Show lame of the theN ther N r order JEy By INGlE INGIE E ROE Doran Co Faa I Service SYNOPSIS death by throwing herself L ii Ing one ne Mesa to escape dishonor hAnds ot of a drunken desperAdo 1 allows herself herselt to be resy res- res y 1 her suddenly r repentant at- at atThe atThe The gIrl Is a self appointed Ian to the Indians living ArIzonA sheep ranch with her bel hery y r serge Sergo his wife Lila Llla and their aughter Babs She Is engaged ey Blake wealthy Now Yorker heart Is with the friendless and she evades a wedding ills uns Little Moon wife of at Two Twos r s e I a Na ajo through the crisis Illness Ulness T Two a ringers Fingers is 1111 deeply I 1 Sonya again meets the man anCes ad she had repulsed on esa Ho He tells her he bItterly q Jas I a hi his action Sonya is III effected forgIvIng She hears rumors ot of If ier der bandIt Dl DI Capitan DIablo i connects connect hIm with her hert herer t ere ereOn er On Lone Mesa she again ti upon the strange young youn man mane Ita manIta e no longer lonKer fears him When he hetes tea tes hIs sorrow over his miscon- miscon sae he Indicates forg oness and tm to abandon his life lite ot of law law- From concealment Sonya wit wit- the transference ot of object i ship to the man man of at mystery r Continued V-Continued 8 a long while Sonya clImbed It c on Darkness and went ent soberly ft She bad much to thInk about l las J 1 U as doing It with a vengeance one thing why had the feel of sn 3 ans an's arm across her breast the theof ot of his face shot through her hero o strange a fire before his arm had bad been about aging her from Darkness back bach f lt I ce had been close to hers and of d lA lAd d been filled with such pal t I ge and hate that she could ha have havee e c e sr It him on the spot albs dt t was the matter w Ith her ht he i re was her character her prin priner er condemnation of wrong that he was wrong all wrong she y-she had not the slightest sir Why dId he meet a sky shIp i n this lonely desert Why was wilt id for tor her ber to be seen by Its oc tlc ts What strange freight had lU en from It and put so carefully sW saddlebags e was something deep here bere ter cep and It had to do she felt f fu Ith the hinted things of the thet's sf ts t's guarded with speech that Ious ions Presence across the Bon Bor ch ruled so bloodily t why she asked herself again all this weigh elgh down her soul sho busy and happy In fly lIy life Ufe betrothed to another o re what this drunken wastrel t d do o 0 she corrected herself not eu n D now He had saId he could ak and she bel ed hIm And f she believe him ely ely In a sort of cold fear she ed her Inner depths and shat hat saw appalled herIs her heras N as Is his eyes she told herself the i f his eyes when he spoke of things They were vere deep eyes e eyes filled with a wild spirit der this wildness this old devil devil- re ra which had ed edas d das as something so desperate so soI I 1 that Sonva would ha have vo staked e eon OD its truth I ff L to her foundations the ther sti r In her saddle and Into his strIde She Sheget Sheget get home to the sane and or of every day to Lila with withIn b m In assurance of all good to toad nd ad little Babs Baba And she would i this man forget his eyes and dI and the heady IntoxIcation I cent of him She would write ill tonight a long good letter E d neglected him a bit of late next day Son Sousa a went to to town ton n 1 her letter She felt very i and calm All the tho strife and silt sot of the day before had gone or cr She had bad wrItten dutifully and told hIm nil alI the trivial hap il I of every that day Is nIl all but to the rider on the orse arse The These e were of too small she told herself t wouldn t In fn Indi di lm And besIdes he wouldn t td d and cd At the Store storo Mr Parks d Itself bustling about to toa a her smIlIng unctuously rub rubs s 8 fat hands together I d mornIng she told hIm pori po- po ri y t r pot always a good morning Doctor he said Bald when we see Q re re You don t get down too toog g saId Sonya onya I Is e been pretty late t It sure does docs bent beat how chow me a acan ai acan l i can be a 1 doctor An a doctor puts Pacts ties has got to rIde hard an ane bit bita e a lIttle pay an ne neer er be sure You to the dance over nc neat t S S 7 a ogle lo front from ill Bi loan 10 n nn an t two 0 tl Is goin to furnish th tb music I pa o an two 0 fiddles Ought to tl ds ds good sur surely t ts s I sou ou foll folks II 11 git It over r tr said Son Sonya Sona a I t l 3 I I yonder onder it If we did The Tho a al- al waya nys have such nice times at their ranch Nice people ow Sure are An th tb more th merrier I always say In the room behInd the store a min stood where here the tho first sound ot of Sonya Sonya's voIce had stopped him The cigarette clarette he be had just rolled hung unsealed In his fingers Until the girl had gone out untIl the Ule last sound of her feet on the boards had dIed away until the sputter and roar of the old flivver lessened in fn the distance he so Then he flung the cIgarette Into a backdoor refuse barrel and went on out the back door Sonya loved the dances of the regIon Although liquId contraband flowed freely treely and the CO cowboys boys from the up upper upper per country sometImes raised the raft rafters ers era with theIr noIse there was some some- something something thing elemental and very young about these gatherings ot of the folk ot of the lonely land the sheep men brought their wives and daughters the v whole hole family In fact fact don down n to the lIttlest ones who ho slept In ranks on the wall benches as the night wore on and bod v danced Serge and his womenfolk came a little late fate hazing ing to drive 28 23 miles over roads thit th left a lot to tobe tobe be desired and entered tn in the midst of a number Sonya In a new dress her dark face sparkling already laid her on Lilas Lila's shoulder and swung out on the floor In the arms of a perspiring cowboy She met these people only at the dances but she remembered everyone and danced with all who asked her providIng they were not too far gone In the common hilarity If so she would merely laugh and shake her black blach head with Its shining curls and say V gently No Billy Im I'm too tIred to hold you up Come around earlier next time or You re silly Bob just plumb silly I think you re relit relit lit And young Bob weavIng on his booted feet feet would tell her anxiously that he near drunk but he knew v how she felt about It and didn't blame her a bit not a shingle bit Neither did he nor anyone whom she refused a dance It was enough that she was there to look at at the most beautiful woman In all the country the highest up yet the sweetest to everyone that a man could ask for Everyone knew of her and her work among the lowly Her lIttle fame was sweet In the land So Sonya danced and laughed and listened to the music of the the gay accordion with her arm on this lean shoulder and that and was extremely happy She forgot the son sor- sorrows rows ot of the world and lived her youth to Its full extent Forgot Rod Blake and New lor lork city and the man of Lone Mesa all of which had troubled her of late Lila was as dancing and so was Serge and Babs wis already dead to the world on a bench In the corner coy cov covered ered with Llla's cape The musIc was as waxing more hot hot and And by the door a min came sUddenly irto her range of visIon a tall man slim hipped and graceful He was as to tn store clothes and the cigarette hung In his fingers Its of smoke fiS as mg In a tiny stream but lie he knew him instantly As instantly the almost terrible thrIll shot through her from head to toe blurring her eves n a abit bit bit catching her throat wIth a little pain Suddenly the music changed some someone someone one yelled Paul Jones and the cur clr cling couples broke like the colors In Ina ina a kaleidoscope They strung out In Ina n na a huge on oval 1 all holdIng hands and began going to the right In time to the lively tune A whistle blew and they broke apart each man takIng the woman ImmedIately facing hIm nt at the whistles whistle's blast and dancIng on with her Whirled from this pair of arms armsto armsto to that breaking step catching It again suiting her step to each new partner s the girl felt ac If a wave of portent nt was beiring be down don upon her SomethIng was going to happen happen- something terrIble and wonderful wonderful- she was afraid and exhilarated as she had never been In fn her life before and here he was coming toward her In the the- theUne theline line Une He d as she mIght have known knO he would like Uke the wind blow blow- blowing Ins ing In long she grass could see him sway as he in fn and out In al- al alaman aman left and the 1 whistle blew and he was as here be before ore her Her hand was In his his arm had gone about her they were ere drifting away together and all the lIghts on the walls were running together In a long blur Sonya held her breath and let it out outto to In a long sigh and felt suddenly the tremblIng ot of his arms Then the whIstle blew again and some one else had caught her hand and she was circling once more moreIn morein In the long oval When the number was as over she went dizzily to where Lila sat fanning her flushed hed cheeks and sat do down don n beside her She to rest to gather herself together to still the shameful tumult of her heart Some one claimed her and Sonya went back Into the maze of moving figures but everywhere she went she was as conscIous or of the brIlliant eyes of this man He stood against the wall walla n a lIttle beyond the main m door and he seemed to be alone lIe He dId not dance again even though there v was as another Paul Tones ones but watched her to a grave stillness and Sonya orl orla a could not gather cather hf her r acuities for her 11 light ban banter banter ter What was the matter with her ber Why did her heart hammer In her wIth long slow beats her blood how through h her veIns like 0 molten gold drenched In perfume She thought wildly ot of Rod tried to bring brini his face before her to force torce her self et f to feel leel his hll presence She he tried to cling to his memory as on one clIngs to a sturdy rock tn In rising waters and could not She could only see the face of the man besIde the door the young face that she had seen In so 80 many lights drunken and wild and relent relentless relentless less sober and contrite washed with regret What was happenIng to her To her life Itself To her destIny and her hopes Tears came In her eyes and she did not hear what her chance was wassa sa saying Ing was In her heart and a certain terrIble fire that mounted and grew Time pissed and she was not conscious ot of It It I F late Inte to In the nIght the fiddles struck up the sweet old strains of Home Sweet Home and the dance was over This was the last number A cowboy boy from the R K Bar Z with whom nhom she always lIt liked to dance was asking her for tor It She had just held out her hand when some one reached forward from the tho side and took It it Next moment she was gone out along the floor In the dreamy rhythm ot of the sweet old tune and this time she was held so close that she could feel the tho beating of his heart a thundering rev rev- reverberation like tides on the shore Des Desperately Desperately she raIsed her eyes and looked at him Tell me she v whispered thickly what are you Who are you Nothing he said bitterly to you ever and Id I'd give halt half my life to kiss hIss one curl on a decent mans man's right The words came through his set teeth and even In the of the moment she noticed that he did not slur his words at the ends Then be decent I she ahe cried pas pas- passionately passionately Be decent I Too late Im I'm only looking In win win- from dows-from the outside and I bunt built the wall between myself Tell me your name she said said tell me No i d I Yes Tell me now now- now I cant can't I haven't a name any more You have Your own name Not what you you-you go by where you answer ron roll call Answer roll can call l I That's good What do you know about me What have you heard Nothing Im I'm guessing fitting things In places she said laid swiftly and theres there's some one across the Border who crucIfies It crucifies Hush I For God s sake dont don't speak of that again ever anywhere I Where did you hear such of-such No matter There and Is-and someway youre you're connected I It cuts me like a youve you've got to tell me Who are you If 1 tell you my name will you keep It like you would your oath Yes You know I will Ot of course I know Im I'm Starr Stone to my mother who thinks Im I'm dead and burled buried Tn In country I go by something dIfferent Now are you sat lat 1 No I ye ve got to know the rest t I will know It Why Heaven knows you have little to thank me for little to think ot of we for tor Ive I've blackened your first memory of me bej beyond ond all hope Why do o you speak carelessly some some- sometimes sometimes times and amI now correctly I 1 we ve been t two o men I am two men Whet t kind ot of men What does It matter Im I'm a dead man dead and damned and rotten I Dont Don't trouble your darling head about me Im I'm running true to form rIght now In beIng here to In holding you In my arms In looking In your face U If Uan an anyone one this sIde the Border anyone who counted knew me rd Pd not have done It Theres There's that much decency left In me But no one knows and Im I'm lIke a dyIng man beggIng for water I come hick to look at you again and again Id I'd crawl on my knees around the world to change my leopard spots It he finished bitterly to look lookIn lookin In your eves ees with a clear conscience Suddenly the fire and the tear fear and the ecstasy which had warred In Son Son- Sonya Sonya ya all nIght seemed to rise above her lIke a tide or of sorrow and disaster She felt as It If she sank In swirling waters drowned In tears Her throat closed with an aching vain pain and one hard sob escaped her Instantly the man looked down holding her from him My Iy G-d G l I he said what Why my G-d G I Then he drew her to him close and hard bard and the trembling of his arms In- In Intensified intensified The face above her small black head had gone haggard ItS as as an anold old mans man's The last soft strains of the tender tune tuno were dying The feet of the dancers slowed And suddenly from rom nowhere out ot of the very night beyond the doors It seemed a hand fell on his shoulder a apo po pow erful grasp whirled him about Sonya t with Ith him himA himA A stranger stood there a stranger so fierce and terrIble tn in aspect that one knew him at once for a man of violence of cruelty and death It suns fiS In hIs small black e eyes es above his olive cheeks black with shaven beard In Ws his nose In his thin tipped lipped mouth merciless as n a pan pan- panther's panther's ther's He De stood six feet two In his spurred boots and he wore the wide sombrero of the Mexican hidalgo tine of material and ornamented with sll ver A studded belt circled his narrow narro waist n braided velvet jacket showed the muscled ot of his wide shoulders TO 10 BE CO |