Show Flame of the Border CHAPTER Continued XI-Continued 14 But he followed closely at their heels whIle Serge and Rodney walked about the scantily stored front room looked under counters counter In Upping tipping bins and behind doors They entered the storeroom behind with Ith Its stacks or of packIng cases barrels the usual Jumble ot of merchandIse and Its contaIners which Utter litter such a place And here the red left Parks face It bee became waxen like e a moon In fog But none of the three Uen noticed no- no noticed it it Serge berge was ns too with sorrow sorro to notice much ot of nn thing and Rod nod Rodney ney Blake ss lS is cold to his very for or the same reason renson C Eser er since the sound of Darkness running feet had brought hIm Into the patio at home be had been like a min In u a trance Tile The bottom had fallen out of life for him but there as In the g a ter Able blackness of suspicion First or of orthe the Indians then of Sonya herself herselt lie Ie following Serge und and Mars Marston ton here and now would follow them themI I some hours longer Then he I knew what he meant to do himself shat hat hatI I campaign of searching he could begin be begin gin and his always s thin lips III's drew Into a tine One lineAs line lineAs As the three men explored ong l the disorder of the place the pro praetor kept close to them and once hen Marston raised the lid of a bIn bInot ot of dry heins the muscles of his rIght band rose along the back e as the both bod ot of a cat tenses before It leaps dropped the lid and the hand relaxed 1 here Is nothing here bere Serge saId In They sent ent to fin Ind the sheriff and see how rainy men he had sent out In which directions And beck bleh lt it the ranch Lila sho ho had held her tongue looked JD in the tho face of 1 ra Little and poured out In n a 8 flood all she knew of Sonya and Stars Starl Stone MJ Myra ra s ho had come corne ns as fast as her two good horses ho es and a bouncIng bouncIng Ing buckboard could bring her ber when she heard the news from Crom n a Navajo run runner runner ner who had passed her place My Iy Lord I she said aghast You tint think maJ be she s a gone with Ith hIm Run off What t else said Lila miserably She loses lo hum And Rod nod Blake his said he hell 11 ne newer er give her up to anyone any anyone one n II yes m-yes ml be youre you're rIght Sh She told me of his man whit man kind hInd of e eyes es ho he hid Blue nIue e eyes es wild lid an ex es wIth pupils that spread easily lse Ise seen their once like In a preacher who bo neer ne er should have been one anin nn an In an outlaw at I credo Strange eyes they are an strange men who 0 own n em an women can t forget them ever Maybe you re rIght Lila lie Ie d tale take her her-an shed she'd go It she loved hIm She She does said LIla with conviction tion And all among the Bad Lands inthe In the scattered canyons n c ons along the sage sagebrush sagebrush brush leeIs le eIs a peculiar r thing was hap happening pening From every of the lonely land where she had worked for tor lo ed and befriended them the Nava Na Navajos jos Vi were ere coming tall brown men on sorry horses borses theIr long hair bound on their heads beneath theIr wIde brimmed hats their turquoIse necklaces neck laces S swinging on their breasts They met and spoke In soft clIpped voIces parted and went appointed ways their dark e eyes es on the desert deserts s floor scanning tike the open book bool of the world orId around n a mo mosing Ing network net ork of de detection detection It was Hosteen Bosteen Tso T so who traced her ber bershod shod horse to the town to who ho knew that th she had sat some hours In n a dry wash ash 0 oser er to the east before beCore she went ent to town and who ho followed her step by bv step back bach along the circling way which had taken her to that certain spot where Sonya SonJa had looked last upon the desert s familiar face from the securIty of her hel siddie And there T Two 0 ringers Ingers stood tood with Ith Ae e holding bolding her ber lost hat The three men looked at each other nodded spoke n a few fe low words They all too three long strange marks In the sand wheel marks soft oft and wide Ide with Indentations n in them a sharply defined marl mark running be betwee twee them beginning a bit lt before their start ending a bit before they dId Ione of the three had ever seen an airplane closer than the high blue ski above but they spoke of one now con considering And they took the sons som sombrero brero with them jogging back bacI to their hogans Tomorrow v they would meet agaIn these three and cIrcle wider Ider asking nil all others or of their tribe they met what I they knew of sky ships telling thIs I which they knew And only on If these these- the humble ones whom Rodney de knew despised an Hung of Som Sonia a and what had become of tier CHAPTER XII The Leopard Changes Spots Dawn came slowly Iy to the deep walled room where Sonya sat by the window The girl as wears ear from her sleepless sigil There were dark circles under her e eyes s lines Hues m her young face But her lIps were steady and courageous cour ageous her he the same me Today way M to be big with portent that she I knew Perhaps It meant death Perhaps I she would never behold the sunrise sun sunrise rise or ree the stars wheel In the I eUS Welt une had but one time to dIe I 0 By VINGIE E Ee ROE Copyright Doubleday Doran Co lea Service though she could have wished a more gentle end than would likely come to am one who fell under El I dis displeasure pleasure And that she was there she knew full well elf also h Starr Store Stor e had risked his life elch eich time he saw her when lie he overstayed ed his time Starr Stone who ho was as who must be that Number r fifteen how soft the numeral was In the who Spanish ho was as El 1 DIablo s ablest lieutenant The Theman Theman man whom horn he could neIther spare nor wholly trust now since he hid dis ed him for a woman oman And those who ho cd a jerked her shoulders up wether wet et h her r hips that were ere dry lS is ashes Tw T TIce Ice they said had the bandit leader spread him up only to take hIm do down n a again aln Starr Stone ot of the laughing courage who ho hid dared nIl all things in the old days da s hoe cle cleser cleer er brain hid been heen to I EI I tan who ho was as too to kill 1111 vet who knew too much to 11 lire c If he did duJ not late for him And Son Sonya a Sn arIn who ho knew too much also who ho hosed 10 cd Starr Stone tone and had lI listened to him In the dusk ot of many moons moans who ho hid stooped and picked up a the Ih e ein of first gl grade HIe opium hen B a bungling band had dropped It Parks Quatro Number the four blind keeper or of a store on the cross continent railroad Tie He had blundered but he hid retries ed hIs blunder In instantly by sending El Cl hench- hench henchmen henchmen men to destroy the e evidence by taking It a herself l herself that evIdence Well once agaIn one could finIsh up but once and she was no ones one's quitter If only she mIght see Starr StarrY Y r a t tm m 1 e J rl o rn You Are Well Schooled Senorita He Sneered Stone again look 1001 deep In hIs blue blueeyes blueeyes eyes renew that soul s co cos which they had made one starlit dusk But the senora was as here WIth food on a tra tray v and she was as kind and gen gentIe gentie tIe with that tenderness we show to those about to go on long and perilous journe s ref please the SenorIta she said apologetically there ees cos one who would speak you today Eat ees one whose hose word WOl d ees the law the master I know slid stid Son Sonya a nodding her held I I shill be reads rench senora At what t h hour I do not know that when e one must be cry well ell Son Sonia a and the woman went awas awn Deliberately slue che drank the co coffee tree ate the spiced the little round bits of some hot g sweet geet bread And a little liter lter the senora came for herShe her herShe She walked down don do n the long dark darle pas passage passage sage cool with the nights night's freshness und and Into the treat brent main room of the case casl there lIere there w ere mans men and anda a few fw women omen wilt ho all seemed to look at her which they did thoroughness hn sc In silence A hard lot thew U L for the most part dark k people burned by bv a tropic sun their faces the biz lr s ot of the Ih lies es they ted led 1 lucre here were ere men here who ho bad burned and and shot hot who thou ht no more of killIng n a human bung than of slaughtering a sheep women omen who ho follo followed cd them and wore the things they looted TheIr TheIre eyes e es were ere hot and cold at the same time It If one so describe them with nil all the led lusts of lawless folk foll devoId of mercy or corn com comp p l Ion 1 he senora passed before them and out at the door which stood open at atthe atthe the south So 11 a following follo Ing close he- he behind hind her with her head up Here In Inthe inthe the stone fin ed yard sat her JUdge LI Capitan Diablo In a huge chaIr behind a long table made of crude slabs and undressed set on see lions of peeled and weathered ered Here too was Minuet 1 that dapper slim pilot who ho had brought her across the Border Manuel second In po er In value In ability to that one whom the master had brought home to answer for his sins Ins The sins of lingering too long about that mater masters s business of doing his bidding less and less eagerly of that most heinous crIme ot of nil all loving lovins a good woman El J Diablo hated a good woman toman Ot Of all things on the earth be feared and hated most mo t a 11 good woman What power this one mIght hold against him what hat secrets she aile might know for tor his undoIng he be dId not know What Quince had bad told her In the softening urge of lovo he furiously suspected Esil 11 himself lost to all of at loyalty a double crosser croser of he trusted no one belIeved In Inno inno no one And now no nohe he had the whole thing In hl his hands to Quatro the min who ho knew his ways a sand and works as none other living I knew new them the woman oman of another solid OlId who might wreak his ruIn If she chose That great structure of blood and andraId andraid raId and which he had bad built for himself from to ew York city stood toppling In the hinds of these t two and and o-and El Cl DIablo could ouId not ha Katie e itHe It ItHe He looked at the slim girl before hIm hIs thick nostrils dilating So 50 he said bald we e meet at senorita So it would seem saId Sonya Sa Sat inn innA A great concourse of people was gathering c swiftly in the gro e all standing back lt it a r respectful di distance It wis El 11 Diablo s habit hn It to have tics his judgments witnessed for for sed-for their morel effect I But no nowhere here was as there a tall man with bronze haIr and wIld blue c eyes es that shone The girl looked earnestly around and El I I Diablo smIled Not Just yet senorIta lie he presently to tn all good time Manuel rose and comIng around the table brought a chur and placed It for her Sonia on a nodded but dId not sIt do down n It seemed to her that she was as on trIal here as Indeed she Vi was as though with the Issue a foregone con conclusion elusion and she must take taIe It standing The Injustice the Insult of It all was making a fire In her soul and she was not afraid I think sIr she said sharply sud- sud suddenly suddenly denly that you ou will III answer to my people and my country for this abductIon abduction tIon of myself You cannot hide It long So o You think not Well well has EI CI Diablo lost his cunnIng lIe He had changed his speech to Span SpanIsh Spanish Ish and for a moment Sonya hesi- hesi hesitated hesitated as to whether or not she should show she understood Then she de- de decIded decided that he probably knew she dId and accepted the Issue There comes an end to all thIngs senor she said Yes to life Ufe es eHn en the bandit said smoothly looking at her To life even said Sonya calmly A little whisper of admIration murmured mur- mur murmured through the silent crowd She hall had courage the young whIte woman from beyond the Border No one had ever met the master so word for tor word and e eye e for e eye e The fhe grim shadow ot of his judgments had always broken brohen down his victims early Ibis 1 his girl stood tall and straight her hinds on the chair back I You remember senorita El DI DIablo I said that once I took my lieutenant from your arms on a dance floor That I should have been a warning wanting A suf- suf sufI sufficient I warning Yet you ou dId not heed It Why should I have heeded It saId 1 I 1 Sonya steadily Who were you that I should fear you to such an extent I In my ely country men are free to dance with Ith whom horn they choose I l ou on saw that Quince feared me Yes And knew there must be a j reason He Is no man s coward I Then you should have known the reason to be good I I dId I And tried to find that reason out out I has hae a no doubt I Assuredly And nd did I 1 0 o senor though I tried hard II You hYou shield the man No lou lou lie to me senorita The man straightened In his ch dour lIr banged the ea heahy y table with nn an iron list fist And so do sou ou flashed Son Sonya a s swore sore ore DIablo You tell me that You told me that In my country a man does not speak so to women The man who ruled hIs little world with blood and steel half haIr rose his dark face purple with Ith a mounting r rage Ige In that second Sonya l was nearer death than she had even been T 1 hen he sat down again and smiled 1 that smile was as as an adders adder's grin grm So he said h w e a shall proceed And Quince did not tell telf you that I meet the ships from ChIna at Mazat- Mazat lan Ian No senor Nor that I brIng Into MexIco and I along the Border m merchandise of great No senor I Nor that merchandise crosses I Into the United States by my little gray ships of tiff th sky sley to lie be sent to New fork 1 orl on the railroad I No No senor enor i sou ou are well ell schooled senorita he I sneered I make bold to compliment you both sou did not know that Quince or Is-or was was-my my as-my ablest man In I both countries l he knows s as much of El CI Dia Diablo lo as El EI Diablo know I about himself That he can do any any- anythIng anything thIng connected with with-my from seining the sea at low tide for floats tied to sunken contraband to ta flying a plane You dId not know aU all TO BD |