one I saw in 52 I'd lest a little fortune in the northern mines and gone down to Tuolumne. Stop- ping at Shew’s Flat, I heard of a man who had a market-garden for sale. It lay at the head of the trail leading to Jack- sonville. I went to look at it and bought it for $1500. It was fenced with wagon es taken from wagons which had come over the mountains—gone over their last . Two rows of tires there were, and d. You can guess or fig- it took.” rked an impatient “hint to ange his story if they were es of grou $tance from the cabin—about oup of pines fre- I went out squirrel. As I p I saw a : n up the trail woman's hair ould see that it hung K 1 pped up to the 2 e them as they f the woman was vas trying to y, till they d 1 saw that d both or- not d me ‘Buenos exchanged a few was immensely 1 and did not ask It. ind and well-appearing for a2 woman's s God ever makes a Spanish wom- an. And God knows I meant to be kind. 1 hope the poor devils knew it. I heard fterward tks* wome American miners had run a Mexican couple off a valuable gold 2, had beat the man and done ‘/\::/‘(‘ ccer ((' - A $r worse to the woman, and that some Corn- ish miners had thrashed the Americans. I've always thought I'd like to know how things turned out with the couple that was done up.” Hi said,*“Yes.” By this time they were at Twelve-mile House. They stayed here all night. In the morning they took a biind lane to the Laguha, crossed the Laguna, reach- ed the Llagas at 9, crossed that, striking a little green-aldered concluded to follow its turns. Presently Hi remarked: ‘‘Here's a nice and, tributary, bend. We'll turn in here,” for a flock of a thousand quall, out feeding, ran into the bend and on through the alders. He was an old Massachusetts stage-driver, and he drove the wagon into the alders on one side, Jeaving but a very narrow space betwees the wagon and the creek on the other, 6o that it could be approach- ed only from the direction it had come. He staked the mare out, and both men crossed the creek. They shot till Brooke's ammunition was nearly exhausted. “I'm nearly out of ammunition, Hi,” said he. “if we laave these birds they'll call, and we'll loge our day’s shooting. Take what I have left, and I'll go back to the wagon and get some more.” Brooke fired his last load and made his way across the creek and through the rs to the wagon. Scarcely had he un against the front of the > he spied the whisky flask, and reached for it. While drinking he heard the jingling of spurs, which hur- ricd hts drinking and the hiding of the flask. Looking up, he saw four men on e jaded horses inspecting him and his outfit. “Joaquin's crowd,” thought Brooke, instantly reaching for his gun, and, by instinc wering to bis t the butt of the stock that the stout fellow was Three-fingered Jack. The gang had no iong arms, but Three-fingered Jack displayed a pistol and a restlessness to use it, and kept speak- ing to his chief in Spanish, of which Brooke knew just enough to know that he was urging Joaquin to make quick work of him. -The hindmost one of the two on one horse took an easy attitude, rolled a cigarette and began to smoke it, Brooke saw this out of the corner of his eye, for he never took his gaze off Joa- quin. The daring fellow was now at- tempting for the fourth time ¢~ force his horse to take the pole. Failing, he rein- ed the horse as far back as possible, and then forced him as close to the pole as he could go, and, leaning over, he ad- “'dressed Brooke in as musical tone as ever He had accustomed himself to this posi- shooting tion in quail in England. He that he could take off the best of quin’s head at the moving of a trig- ger. Then he remembered, with a sud- e pafiinfi sickness, that the sun S ; but the long gleam on the parrel held steady. There were four against one, and the four survey .the s tween the There was no room 1 gon and the ald- ers to the right of it, but on the open side was space for one. Joaquin took it, and the muzzle of Brooke's gun followed his chin every step of the way. A stout near the foot of the wagon stud- ied the alders for himself and the way fellow Hi had set the wagon in them, and, sat- isfying himself that there was barely sufficient space for Joaquin's operations, sat and watched his chief. ‘When Joaquin reached the front of the wagon he found that the shafts were be- tween him and Brooke. He forced the horse agaigst the outer pole of the shafts, trying to ride upon Brooke. Three times he tried this, and three times the horse struck his fore feet against the pole and balked and backed. ‘ Brooke knew something of Joaquin's notables from common talk. He knew of a woman. “Buenos fo0d day. sir’j, and replied Brooke. >ronto! (“Be quick. Be rick!’) said Jack: but, lean as far for- as ever he could, Joaquin could not cffect the desired knife-pluuge, for, to fell from - the senor” dias. € “Buenos dias, seno: Pronto! Brooke's surprise, he had produced no farther-reaching weapon than a deadly looking knife about ten inches longz. Brooke pressed against the alders at hi: tack, always following Joaquin’s chin with the empty muzzle. He was possessed by that assurance of favorable outcome which sometimes revealed to men in peril; and he was saying to himself: is “Per-r-ronto!” said stout Jack savage- 1., but me ch: pa; 1 over Joaquin I— No I!" he said, using very bad very decided tenes to mean uld not. He was looking at strangely. He leaned far out to nothing for the gun. like music. He smiled. , senor?"” answered Brooke. ¢ Joaquin pulled back his h “Trebly good, Vamos, Jack.” With a partin English. Vamos, s ok her in and unfit to man at the top of her speed, they to one of the Murphy ranches, to be accurate, that of Mrs. Dan Murphj where they took four of the best hors leaving their three. Brooke found their fourth e sted and abandoned farther on. at Brooke's mare, which showed foal . . - - ol alid . Hi had got tired of waiting for ammuni- tion, and, like Three-fingered Jack, had been urging haste for some time. “Come over, Joaquin has been here,” Brooke called back, now that he was at leisure. Hi had just crossed over to his compan- ion when again came the jingling of spurs. Brooke supposed that Joaquin had heard his name called and was returning, but, Instead, four robust Americans rode Their leader was six feet on les, and his name was Love, Love. Hello, Brooke. Lere?” ‘““Hunting quail with Hi.”" Then, naturally, he talked of Joaquin. Love's posse proved to be hunting him and were all for information They had run on J gang the even- ing before, but the bandits had escaped, leaving their long arms in the hurry of getting off. Love Inquired how many there were. “Four,” answered Brooke, beginning to what are you doing eagerness aquin’s scented de ask Hi, w ed, if Brook t was true about Joaa “It's he says s stand ing by v fled at || having t - taken by When they were r s posse, Hi turned o k “I dout id the best e scent. Joaquin 3 many an- other ou trail- from somew ed us . Thar's no telling mischief may come of let em off; I know it wa ) common T son you had for lettin m oft.” fon in the tome of tence. iings happen- 1s the fellow I e were driving here wif day. I've ofte woman was his Joaquin didn't ved by a-lot he vowed . He didn’t nglishman had done him a good turn about that time. I w now that I was the one. It was all at to let him off, wasn't 1t2** “I'll stand to it,” sald Hi, th the ob- nacy of a man of principle. “Tt was & bungle, b rma de It h you." The Joke Will Turn. Chauncey M. Depew, the Senator from New York, and emens, the humorist, were ocean on the same stear g after dinner it was su. the time- honored ustom in tates, the peec ns made risti such as might from one whose writ- known under the nom de Twain. ood o ed are so 'w ne of Mark said pew “Why this fellow ought to know me. will know me."” “Can you tell me the way to the mill, senor?” asked the terrible one sweetly. Perhaps he, too, assured that the adventure would end well for him. “The road to the right, senor,” replicd Brooke, not to be outdone in courtesy. “And the road to Gilroy, senor?"” “To the left, senor.” He was “How many are you?" ~ “Three,” said Brooke, reinforcing his contingent, and, as if to support his statement, Hi was banging away like six. reflect on what the odds had been, and feeling a sense of obligation to Joaquin which ran into the conclusion that he owed him a good turn. “Which road did they take \ If Brooke said “the left” Love would catch bis preserver stealing horses at the Murphy ranch. “The mill road,” said Brooke, rendering Joaquin the return favor. Then he took out his bottle and, it being a small bot- tle, the posse took out theirs, and all passed both and drank them dry. Under this friendliness Love's detective instinct Mr. Clemens and 1 should write out oue speeches for this occasion in advance then exchange manuscripts. We haw done so, but I regret to say that I havy forgotten Mr. Clemens’ speeck,” The Senator then took his seat. Hij auditors roared in appreciation of thi Joke. | The next day an Englishman met Clemens on deck. “I say,” he remarked, “I have alway heard that Senator Depew was remar ably clever, but what wretched drivel his that was which you were obliged recite last night!" i