| Show Q THE Di B By Y REX BEACH jJ REX REX Copyright I 1912 by y OI CHAPTER V V. What Waited at th tho rho Roadside To avoid tho rho dampening efIe effect t olan of ol an early departure the rho three men fadeout rode fade out quietly from tho rho courtyard at nt the tho rear of t the e house Louse leaving tho iho merrymakers merrymakers merry merry- makers to their fun So this is ig our last latt ri rido sido o to together ether Norvin a eaid aid as t they he left Jaffe f the h valley a llo and began the tho long lone ascent of If the tho mo mountain moun s tam rain that lay Jay between them and Y Yes s. s Henceforth we e spare paro our heroes You see sec tom tomorrow n o wo o will viii take the morning train train Half of San Sebastiano will Mc accompany us use too and everybody will ill bo dressed dresse in their finest Ricardo hero bero for lor instance Will wear near his ne new brown bran a a snit suit a glorious affair Eh Eb Y It would bo as well weB to refrain from rom said the overseer softly Tho T a road roa is I dark Who knows n ow s what may be wash waiting n g t Be Bc not alwa ahn always s 8 a n bear blar W We are throe three armed men I fanc fancy ancy Nar na cone 0 nay even en our dreadful Cardi Cordi himself would himself would ld scarcely daro darn molest u ue us Terara Perara morel m merely 1 grunted ranted and continued to hold his place abreast of f his em om plo or Nor loran NorD D observed that ho to carried car tie ried his across his saddle b bow bV V and involuntarily y shifted tho rho strap o of his own weapon so sot o that bat i it t mi might ht bo ready read in of an emergency I IThe T The o sky eke was S mo moonless but but I crowded with h stars which gave 3 light liht I enough h so ao that the fire riders worn wore able ablo I Ito to fo follow low the tho rod road without difficulty althea although b the hadow on either r side were Vero dense donse ease Th Th-e Th e air was teas tweet an anal anil anilo so 1 o still that the sounds of ot revelry from Terranova Terrano wore tense Plain plainly Jv audible Youth Youth hl What a glorious thin thine it is exclaimed after a fruitless attempt p t to hold his Lis ton tongue uc tc Ricardo l would waned ha have c us go prowling prow ing like robbers whop when wh n our hearts are sing- sing in m loud enough h for all aU tho rho mountain mountain- i ide a to Lear hear There is no evil in the world tonight for the ho world is in love tomorrow V it bursts bursts' into happiness And nd AndI C r am king over it sill alii L I 1 stall shall bo glad lad to be rid of you lust just the tame same grumbled tho rho old manThey man maul liThe They have haye Lave b begun n the rho fireworks aid paid Blake C Its It s too bad OU could oat jot stay stay- and sad see them MarteL Ho Ha turned in in his Lis saddle and the others reined in as a rocket soared into tho rho night light ht sky shy and b burst t with ith a shower of or sparks parks Others followed and a nation lation sounded faintly Poor people II said aid the count gently II I L I can hoar hear them cr crying nJ C OhI Oh h Ah It is an a an angel ancl gol cl from Oa On 00 the contrary contrary Ill I'll warrant they thc ire are exclaiming C It Its It is that anel angel from froman San pan an Sebastiano You Yon have hate J given them themi i 1 I treat great seat night nigh The he count laughed Yes Ics T They ey trill Till have bare much to talk and dream bout about Their lives aro are very Sery erv barren ou know and I hope tho rho eo otc and andt t will gill be bo able to make them brighter is as tho rho years go 10 by When the they learno learn to o know me when tho they learn to love e trust i-trust trust me mc there will be brighter fays a s at Terranova and at San bebas- bebas nano rr II They love you yon now I am sure sate I ell am too much a n stranger jet et I 1 aavo havo neglected m m duties But well But well in n ray m travels I have na learned some things that will Vill be of benefit to us ill all I see to so o much to do It is to delightful de de- to bo be young and antI full fun of hopes LoPos and nd t td have hl the means of realizing them hera Above e all aU it is is d delicious to knots that thai there is is ono one who Vho will share I those ambitions aud and efforts with faith you ou I sec IC Ricardo is di disgusted with me but he be is a pessimist Ho Io does docs not not- be bc believe lie Here in charity and love H What foolish talk protested theold the theold old aid man matt mant t with ith heat Do Do I not oat love loveny my ny girl L Do I 7 not 9 lot lovo o you the ho countess and perhaps and and perhaps a a few others laughed u tI IVIS was teas merely tea teasing you jou OU The They resumed their roofs journey J leaving a vin the s showering meteors behind them sad ind tho rho count in the rho lightness of his heart bC began Rn humming a tune As A's for Blake he rode rodo as RS silently as Ferara being lost in to in con contemplation lotion of ofa ofa a H happiness in to tt hll h ho ha had no part Not until this m moment had lead ho he realized Low hOT entirely unnecessary ho Lo was teas to 0 the existence of of a and d d drib sits rib He Ito longed to remain in a part of them but saw sm that his desire desiro W was Rast 5 nin Thc They were ere tom trio tt without him him hirn- their trees lives would wool bo be full He lie let lot Ins his thoughts run xun on in in this rather bitter bit ter strain sitting rifling his llor seers Ji listlessly for h he LG was Vas tired tirel mentally J noel physically physic physic- ie ally all watching th the gray l olio aSit ay aS it slipped slipped past beneath the mottled hoofs and anel lulled b by br Sn Savigno musical humming hun mins It Tt was he was teas still till in in this thiR half balf somnolent nt semi semi detached frame of oi mind that he rode iota a sudden unite whito hot bot whirl of r rt Norvin Blake Blaka was nc nc cr nc cr der clear in in his mind r regarding the tiro precise sequence o otho ot of tho rho action tiou that fot fol followed ow on ed ii for far he Ire was tease snatched too quickly from his mental relaxation tp retain any an well tell 11 defined define Ho recalled I that the tho roa road lu lay like a mysterious n canyon walled in in n with darkness and that his liH thoughts were Vere miles away awa when n his Ins horse bori shied without warning nar un stating beating him lim nn and bringing him hint back to a sense of his Lis surroundings with a i hock he ho heard beard a t cry co- from Ricardp It w was s moro copra like miC a s scream of agony c cutting through P Sa a. a j vi son song like a saber caber stroke 1 For Tor Tora a moment Blakes Blake's heart hurt seemed to stop atop then began bc-an pounding crazily A stream of ot firo fire leaped leape out at his pia left I Isme sills side splitting the quiet night with A a S' S detonation on The wood woolf which lend tofu lam fio sa silent and deserted an before hc be f fore re was lit fit by answering lashes Clashes Tho The blackness at an arms arm's length on overt every sido side was teas stabbed by bv wicked tonnes of flame and the road swarmed with Ith gro grotesque grotesque o. o tesque bodies bodis leaping and tumbling an and fighting Blakes Blake's horse basso scare reared as 38 something black rose roe up beneath its fore ford feet Ind nd snatched at its bridle s 's steed lurched i into to it then fell feU kicking and screaming screaming sending Its mate careening to tho rho road roadside i e. e The unexpected mot movement mo wrenched Norvin's Nor sins ins feet from the s stirrups and left him Lim clinging d desperately to nano mano mane and cantle It all came with a terrifying ing swiftness swift quite ness ness quite as if the rho three riders had cros crossed cJ over a powder train tram at t the rho instant of its eruption to find ind themselves them solves selves in tho rho fraction of a a. a second s cond in oli d in chaos Ricardos Ricardo's horse basso thundered away rid erless leaving a squirming wrig VriJ wriggling ling confusion of forms in in the tho roa road where the rho overseer was battling for far his life Martels Martel's voice rose Tose shrilly in a cum cnn r. r and sad they then Norvin felt him himself elf dragged cd roughly from Lis his saddle whether by human hands or by some overhanging tree branch lie ho never notor know kne Tho force of his fall bruised and stunned him but ho bl struggled Bled weak weakly I. I to his Lis feet only to find himself in tho the grasp rasp of oC aman a aman aman man whose black visage e fronted fronte his own He TIc tried to break away a but his Lis i bones bonea were like rope rope hi Iris muscles were I flabby and shaking Ho llo exerted no nomore moro more force than a n child In front ot ut I him something sickening something un unspeakably uri uti foul and horrible was as going I on oni and In in its presence bo ho was wholly unmanned Moro More hands seized him Lim quickly but he be lacked the fife vigor to attempt at attempt t. t tempt an esca escape On tho contrary he iho hun hung hang limp an and paralyzed with will terror The m tho rho un uncertainty tho hideous hid eons si significance of pf that s scuffle in in the dusty road rendered him Lim nerveless and ho he cried o out t shaking like liko a man in io a ni nightmare A voice common commanded ed him to bo a hot breath beat against his Lis cheek cheok but he ha could not restrain his his' hysteria I and one of his lis captors ors began to throttle tie tle him He Ile heard his hs name called and saw sate saw Savigno's Savigno s figure fit ro outliner outlined briefly against the gray ray background saw another figure ro blond with pith it then heard hearde Martels Martel's voice voice oice end in a rising I cry which lived to haunt hi bi Lis j memory It rosa roso roso in iii protest in surprise as aa if tf the tie count doubted ot even o cn at It the last Jast I that death could really claim him hint Then it broke iu in a thin tt wa avci ing shriek Blako may Lave have fainted fainter at an any rate rale his body was bo beyond and his control and his n next et t ro remembrance m a cobra t was of ot half halt dragged d half thrust forward out into the lesser shadows There Thera was teas no longer any struggling although m men n were wore speaking excitedly and ho he could 1 hear fear them panting soma fomo ono one was tt working work work- ork ing the tho ejector jector of a rifle as as if it had stuck duck A tall man was wiping his lis hands upon some coma dried grass plucked from tho rho roadside and aud ho he was cursing Ie Who Who ho is this he he cried thrusting his faro face into tho Americans American's and show ahoa showing iris frig a n portal brutal countenance o bristly with a weeks tracks growth of b beard ord Tho The stranger ono one of Blako's Blakos s raptors whereupon the rho tall mau offered a violent exclamation nn Wait Waif 1 ait the tho other Ho lio Ho is d dying Ho ITo la cannot not s et nell andl Some Somo on gist f explained j I It It iN HI in indeed in indeed In- In f deed the rho American nn but he ho is is t wound cd ed r l Let kt me finish Iho Ih work ryas hn hA ha h his peon too ton much l said tiri the tho first s js r hl ICo n 0 ao 10 10 rn r n Ho i is the American Do ou vuu understand Remember tIle Iha nrc order er cautioned another moth r. r Dut NJ continued to C asif as asif I if bv In the craving to io kill and if tho others other had not lai laid h hands upon him himbe be n might ht bare hato made good his hi in in 1 n with ith him all at nt onto on e and ip inthe the rho mi o n of the iho c confusion on n fn sion 5 lion n which ensued a now note called from tho tiro darkness What 1 hat have hn you jou The Tho American m ITo Ho cannot stand stand A 1 square ro fi figure nrc rams g swiftly the rho group muttering mattering angrily and thi 1 fit others hers foil fell 11 hack back to gho o him room roam all allbut allbut I but ar f who ho repented doggedly Let mo finish the tho Vo work l if it Jon on fear I to do so His Ills Comp inions niona broke out at tit him blot again aJain in in a l babble of argument t p s it tt the newcomer shouted at them in n. n furious rl t 1 Who ho did thi this No ono one answered for a moment hut hat at length the brigand who llo hel held Blakes Blake's N hands nt his Ins Inck with a sash or scarf t. t suggest I T am not so 50 euro roso ho no j is injured Wo IYo pulled him down down first he may may only be frightened There Thero was to tp ho no no sh shooting otin J growled Vh ro l the leader of af l the be band hand r Eh r But Bat t VOU ou t saw san for ym yourself Your theca tt cro nothing cl else c to do said Nan one That Hi Ricardo ardo was an old wolf The Tiro thick set ct man whom NOT Norvin took to n be the tho infamous Cardi Card himself cried sha sharply ply U Come come signore speak Aro Are you jou ou hurt The prisoner shook Iris his head mcchan meehan although ho did not know V whether ho ha was in or not His denial de dc vial nial seemed to to satisfy the tho chief who sa said sahl rl with frith relief rebel It It is well welt We did not wish to I harm you ou There Phase would bo ho consequences conse ens you jou understand T And now note a match somebody It is is not an one X oae a aa ay him with a u J Ie Of Of what use to learn a trade life liro mina mino if one ono cannot can not strike true Tho knife went Vent home twice onto twice once for us vs once for or poor Galli who was Vas murdered It was like killing sheep Picking up the rho wisp of grass ho had bad dropped ho he began to dry his hands onto once morn more I A tinye tin flame flamo flickered in in the lark dash oars ness It t was WitS lowered until it shone upon the upturned face faco of Ricardo Terara Ferara where ho ha law Jaw sprawl sprawled d in is tho rho dust his bis teeth showing showing- beneath his hie gra gray mustache Then Than it died away a an anthe and the black outlines of the thc bull buH necked man leaped into relief again ain as ns he stopped slopped to examine Not until that instant nt did tho rho full crushing horror of the affair tome rome home heart homeI to thc rho American for events had c crowded crowd crowd- ed rd each other BO so closely that his Lis mind was as confused but when whoa in the tho halting halt balt alt fog ing jollow glare he saw those flare two slack forms and the tho crooked unnatural ural oral postures in which death had loft them his consciousness cleared and he ne' strained at tt his bonds like liko a fear mad 1 horse To bo be continued continued- i c I 14 r ti r h r r tt s iJ r t r 7 rr s1 r i r 4 e 4 Jr V n I S J 4 R x r 11 f I i. i r J f r rR rV V R 1 I Ir r c 4 t IL r i 1 1 1 t R t i t r h 1 1 r l t Y I ry I f i r I I r J r r a y r r F. F Jr j r 1 4 r r A 1 t rv f 1 rd 4 fi R 2 t bY y s' s t t R p 1 G tat t 1 r 1 i f 1 I LI a. a Ji Who Did This t 1 A |
