Show Flame dame of 01 the Border SYNOPSIS Seeking death th to escape dishonor t M the hand handa ot of a drunken desperado Sonya onya allows s herself herselt to be tee tee- rescued cued by her suddenly repentant at- at attacker at The Tho girl Is III a self appointed physicIan to the tho Indians livIng on an Arizona sheep ranch with her brother Serge his wife VIto Lila and their mall daughter D bs She Is in engaged to Rodney Blake Rew ew Yorker but her heart I Ii with Ith the friendless and she ehe evades a Sonya pulls little Moon wire or of Two Fingers a Na ajo through the crIsis ot or an Illness T a Fingers I Is deeply grateful Sonya again meets the man whoso whose advances I she had ed on LonG Lone Mesa He tells her he bitterly regrets his action Sonya Is affected but unforgiving On Lone Mesa she again comes upon the strange Y oung man When he reiterates hla sorrow orrow over his misconduct she ehe indicates for for- forgiveness and urges him to abandon Ms bin lire life ot of la lal l q ne nes s from Irom conceal conceal- concealment mont ment Sonya witnesses the transfer transfer- transference transference ence ot of objects from an airship to liar her attacker At a dance danco she demands that Ito he toll tell her his name He says he Is Starr Stone but that he goes by D a dif dlf different ferent name In this region Ito Ho leaves the dance with a taU tall fierce Me n with whom he Is m asso- asso associated elated Sonya realizes she Is failing In love Ith a 11 man whom she sho can only class all as a renegade and outlaw w and that she can no er marry Blake An Influenza epIdemIc among the In- In Indians keeps Sonya busy She and Stone declare theIr love Jove for tor each oth other other er all doubt In the mind of the girl being ended The bandit sur- sur surprIsing the pair at a meeting meet place takes Stone allay ny and warns the girl hereafter to let his lieutenant alone CHAPTER IX 12 The Dark Threat Falls Rodney Blake Blahe had bad brought n a frIend with Ith him A tall QUIet man inan by the name Dame ot of Sonya herself again to all outward appearances met him at breakfast HIs face arrested her A keen leen face but still ItS arctic Ice ice Its ewes es penetrating ever everything thing they met She felt uneas under them as It if they could read the secret of her heart Rod seemed to know him well But she was soon so taken up with her ber o n problem that she had no time timeto timeto to study this stranger who is-ho sat and smoked and asked odd questions of Serge her ber problem ot of what and when to tell Rod nod Blake Blahe how to break her sacred word to ask ash him to release her Rod nod who had saId that no manno man manDO no DO people no country should ever take rob her bar from him But Mr Marstons Marston's questions were sery ery strange Were there any people In the country t whom horn he Serge did not know Any An stran strangers gets gers about about Any airplanes flying off of the regular lane above the new port at No NO said Serge posItively only the regular mall mail planes and they're so far oft that e only hear theIr engInes Just wondered saId John Mars Marston hrs ton But Rodney Blake Blahe smiled and leaned torn fors ard tapping hIs cigarette ash to In saucer I 1 may as n ssell ell tell you folks folls that youre you're entertaInIng an angel unawares or r rather to quote the gentry he s always after a fallen one Mr Mars Marston Marston ton Is the governments government's crack man of the secret service n hose rare talents are enlisted only as a last resort lie lieis is 18 here on a mIssion ot of his 0 own n I 1 merely accompanIed him as an excuse to be here He smiled and looked at Sonya Marston fingered n his cIgarette look looking ing down gravely For months our department In New NewYork NewYork York has been by a certain matter a serIOus matter to this coon coun country try which has been bafflingly ous By our department I mean the federal narcotics bureau A steady flow or of mud or pure raw opium has been coming through whIch we could not trace We have reason to belle bellese bellee e it ft Is coming In on the Vest vest coast ot of Me at Jt to be exact exact- brought Inland and across the Border by fast and prIvate planes an and sent east by train from somewhere about the mIddle or of the line Une I 1 am here here- hereabout hereabout about the middle to see shat hat I 1 can see I need not tell you that thIs knowledge Is dangerous for anyone to possess and that It must be held In the utmost confidence chiefly be be- because I cause ot of that one across the Border Border- El Dl Capitan Diablo as he be Is knots o n- n n who Is MexIco s king racketeer Any Anyone Anyone one tampering with CI l Capitan tam tampers pets pers with death I 1 should not has e told you this tt If Rod nod had not spoken spoke n as he dId Let me Impress again agnIn the th e danger ot of any mention ot of this affaIr r to anyone Sonya a wet her lips h bad suddenly gone gooe dry laId down n th the e knIfe in 10 her trembling handShe hand handShe She had her aDS aDSer er at last I IThe The answer to that night on th the e dance han hall floor to the little gray gra y ship settling so sn on the s stud lOd at atthe a athe t the canyons canyon's mouth to Starr Stone s renunciation ot of love and aid all It mean meant t The answer to Starr Stone f And that answer fl I as-I l Capita Capitan n DIablo El Dl Capitan DIablo s ho ter to r the north of Mexico 1 who raid raided ed ad mines who taxes on 00 the th e poor and who crucified his double double- C I ITo iTo To know too much ot of Ll LI Capita n Diablo and ever leave leve hIs servIce w is 19 to die and one ones s friend also who w ho night might bhare that kno One s s friends ma maybe be his relative s del eyes the girl look ed round he he table at Serge at Lila tt it h hale t e Buhs Babs Lila LILl s face pale but b set Ras as talking eagerly hy Georke I he HIS Ras his fi fion st on the table there have been stra n gars gers tiers and I 1 d stake my last dol dc f WI fur you OU 1 that chap ap I By VINGIE E ROE CopyrIght Doubleday Doran Co sue Inc ServIce you danced with nt at the and the tunny thIng that happened 1 Sonya SOD a dId not speak and Serge wenton went wenton on excitedly There as a dance at a neighboring ranch and my sister as dancIng t a stranger t when hen l the biggest MexIcan 1 c ewer er saw appeared and dropped a hand on the stranger a shoulder The Theman man maD follon cd him out Id I'd forgotten the IncIdent What sort of looking Me Me Dont know only that he was monstrously taU tall and broad Marston sat In silence for a little tIme DI l Capitan stands six feet teet three In hIs boots he said Then who ho was the man he took tooka assay a Jy If i 1 should make a guess which I never do said the other Id say It was Number Quince the teen wIldest solidest white man In Mex- Mex MexIco Ico ca and El J DIablo s ablest lieutenant 1 Ise e heard ot of hIm But his master owns him body and soul They sly on the Border that t El EI Capstans Capitan s spread him up after his amusing lIttle custom of crucifying Ing any andall and andall all who Incur hIs anger only to take tahe hIm down again Be ties s too valuable to kill But some day tits the butcher will 1111 willbe be too mad to think of that Id I'd hate to be In Quinces Quince's sl es estI tI SIck to her Sonya SonJa Sl mrm e excused h herself er elf And John Marston looked ed curIously after her Zhe rest ot of that day dayas was as like a nightmare to Sons Som a aShe aShe She had to be about the house to help Lila with the work and Rod was e eer er here she went leanIng fond rond fondly ly Iy on her shoulder tipping her face to loop Into her eJ es whispering ot of that future which she knew could never be Baas as her portIon through t it all She sorrowed for the blow she must deal rIeal him sooner sonnet or orI orI I I r tc 11 y yf f it t And Then Stark Drama Took the Silence and the Still Shadows later Inter for herself In her tear fear and her loneliness and for the dIsaster she might some day bring on this house And fair car rode her lIke a Itch when hen hene e eser eer er she thought ot of Starr tarr Stone rid log l ag to the Border with that prince ot of butchers Cl Capitan bat ails you Sonya asked Rodney lou l ou don t hear halt half haltI I m saying Nothing she lIed Of Of course l I Ido do dotI tI You You do not I You re obsessed ob essed with something Is it the these e d-d d Indians It If you ou don t stop th that t Rod fiod she flamed amed I I Il 11 not e ou I told you ou once one ones s life Is his own I 1 still sUll think so Not n a ss oman when s-when she has hns gh given en her promise he solid said calmly It It then tI belongs to her man mantI I m sorry you ou take that attitude she said my life will ne never er belon belong to any any- She did not finish for the flashing thought that already her life n Ras dS no not t her 0 n that for better or o 1 e It 1 t was Irre connected with the tl e precarious existence of Starr Ston Stone Stone- Quince of the Borders Border I ThE time wa 1 s ripe to tell Rod nod the truth uth yet she dl did d not It seemed g stronger stroner than herself some vital can cau tion held hack the words Lila Sonya Sona told the other Roma oman n I lat later r J 1 ye ve gut to get ass a lY ay by myself f a while or go crazy You 1 now now-l 1 want ant to thIn think I l knoll kno sold said Ilia l lla Go Go ahead III beep Rod fiod here But ut oh Sony con u do be careful I I 1 hale e a strange feel teel Ing to In my heart today u a premonition ot of L cs LII II When w ill II y 3 ou au be hack back 1 Around evening Don t I torry orry I ll only rIde the desert for a while hy y be go as rr far as toss to ton n Vell said Ilia I Ila lly do do be b e careful And she he stood on tiptoe to kiss the taller woman So Sonya Son I rode u away uy on s and Rodney Blake stood watching her h er Rith Ith a strange e e c IoD la In his eye es esIt s It was far past noon when hen she he tied tie d Darkness to the hitchIng rail beyond beyo ud the general generall store and the t he sorn orn steps to the porch At the h 1 low sound of her booted boated feet fact on the t he floor noor Pal Parks ks fat and oily and Nl wIde de e eyed ed came swiftly from Crom the open do door r ot of the back region of the store He fie was hastily putting somethIng In the pocket ot of hIs white linen vest us as he came and fumbled hIs damp hand free Cree freeto to greet her Non Noss ns as be reached out his hand the small object which he had so hastily hidden In the sagging pocket tumbled out It struck the floor Boor with witha a stran strange e sound ot of weight and for some reason Sonya stooped und and picked It up even before the man could catch It as It fell Ill I 11 tike It he said quickly give It here But again for tor some dIm reason Sonya n held the little thing and looked at It curIously It was a flat flat narrow can cun about the size of the little can In high Serge Sin got his tobacco for his pipe and It Ras liS sli ped sery ery much the same having n a rounded top and a flat at bottom nut But there the ceased for tor this container t ts made ot of solid soUd brass and thickly and can cursed ed edwith with ChInese char characters n while at the lower edge the small belligerent figure ot of a fighting cock COCh stood bOldly out In bus bas relief relIct And It was ably heavy for Its size much she saw and felt before the proprIetor of the store reached out and tool took It from flom her so quickly as tobe to tobe be rude He faIrly It and dropped It once more In the sagging pocket Then ho Laughed unctuously rub rub- rubbing rubbing bing his net palms together A new Dew tobacco Miss Sonya he heI I saId for my persona personal use Very select and I may say costly Now what can canI I do for you ou today LookIng at hIm curiously Sonya named her small purchases and he bustled about getting them from shelf shelt and bin And turning Idly the girl looked directly Into two dark faces under Me Ican teats which peered fur fur- ely tl at her from around the door doorjamb doorjamb jamb She knew with a thrill ot of por- por portent portent tent that they were the file same two men mn whom she had seen that day long back backwith v with Starr Stone when he had brought her purchases out to the car In Parks place Their black eyes stared steadily at ather ather her and turning again she caught a flash bets seen een them and the stores store's owner Chilled and frightened she gathered her things and went 8 out mounted Darkness and rode from the town at a long lope She knew In- In Instinctively that she had stumbled on something of Importance and that Parks Ras as In some dIm way a part ot of It it Oh what was It aU all about l I Where was Starr Stone and what would hIs master do to Starr Stone and Parks amt planes and contraband sent east from some some- somewhere where along the Border about the middle about here She deep kness-deep In her ber heart she what knew Mr Marston would gIve a lot to know v what he had come hereto here hereto to find What Rod nod Blake would help hIm find It if he knew Rod Rod Blake Blake on Starr Stones Stone's trail lIe He would be as unrelenting as El Capitan It if once he knew all the shining thIngs the sweet things that Son Sonya a knew the dark things the evil things which she kne knell too The whole hole terrible thIng was as too much for one girls girl's loving heart to hold and Son Sonya a felt as If the bottom n were ere falling from the erse as If soon she and all her lIttle world be destroyed ed edHer Her hands clenched tight on her reins ere Ice cold the heart In her breast as cold And the shadows ot of twilight were beginning to fall across the great le lecIs cIs of the sage the sun as t do down n behind the Bad Lands And then from high up and far farI faraway I a away a sound fell feU on her ears the thIn small sound ot of engines In the blue coming rapidly nearer She stopped and looked up and presently she saw lW It-a It tiny speck that grew and Ion lowered until It was IlS circling over her seeking a place to land landt It t was the little gray ry shIp she had hads s seen en before the PO powerful erful blunt nosed thing which could land and tale take ort off wIth such swiftness It was do down don n Its bouncing tall stilled Its en en- en engine gine throttled don do n but running and aman a aman man manas as climbing oser O thE side Ide comIng coining to toward arll her across the und sand Was It could it t be St Starr Stone She peel peeled ed hard for a glint ot of bronze hair beneath his helmet but could not see It nor lor his eJ eyes es behInd the dis fi figuring goggles gObles And then he was here close nt at Dark ness head hend and hIs hand handas as on the bIt She saw baw then that he was dark a that another like him was wai coming from frum the and ship then stark starl drama druma took the whence and the stIll shadows shado s I or Son Sonya a Sas Sa grin lighting for her life cause came out ot of her saddle saw sailing salling assay 3 ay In a panic ot of his empty stirrups sUn ups felt flying the sand sund gh Ing under liar her stubborn feet saw a w the ship loom large as her captors brought her struggling to It felt her hands held behind her She was lifted up and put user oer the side loco Into a gray gruy fL ft tiger 5 seat a strop strap was sous buckled tI tightly around her The man I who ho had first approached her climbed I Into the pilot s seat lut the other squeezed d In some hero here at hu her back and side I Ithe the engine roared for a moment mont ct the prone pl ered surged ahead surged faster its tan tail came up and almost Immediately ly the vast spread pread ot of the began to dro drop 11 assay ay beneath WIth a gasp stifled ed on her ashen Ups lips Sonya was away tay among the tho stars TO an a |