Show An A Afternoon Miracle I By O. O Henry Copyright 1920 by Doubleday Page I Co published b by special arrangement In with th the Wheeler Syndicate Continued from yesterday esterday I the bare The dust lay thick upon ground near the tracks s eye ee soon discovered the serrated trail trai of the J. J escaped python It 1 led across the depot grounds and a away ay down a smaller street I I gounds in the direction of ot the little can cn canyon on on as predicted by b her A stillness and lack of ot excitement In the neighborhood en encouraged encouraged en- en the hope that ns as yet the Inhabitants in inhabitants In- In I that so formidable formidable for for- habitants were unaware a guest traversed traversed their high high- ways was The gest heat had har driven them indoors Indoors Indoors in- in I doors whence occasIonal i shrill lau laughs h or the depressing whine shri of ot a maltreated concertina In the I Shade Chade a few tew Mexican children like vivi- vivi thade lied fied stolid Idols in cia clay stared from fed their play vision struck and silent as asi I Alvarita there i a a woman came n peeped and e edw went from tm a I Here door oer and and 3 i stood dumb dUb reduced to silence 1 by the of the White silk sik parasol parasol A hundred yards and the limits of ot I I the town were passed scattered chaparral chaparral chaparral chap chap- arral succeeding and then a noble grove Krove overflowing o ln the bijou canyon i Through r gh this a small maWe b bright stream meandered Partle it was with wih a I I kind hind of ot cockney further indorsed indorsed in indorsed in- in by the waste papers and rifled in tins of picnickers rs Up this stream and down it it among its sylvan pseudo glades and depressions wandered re the i g bright l and g unruffled Alvarita t O Once she saw evidence of the recreant reptiles reptile's reptiles reptile's rep rep- tiles tile's ties tie's progress In his distinctive trail trai across a spread of ot fine sand in the arroyo The living water was bound to lure him he could not be far away So sure was she of his immediate proximity that she perched herself hersel to idle for a time in Sn the curve of ot a great creeper that looped a giant water elm To reach this she climbed I from the he pathway a a little distance up the side of ot a steep and rugged incline I Around her chaparral grew thick and high A late blooming tree dispensed dis dis- I 1 from from- its is yellow elow petals a sweet 1 I and persistent odor the ravine I II rustled rusted a sedative wind melancholy I with the taste of ot sodden fallen falen leaves I Alvarita removed her hat and undoIng undoIng undoing undo undo- I ing the tie oppressive convolutions of her tier hair began to slowly arrange it In two long dusky plaits From the obscure depths of a thick I clump of evergreen e shrubs five feet away two small smal Jewel bright eyes were steadfastly regarding her Coiled Colled there lay Kuku the great gret python Kuku the I magnificent he of ot the plated plate muzzle the groo grooved ed lips the foot eleven-foot stretch of elegantly and brilliantly bi mottled skin The great geat python was viewing I his mistress without a sound or I to disclose his presence Perhaps the splendid truant his capture but I screened by the foliage thought to I i I I I I I I I by foliage thought p prolong t u th the dL delight i of his escapade pad I What pleasure it i was after afler the hot and dusty car to lie le thus smelling the running running running run run- I ning water and feeling the roughness of or the earth and stones against his tody od Soon very r soon the Queen would find him and he powerless powerless power power- I less as a worm in her audacious s hands would be returned to the tle dark chest Inthe in inthe the narrow house that ran on wheels I Alvarita heard a a sudden crunching of ot the 1 gravel gravel- below her Turning n her I head dg she saw a bl big swarthy Mexican I with a a. daring and evil evi expression contemplating con con- con I t her with an ominous dull dulee dul ee eye What What do o you ou want she she asked as I sharply as five hairpins between her lips would permit permitS continuing to plait her hair and looking him over with placid contempt contempt The Mexican continued con conS to gaze at her and showed his teeth in a white jagged smile smie I no y hurt-y you ou Senoria be he said Raid You bet you OU wont won't answered the Queen shaking back one finished massIve massive mass mass- ive lye plait J But ut dont don't you think you'd I better beter move on Not 0 hurt y you you no But t Yb ta take one n beso one beso-one one in ke kees y you call l 1 him I The man smiled again and set h hl his foot to ascend the slope Alvarita leaned swiftly and picked up a stone the size of a a. cocoanut Vamoose luick quick she shE ordered peremptorily peremptorily per per- you OU coon The red of insult I burned ed through rO gh the i Mexicans Mexican's l a dark 3 rl skin Hidalgo Yo Yel he shot between his fangs fang I am nm not ro r bonita for that you OU shall pay me He made two quick upward steps this time but the stone hurled hUlled b by no weak arm struck him square In the tho chest He lie staggered back to the footway footWay footWay foot foot- way swerved half around and met another another another an an- other sight that drove all al thoughts of the girl from his head She turned her eyes ees to see what had diverted his inter Inter- est eat A man with wih red brown curling hair hall and a melancholy sunburned smooth shaven sha face was coming up the path twenty iway wa Around the Mexicans Mexican's w was waist s buckled a pistol belt l wl with l t two v empty holsters He Ite le had JI laid aside his MB sixes sixes possibly possibly In the jacal S1 ot of the lair fair Pancha and Pancha-and and had forgotten forgotten for for- gotten them when the passing of the tho theS fairer S Ai Alvirta had liart enticed him to her I to trail trail li the I Ills Iia holsters hands lland but hut n now finding w flew few the Instinctively weapons gone he spread Pread n's ns fingers outward r with t the i eloquent r abjuring d deprecating I ing InA Latin gesture and stood like Ite 11 n rock lock Seeing his III t plight the newcomer I unS tin un- buckled S uS d 11 his s 's own belt containing nt r r mt two o re re- re I II threw i j It upon the ground una I and continued to advance gound Splendid I murmured AI Alvarita with wun arta wih flashing eyes As Bob ob Buckley Buckle according to the mad code of bravery braver that his sensitive conscience Imposed upon his cowardly nerves abandoned hi his guns and closed I In upon his lila enemy enem the old Inevitable I I nausea of abject fear wrung him ill Ills His breath whistled through his constricted I air nil passages Ills His Ils feet seemed like lumps of or lead His mouth was dry moth as dust dUAt Ills Ils heart congested wal with dr blood al hurt his ribs as It i thumped against again them The hot June day turned to moist November And still sUl he advanced spurred by 1 a a mandatory pride that strained Its Us uttermost against his i weakling te flesh h. h i The distante between en the tle two men I slowly le lessened ene The Mexican stood Im Immovable Ha- Ha I In- In movable waiting When Vlen scarce five e 11 yards ards sC separated them a I little shower of loosened gravel rattled ratted down from above to the rangers ranger's feet He Ite le glanced rom upward up up- ward with instinctive caution cauton A A. pair of dark eyes yes brilliantly soft sor and fierily tender encountered and anil held his own The Tue most fearful heart and the boldest one In nil eli the Rio Bravo countr nl country cx- cx a silent and inscrutable Alvaria Alvarita still seated within her vine leaned forward above the breast high chaparral One hand was laid across her bosom One great geat dark braid curved cured forward over her her shoulder houlder Her ler lips were parted parted hei- hei her I lace ee was wa lit tt with wih what seemed but wonder great and ab ab I solute wonder Her ler eyes eye lingered upon Buckley Let no one n ask aalt or presume to tell tel through what subtle medium the miracle was performed As by a lightning light light- ning fling flash fash two clouds will wi accomplish counterpoise and compensation of or electric electric elec elec- nc surcharge so on 01 that the Uie theman man received his complement of manhood manhood manhood man man- hood and the maid conceded what en enrIched enriched en- en riched her womanly woman I grace by Its is loss The Mexican sudden suddenly stirring ven ventilated en en his attitude of waiting waiting by conjuring swiftly from is bootleg a along along along long knife Buckley cast aside his hat and laughed once aloud like le a happy schoolboy Oj y at at- ata a frolic frollo Ol Then h I empty handed he heat sprang p a nimbly m bl and d Garcia l met him without default So o soon was the engagement ended ende that disappointment imposed upon the rangers ranger's warlike ecstasy Instead of dealing l fe tIle the J traditional i Oe lal s1 downward y arro stroke ro ar tIle the 1 Mexican lunged straight with I his rs I chance knife e a and Buckley dc caught g took fO fOiS his iS the wrist Pt precarious fair rl an and 31 firm Then he lie delivered the good Saxon knockout blo blow always blow always so pathetically I and disastrous Bs Garcia t to was the down o I and id idI I Latin out n ww with races race eh his i head under a clump cump of ot prickly prick pears i The ranger looked up again to the hI agin i Queen enl of the Serpents nt Alvarita scrambled down to the tile path Im Im mighty glad I happened along when I did sId said the ranger He He e he frightened me so so cooed Alvarita They did not hear the long low hiss of ot the the- the python under the shrubs Wiliest iest of the beasts n no ad doubt he was expressIng expressing expressing express- express Ing the humiliation he felt at having so solon lon long dwelt In subjection to to this trembling trembling trem trem- bling and coloring mistress of his whom he lie had deemed so strong and potent and fearsome Then camE came galloping to the spot the civic authorities and to them the ranger ranger awarded the prostrate disturber of ot the peace whom they bore a away way limply limply across across the saddle of one of ot their mounts lounts But But Buckley and Alvarita lingered Slowly Howl slowly the they w walked The ranger regained his belt bel of weapons With a fine timidity she begged the indulgence of fingering the great gret with wih little and of ot newborn newborn newborn new new- born delicious shyness The canoncito was growing dusky Beyond its s terminus u in t the river iV b bluff they he nc could u e II the outer ul r world rl yet ct t suffused suffused suf suf- fused with wih the tile waning glory glor of ot sunset A scream scream scream-a scream scream- a piercing scream scram of fright from Alvarita Back she cowered cowered cow cow- ered and the read ready protecting aim arm aim of nc B Buckley clde formed ored her refuge What terror so dire as to to- thus beset the close of the reign of ot the never before daunted Queen Across the path there crawled a caterpillar caterpillar-a a a horrid fuzz fuzzy two-inch two caterpillar Truly Kuku Kutu thou wert avenged Thus abdicated the Queen of ot the Serpent erpent Tribe viva Tribe vIvO Tribe viva la ia reina rema j i |