“About that,” agreed Thad. “An’ when he seen us he jest stopped short, kind of scared like, an’ stood there cryin’.
“Well, sir, me an’ Bob tumbled in a holy minute that he didn’t belong there. We knowed them old Mexicans didn’t have no kid that wasn’t growed up long ago. An’ this little chap didn’t look like a Mexican youngster nohow. The old woman acted kind of rattled at us lookin’ at the kid so sharp, an’ started in tellin’ us that the muchachito was one of her grandsons. That sounded fair enough at first, but when she turned an’ yelled at the kid in Mex, givin’ him the devil for not stayin’ behind the house like she’d told him to, we seed that somethin’ was wrong. He didn’t savvy Mex no more than we do Chinee.
“While the poor little cuss was standin’ there scared stiff an’ cryin’--not knowin’ what the old woman wanted, Bob here went down on one knee an’ held out his hands invitin’ like. ‘Come here, sonny,’ says he to the kid in English, ‘come on over here an’ let’s have a look at you.’
“Well, sir, that youngster gave a funny little laugh, right out through his tears, an’ come runnin’.
“The old woman didn’t know what to do; but I was keepin’ one eye on her so she didn’t dare try to start anything much.
“Bob, he asked the youngster, ‘What’s your name, sonny?’ an’ the little feller answered back, bright as a dollar: ‘My name’s Marta.’
“‘Marta?’ says Bob, lookin’ up at me puzzled like. ‘That’s a funny name for a boy.’
“‘I ain’t no boy,’ said the kid, quick as a flash, ‘I’m a girl, I am.’”
“Yes,” continued Thad, “an’ when the old woman seen that the little gal was talkin’ to us--the old woman she didn’t savvy a word of anything but Mex, but she could tell what was goin’ on--when she see it, she jest naterally grabbed the youngster an’ yanked her into the house an’ shut the door.
“Me an’ Bob made camp not far away that night, an’ after supper, an’ it had got good an’ dark, we was settin’ by the fire talkin’ things over, when all at once we heard the sound of a wagon an’ a child screamin’--sort of choked like. You can believe we wasn’t long gettin’ to where the sound come from. Them Mexicans was lightin’ out with that little gal for across the border.
“By that time, me and my pardner was so plumb sure that there was somethin’ wrong that we didn’t waste no more strength in foolishness. We jest proceeded to give that hombre the third degree ’til he ups an’ confesses that the baby was left with them by some white folks who was on a huntin’ trip, an’ that they was only keepin’ the youngster ’til her daddy an’ mammy come back for her.
