Gunshots at Dinnertime

At night Manuel would often have Bella and Gus clean his guns. They would take them apart, clean and oil them, put them back together, and take them to Manuel for inspection.

A few months later Manuel, Adelaida, Bella, and Gus were having dinner in the kitchen when they heard loud shots coming from the sheep area in back of the house.  Manuel looked out, then got his rifle and took careful aim at the dogs.  He told his family to get on the floor as he could not tell what was going to happen, and calmly shot the dogs, then went out there and confronted the man.  The argument began to draw a crowd and the sheriff was called (Manuel was not the sheriff at that time). 

The sheriff said that the place to settle this was in court.  Manuel took Mr. Madrid to court and won a judgment against him and an apology for Manuel.  The man apologized but never paid the judgment.  Mr. Madrid was Bela and Gus's teacher, and continued snide remarks about their parents in the classroom.  Adelaida was on the school board and called Mr. Madrid on his behavior.  They told him to remember that the children were not to blame.  He was instructed to cease.