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143 Tamale Ridge by: Chuck Cusimano

already surmised that we were not alone. I could tell and feel the presence of someone else. The

old man made the decision that I was no threat and called into the darkness.

“Romaldo! Entren!” Meaning for the unseen protector of this fine old man to come and join

us. A young strong looking man appeared out of no-where. He walked over to the fire and threw

a stick on it like that was his purpose for being out in the darkness. I knew better. The old man

introduced Romaldo as his youngest son and we shook hands. He turned out to be a very quiet,

serious young man. The old man, however, talked freely. He talked and talked about

everything he could think of to talk about. Finally he asked me what I was doing in Mexico.

“I came to try to reason with a very hard man to persuade him to let me have his daughters

hand in marriage.”

“And who is the man?” He asked.

“It is Francisco Guerra,” I told him.

Romaldo stood and walked back into the darkness, his mood had changed with the mention of

Francisco Guerra.

“Señor,” the old man said, “Francisco Guerra cannot give you his daughter’s hand. The

Haciendado is dead.”

“Dead!!? What happened?” I asked.

Quintana told of the ambush of Guerra and his men. The killing was being talked about for

hundreds of miles. He told of how Ramon had been missing for a while and how Ramon had

been saved by a tribe of desert Indians. He spoke of how it was being said that Ramon had

changed and become a man.

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