The Blood of the Conquerors

  CHAPTER XXXI

  The rest of the winter Ramon spent in an aimlessly pleasant way. He triedto work but without arousing in himself enough enthusiasm to insuresuccess. He played pool, gambled a little and hunted a great deal. Herelished his pleasures with the keen appetite of health and youth, butwhen they were over he felt empty-minded and restless and did not knowwhat to do about it.

  Some business came to his law office. Because of his knowledge of Spanishand of the country he was several times employed to look up titles toland, and this line of work he might have developed into a good practicehad he possessed the patience. But it was monotonous, tedious work, and itbored him. He would toil over the papers with a good will for a while, andthen a state of apathy would come over him, and like a boy in school hewould sit vaguely dreaming.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Such dull tasks took no hold upon his mind.

  He defended several Mexican criminals, and found this a more congenialform of practice, but an unremunerative one. The only case which advancedhim toward the reputation for which every young attorney strives broughthim no money at all. A young Mexican farmer of good reputation named JuanValera had been converted to the Methodist faith. Like most of the fewMexicans who are won over to Protestantism, he had brought to his newreligion a fanatical spirit, and had made enemies of the priests and ofmany of his neighbours by proselyting. Furthermore, his young and prettywife remained a Catholic, which had caused a good deal of trouble in hishouse. But the couple were really devoted and managed to compromise theirdifferences until a child was born. Then arose the question as to whetherit should be baptized a Catholic or a Methodist. The girl wanted her babyto be baptized in the Catholic faith, and was fully persuaded by thepriests that it would otherwise go to purgatory. She was backed by herfather, whose interference was resented by Juan more than anything else.He consulted the pastor of his church, a bigoted New Englander, whocounselled him on no account to yield.

  One evening when Juan was away from home, his father-in-law came to hishouse and persuaded the girl to go with him and have the child baptized inthe Catholic faith, in order that it might be saved from damnation. Afterthe ceremony they went to a picture-show by way of a celebration. WhenJuan came home he learned from the neighbours what had happened. His facebecame very pale, his lips set, and his eyes had a hot, dangerous look. Hegot out a butcher knife from the kitchen, whetted it to a good point, andwent and hid behind a big cottonwood tree near the moving-picture theatre.When his wife with the child and her father came out, he stepped up behindthe old man and drove the knife into the back of his neck to the hilt,severing the spinal column. Afterward he looked at the dead man for amoment and at his wife, sitting on the ground shrieking, then went homeand washed his hands and changed his shirt--for blood had spurted all overhim--walked to the police station and gave himself up.

  This man had no money, and it is customary in such cases for the court toappoint a lawyer to conduct the defence. Usually a young lawyer who needsa chance to show his abilities is chosen, and the honor now fell uponRamon.

  This was the first time since he had begun to study law that he had beenreally interested. He understood just how Juan Valera had felt. He calledon him in jail. Juan Valera was composed, almost apathetic. He said he waswilling to die, that he did not fear death.

  "Let them hang me," he said. "I would do the same thing again."

  Ramon studied the law of his case with exhaustive thoroughness, but thelaw did not hold out much hope for his client. It was in his plea to thejury that he made his best effort. Here again he discovered the eloquencethat he had used the summer before in Arriba County. Here he lost for amoment his sense of aimlessness, felt again the thrill of power and thejoy of struggle. He described vividly the poor Mexican's simple faith, hisabsolute devotion to it, showed that he had killed out of anall-compelling sense of right and duty. He found a good many witnesses totestify that Juan's father-in-law had hectored the young man a good deal,insulted him, intruded in his home. Half of the jurors were Mexicans. Fora while the jury was hung. But it finally brought in a verdict of murderin the first degree, which was practically inevitable. Juan accepted thiswith a shrug of his shoulders and announced himself ready to hang and meethis Methodist God. But Ramon insisted on taking an appeal. He finally gotthe sentence commuted to life imprisonment. He then felt disgusted, andwished that he had let the man hang, feeling that he would have beenbetter off dead than in the state penitentiary. But Juan's wife, whoreally loved him, came to Ramon's office and embraced his knees andlaughed and cried and swore that she would do his washing for nothing aslong as she lived. For now she could visit her husband once a month andtake him _tortillas!_ Ramon gave her ten dollars and pushed her out thedoor. He had worked hard on the case. He felt old and weary and wanted toget drunk.