"It"s all new to me, but I"m with you," answered Pearl.
"Sure, honey, that"s the way--get all you can--you can"t never have too much."
The rebels were throwing their hats in the air, shouting at their victory, with only one thought in their minds--to do all the looting possible, and drinking as well. They started with the nearest bar, the girls in their midst, singing, laughing, and looking forward to a hilarious time. They didn"t wait to open the bottles of champagne--they broke the necks off and poured it over each other--they were wet from the river, so why not be wet with liquor.
The Federals of Mexico were taken to Fort Bliss and quartered until they could be sent back to Mexico--they weren"t prisoners--they were more refugees than anything else.
The rest of the day and night was spent in drinking, dancing, singing and general hilarity. Juarez was never more gay or wild--looting was indulged in--in a big way; every safe was opened. The rebels needed gold, and American money, whether paper or silver, was gold to them--the girls getting their share of the loot.
"I"ve stood about all of this I can," said Pearl, as she tried to get up from the table.
"Do you want to go home, honey?" asked Evelyn.
"Home or anywhere, but I"ve got to come out of this--I"ve been drinking too much--I"ll go nuts if I don"t get out of it for a while."
"O. K. dear, I"ll take you home," said Evelyn, staggering to her feet.
"Do you think you can manage it all right without me?" asked Mickey.
"Sure--I can get Pearl home all right, but ain"t you had enough yet?"
"I"ve had plenty to drink, but I haven"t got all the money I can use yet."
"Well, how much have you got?" asked Evelyn.
"I don"t know, but I"ve sure been going through these lice. I"ve got as much as I dare put in my stockings, and I got wads in my waist, and some pinned in my step-ins."
"Well, we"ll be seeing you,--come on, Pearl--give me your arm--we"ll make it some-how," as they staggered toward the door.
"Do you think we will have to wade that d.a.m.ned river again?" asked Pearl.
"I hope not--we"ll go to the gates, and I"ll try and argue those guys to let a couple of ladies through."
Once again the two staggered toward the International Bridge. The streets were deserted, not a person was to be seen, only a small group around the foot of the bridge. Day was just beginning to break over the horizon.
"Where are you Senoritas going?" asked one of the Mexicans.
"Home," said Evelyn.
"I"m veer sorry, Senorita, but the Americans will not let you through the gates."
"Well, we will see about that," as they neared the huge wire gates.
"Hey--you--how"s to let a couple of ladies through--we want to get home."
"Sorry, sister, we got orders to open these gates to no one," came the answer.
"Well, you got a h.e.l.l of a nerve--we"re American citizens, and I demand that you let us through."
"Sorry, sister--but orders is orders."
"Well, you louse, do you mean to tell us you are going to make us wade that river again today?"
"If you want to get to the American side, you"ll have to wade it."
"That"s our good Americans for you," said Evelyn in disgust. "I"m d.a.m.ned if I know which is the worst, these G.o.dd.a.m.n Mexicans or that lousy American sc.u.m that tries to be so d.a.m.n important."
"Come on, Ev--we"ve waded it before--we might as well do it again--at that the cold water may wake us up."
They walked back to the Mexican foot of the bridge, and over the levee, holding to each other once more as they started again through the chill waters of the Rio Grande.
"Halt--who goes there?" came the challenge from the U. S. side, as they neared the bank.
"Who the h.e.l.l do you think?" asked Evelyn, as they climbed out of the water.
"Say, woman--ain"t you got any more sense than to come across that river that way? We will have to hold you now for investigation."
"Oh, yeah? Brother, that"s just too bad--we asked you to open those gates, and let us through, and you wouldn"t do it, now if you want to really start some trouble, just try and hold us for wading across."
"Well, you will have to come up on the bridge, and do some tall explaining."
"O. K. I"ll do some explaining--you"re d.a.m.n tooting," as they all three started for the foot of the bridge, where the commanding officer was waiting.
"These two women waded across the river, sir," explained the soldier, as they walked up.
"Would you mind explaining," began the officer, "what you two are doing at this hour of the morning, wading across the International border?"
"Oh--for Christ"s sake--what"s the big idea?" asked Evelyn.
"Just this--you women think you can get away with this stuff because you are women, and possibly because you think it"s smart. Well, you can"t--you will have to be detained, and taken in front of the Commanding General."
"Well, you get a load of this--you low-born, half-witted, self-inflated with your own importance, shave-tail b.a.s.t.a.r.d--you ain"t detaining me or my girl friend for no investigation--see--you, or your men refused to open that gate to let two American citizens through, and we had to wade the river, and it"s sc.u.m like you that has managed to get into office in this country, and run it with stuffed uniforms that wouldn"t know the meaning of the word MAN if it was drawn in blue-print for them--you stand and tell me what you are going to do--why, G.o.dd.a.m.n you, when I get through telling the General what I think, as well as the American Consul, you"ll be a buck private again--you"ve got a gall--you impudent little runt."
"Just the same, I"m sorry, but the General will have to give his O. K.
on your crossing."
"Then, by G.o.d--you"ll call him on the phone right now," said Evelyn.
"It isn"t customary to disturb the General at this hour of the morning."
"That"s too bad for the General, that he has to be aroused out of his beauty sleep."
"I will call him, even though it is not the ordinary routine."
"And how you will call him," exclaimed Evelyn.
"Well, I"m not quite used to the ways of the border yet, but it seems to me to be rather against one to be an American down here," said Pearl.
"The fault ain"t with America--it"s with the ignorant b.a.s.t.a.r.ds that"s allowed to run it," answered Evelyn, as the Lieutenant was calling Fort Bliss.