Show 4 1 1 In 11 tb t Ii lIans fI I tb the t t ti i H I i a n n r t I 1 f i kg Story o an h Ra id idI 0 fr 4 I l lt t S t I 4 BY q G A H lV 1 i S S St t H t tT S 1 S Copyright 1900 by S S 5 McClure Co IV Antonio had bad indeed been heen charged l to nake of fth fight ti ht in the e pass pasa My iy 1 V father is almost a must sure to tf mount mountS S and md Jud ride id out to meet Pt me Juan ju Juan n said saida a to him before bt fore starting You Y u can say we nad had a k with ith some ome brigands I 5 5 in the hills and that I have a slight 1 flesh flash wound in the shoulder but don dont t tsay say more about it until he hs hj started to tf meet us Then you can go to he huts and break bleak the th news of the death II i Lopez and Pe lio io to to their wives iv s but butk butkI I kI k p them from going anywhere near I Ithe the house huse till I arrive anin I dont wish my I mother to know anything abot abott it till I I J see 8 her If she heard heald that tire tY of oC the themen themen I i imen men nad iad been killed sh hl would at once i i j imagine that J hal hail been heen badly hadly wounded and that you were concealing the truth from frer her Of OtT course cou r l you will wiH tell ten them I Antonio that I am bringing a friend with rne me Senor Sen r Sarata and his hi daughter came up Vi Harland reined in his horse a I little so e as to t all nv his hi companion to t toC C meet his lends friends fr 1 attUne aUn j Juan JU l checked he his horse and 1 as they came lame Up UI to thin them and they too t lea ed oom th their lr horses S S urn home again Juan Jua hi bi his father said embracing him iii hi Spanish Sp j C fashion fa hj 11 IL t hi the girl guI kissed kit d him with S warm arin affection Yr j 5 So I hear from Antonio that you T lave 1 tave ate ubie on t the have i Sh g o II 4 h but I fit t is smarting a good deal dealt t Riding over o e mountains is net nt the the bei i the world even for tor a aI I trifling Now I wish to intro introduce introduce I duce you to tr my m friend Don William II Harland Ha land an American gentleman who has hu done me vital service as I 1 will willi I i presently relate to you j I Will had also dismounted and was j standing by his horse hone some fifteen I yards away Juans father walked across to him and lifting his hs II ro 10 said As k the friend of my son senor I II I welcome you yon most warmly themore the more I so since ho he 11 tells me that you have ha ren rendered i dered him him a signal service ervice though of i what nature I am not aware but In inI I any case nase as his friend you are mine mInei i and I beg you to consider my house as asI your you D This Is my daughter Don DOI Donna Donna I na eLtera win wm removed his sombrero and andI bow ci while the girl made a 8 I ui salute Now No let us mount and arid ride on onI Senor a said Your mother will wUl willbe willbe be anxiously expecting you Juan We I have been looking for you for the last ewo to No days ays 4 but ut now flow that I see your y ur urI friend tJien is riding your second horse I 1 I understand that you have been longer than Usual Jual on nn n the j jf ney are an anI I your you other uther two men m n rid how bow is it tb t Francisco Fra is leading lea horses hur es f I am sorry to say f father ther that that they I killed Juan replied Killed the repeated while the girl uttered an matI n of horror p jy n v Why Antonio ke of o the at itt attack t tack upon you as asa a trifle I told him to do so sir air I did Id not wish for you or nS mother to be alarmed She might well wall have havO Imag Imagined imagIned ined med that the wound was much more serious than he repotted reported but it was a serious affair We weye V re ambushed by bya a party of nine men in tha th upper part I of the pass in tn the hs beyond Mon lIon Monterey Monterey terey The two men killed IdUe l by their first fire We took t k to the rocks My friend here shot leader and andone andone andone one of the men I shot another an ther but I should not have been ben f much further use for one of them ed almost t the I same instant I did nd d his bullet b cut my arm from the elbow tc tG he shoulder It is not at all a Wound un but it I disabled the arm for fora a time How However However However ever the fall of their leader 1 er settled the e affair The other six Then men finding that I they could not get away without a eec certainty certainty of being shot si com corn coming comIng cornIng ing out one by one an r down their weapons we poo in the road pd id then thee go going going ing jag down the pass pa singly I Was obliged to let Jet them go for r Ayere Jre still sUll su superior superior superior number could to us in I Ino no more show ourselves out t of shelter shefter S h efte l than they could of us 1 might have fallen ba m figh gone on Well let ns US moun P th the don saM said You must tell me all about it later on The first thing to do d Js ts to t have your wounds seen to Padre is a n fa Ia famous famous mona hand at such matters Well Tell senor he Vill as I they cantered along quite un understand understand now that the that t at you ou ouI rendered tc my son isa Ise 1 a valuable one I for had you not shot th ll these rascals to say f ome om of the others the fight ht might mig t terminated very differently fi or r That is so sot sOb Juan said but that Wa not the ervi e to which h hI William and I 1 made I alluded lo o Don i our first r in streets ts of ofSan ofSan San Diego after nightfall tU I Iv was a re ra returning n turning through the quarter by the port when I was attacked suddenly by tour four cutthroats I was defending myself as well as I could but should certainly have been killed had not this gentleman vho was an entire stranger to me mt ran and leveled one of ot my as 35 assailants assailants to tie ground gr with a blow from flom froma floma a stick he Ill carried I and an broke the wrist J of another The third turning to de do defend defend fend himself I disposed of and the theother theother other ran away By the saints you seem to have had hada a hot time of it Juan and Indeed i deed we have all good reason r son to be most grate grateful grateful ful to your preserver Senoi Harland my obligations to you are infinite such as I can never repay Really senor you are making more of the matter than it is worth Will said earnestly I was goi g quietly along when I heard shouts nd ind excia exclamations and felt that some one was be being beIng being ing attacked I ran forward forwar and see seeing S ing four men one had no difficulty in deciding who were the ag aggressors aggressors aggressors and without hesitation joined In As I 1 took them by surprise and In fn fact disposed of two of them th m before they could attack me while almost at atthe atthe atthe the same moment Juan killed another the affair was over oer almost before It I t be began b began gan It was not a quarter of a minute from the time I came came up to that In which the fourth man wafa wai wa running nning r off at the top of his speed I have already benefited very largely by the affair having gained thereby the friendship of your son the hospitality of his friend Senor Guzman and the opportunity opportunity opportunity of making this journey an l pay poy paying paying ing you a visit As to the affair in the I mountains I was defending my my own life Ufe also and our success was as im Ira important I I to me as to him It is well for you to make nake light of ot 1 it sir but whether r the first affair i I lasted a quarter of a minute or oi a 1 t quarter quarter ter of an hour the result was the same sameI I I Your quickness and courage In thus plunging street affray on behalf of a stranger saved my ons life as as ast I t I doubtless did the shot that killed the thele j i le Je leader der of the party attacking you It ItIs ItIs Is strange indeed that he should have haye met with two such adventures in the tb course of a week Possibly Juan Ju n the theone theone i i one was a sequence to the other othe r and andi a d dI i I those engaged in it may have haye been beon the thern comrades of the men who ked i j I at San Diego and who thyM thy 11 viTt 3 ii you yo to obtain revenge for fh H r 1 therea S SI I I That was so father Both attacks the work of one man hian who I am I happy to W say will trouble nomore re reas as he was the lead r of tl at ati i tack the man whom S Harland H rland I shot j But who is iR the man and could have been bf n his motive for j ing you t 1 tj j I J only suspected the first time tinip I i father f thu awl until I 1 looked at the man inn 1 Harland had shot I was not sure sur of it Happily none of the men who tho ho acted for him are likely to open their lips on the matter and no one else will wUl have a suspicion Had it been otherwise we might have had a good deal of trouble tro ble over it for the man mon was Captain Pe Pc Pedro Pedro dro Diego Die m looked grave As you say that would lead to seri serious serious serious ous trouble were it known although clearly you were not to blame In the them matter m but what was the reason of his enmity ty against you youBe fie Ee was a suitor for Donna Chris Christina Christina Christina tina hand band father fatherA l A Nl Ah h ah all that explains it Well VeIl we e ei i will think thInk hink no more of it at present but butI I what wh did you do with his body We piled plied rocks over it there Is no I fear of f his being discovered and as he certainly would not have mentioned to any one his intentions of murdering me meon meon I on my way home no search is likely to tobe tobe tobe be made T ade in that direction I That Chat is well Of course I 1 received I your yo r letter Juan and sent dent off a mes messenger messenger I II seng r at once to Senor Guzman giving I ing lag my and your mothers hearty con consent cons consent sent s t to the match which indeed pleased aSed us much U I Two or three minutes later they ar arrived arrived arrived I rived at the hacienda in front of which a number of servants and peons em employed employed f in the gardens and stables had hadI I gathered to welcome their young oung mas inns master ter tel back hack after his nine months ab abr f r nce As they dismounted Donna Sa Sn SaI I rasta ritta appeared at the door Juan ran ranI i I up the steps and tenderly embraced her Senor then led Will up Your first welcome my dear should S have been given to this gentleman i Senor William Harland for had it not noti j i been be m for him you would not have Juan 1 1 by y your side now He has hos twice saved this his life Twice saved his life Ufe Donna Saras II ta to exclaimed incredulously Is s it pos possible I sible Philip I is quite true her husband said saidI I ely ly Had it not been for him himI I JI would never have haye returned to us 1 I be alarmed the danger dO ngor is over ovet for the author of these attacks atta ks has fan fall fallen fanI faltOn en On n by Don Williams rifle I The rho lady held out both hands h to Will WillI I The tears were streaming down own her er S Senor she said I cannot C thank tha k kyou 1 you now Remember that it is our only I I sons ons life that you have saved sayed Think I of f what we wo should have felt had he not I returned and and our men mE n had brought us usi i news of tf his death deat Ma May th ir gin and bless you Give me meyo your yo r arm Philip I Iam am Her husband and son supported her into the house and placed d her on a couch Look after your mother Clara Clora the Mexican said as two female attendants cane came c e in n Sancho go and call Dr Hidalgo down from his study Doubtless he is unaware that my son on has returned Tell TeU him that he h is to bring bandages and salves s for Zor there Is a wound to be dressed He will find my son in the dining Do one of you fetch ba ha basins basIns sins of hot water and sponges there Now Senor Harland I 1 will lead you to your room Doubtless a bath will vill be agreeable to you after your journey Will was wa glad to get out of the way during this family meeting and will willingly willingly willingly I i followed his host who took him I to a large larg chamber on the first floor floorA I A bath stood ready filled with towels and all conveniences I told them to put a suit of Juans clothes in readiness I did not know whether they would fit but I have no doubt they will dO so They Th will save you the trouble of opening your four our bag till evening And now if you will excuse me I will go down and look at the boys wound Well luck has favored me indeed Will said to himself as he looked round the room before proceeding to undress A fortnight ago there was I a run runaway runaway runaway away lad without plans in a strange country with nothing but jay kit bag and some ninety pounds to rely upon Now I am in clover with a good friend frienda a welcome assured as long as I choose to stay staF here and an amount of gratitude gratitude tude that seems to me almost ridiculous ridiculous lous bus considering consid that it Is all the result of my interfering in a street row just justas as I 1 might have done In any other port At any rate I Ishan shall have some new experiences to tell about when I get I home I shall certainly like the senor he has h so long out here that he ha j i It n off ff the Indolent air and the formal constraint c that almost all these Spanish Sp h people have and is much more mor like an American Am than an Englishman The mere fact f of his having settled in inthis Inthis inthis this valley is a proof that he has a lot of go and nd pluck Of course I r cant t tell t U much mu about his wife yet she ig 16 i naturally upset at the thought of Juans danger As to tc his sister she is ever so sti much prettier than I his sweetheart though certainly c Chris hris hrisI j I tina Guzman Is pretty too She he hardly 1 said a word wont after aft her first welcome to too o i I I him himI I suppose I she was too upset to talk and will brighten up when she finds that Juans wounds are really tri tn fling Well I expect I shall have a jolly time of it here and get some shooting and hunting It will win be great fun among all these herds of wild cat cattle cattie cattie tie tle The first thing to do will be to learn to ride properly I should not like to have all these Mexican Me can fellows laughing at me At any rate I have learned something on our way here I 1 will get Juan to go out alone atone with me rae for a bit till tm I can be sure of sticking on From what he was saying sayi some of their horses must be brutes to sit es especially e those who jump straight up Into the air all aid aad a d keep on doing it until they get rid of their riders Having taken a bath and dressed very leisurely he went down lown stairs again feeling pleased that Juans Juan s clothes fitted him bim so well and that it was not necessary for him to get out his own for although new they would certainly not look so well wen after their journey journer in the kit bag as did the spot spotless spotless spotless less white garments that haBd h been pro provided provided provided vided for him He found Clara alone in inthe inthe inthe the patio His hacienda like most of pf its kind was a large square building with a courtyard in its center In 2 case the patio had been transformed into a shady little garden gard n with orange trees bananas and other tropical pro productions productions productions Grape vines climbed round the light pillars that supported the ve Ye veranda Wranda randa that surrounded it and covered its roof with a mass of foliage e dotted with great purple bunches of grapes Two or three little fountains were half hidden among the trees and the air was heavy with the scent of the orange and citron flowers I My father and mother will wUI be down directly senor she said the bell will wilt ring for the midday meal in a few min minutes mm I utes What a lovely little littIe garden this is IsI I Will said cheerfully for he saw that the girl was nervous and I You would |