Show Flame of 01 the Border 6 CHAPTER XIII-Continued XIII 16 U n a sound said Sony and bent forward to unlace her ber boots S she che toot took them off Concha ro rose e like a puff ot of smoke eo still she was and graceful in n the dark With her ber heart Acing to Son Sonia n rose too The Mexican girl out and tool took her ber by the sleeve I hit In her ber would not let her touch her flesh llesh Softly step by step the two young oung thIngs crossed d the silent room listened at the partly opened door sIll slid through it In the long dark passage they listened again ng then vent ent south along the wall toward a door which also stood ajar Through this and the nIght sky shy was nas aboe abo e them the tall tull cottonwoods outlined against ng the stars I Ilke tle wraIths of the gloom they entered the grO grove grOe e passed through It it came out on the open landIng field Before the little hangar Sonya Sl W WIn In the the ghostly shape of ofa a lIttle ship They to It swIftly and as the reached Its protecting wIngs a man stepped out from the hangar behind a tall man naked to the waist alst his Ius head bare his feet teet also a min who ho was prepared for spreading up on the morrow Starr Stone drew them both against the gray ships ship's side Sonya I s he be v ss Oh Sonya I Then LIsten We have ha one chance In Ina ina a millIon ThIs plane 13 s stilt still warm from a trip Manuel took this afternoon I heard It come In about dark Yes saId Sonya so bO dId I It I Is fueled They They are ah always ays so Thank God and we Concha-we are here bere I have e just disabled the other one one I thInk though not as permanent permanent- permanently ly as 1 could wish We Wee Wese e got to tale take that one chance Sonya Its It's our only chance Son Sonya a It its S our only one Get In quick With his hands under her elbows Sonya went up along the side dropped Into the little seat felt swiftly for the safety belt Safe Sate the man vs tensely Safe she answered pullIng the buckle buchle tight Then she saw Starr Stone turn to Concha and tike her In hIs arms Conchita he be said softly but loud enough for Sonya to hear the Words I leave leare three thee It is fate But never ne will I forget tine thee nor this thIng whIch you have hae done Always ays whole hUe I live e will I remember Adios little one And bending his tall head he his kis edher ed edher her on the lips Ready Read he said and pushing the gIrl beyond the s wing tip he be caught the propellers propeller s blade Up lip and dov down n he swung sung s ung one It-one two three then n a fourth vehement time and came lithely up and over into the pilots pilot's seat as the roar rO of the catching engine thundered Into the night The moments that followed were ages long iong to Sonya a desperate moments of alloWing allo the ship what hat of Its warm lag time was po possible Terrible moments with drama wIth heart rt breaking suspense Starr Stone hatching the dark house and the poplar grow gro gave gae what he could to safety and then as dim lights flashed In the house among the trees he gave her the gun a little little-a little more more-more y et There came the little surge fon forward ard the heavIer one the lifting of the tallas tall tallas as they rocked ed away along the field the gathering of speed and then the soft was Wil Wile e a of s g as they lost con contact contact tact with the the- earth and sailed away y Into the heavens And Sam Soma a Sa arm looking down n with wide dra drawn dran n eyes e es had bad seen just justas justas t as they surged for the start a long g red spurt of flame where Concha stood d in the shadows heard above the roar roa r of the motor the faint sharp crack of ofa o oa f a shot Oh Oh God I she cried a sob to In he her r throat Oh God I Conchita Conchitas s ConchIta who sa saving Ing her 10 lose e yet t could not save savo him apart from his had made the last great f sacrifice fo Cor r love Itself TIle The pouring pou ring crowd that flo floed ed along g the field lighted now could wreak n no vengeance on her for Concha too w was as gone among the stars CHAPTER XIV On Lone Mesas Mesa's Top Sonya clung to the cockpits cockpit's edge edg with clutching fingers her eye e es s burned dry of sudden tears flied o othe on n the future I If future there was as to b be beThe The aching sorrow for the lovely Me Melean i lean girl who had loved Starr Stone StoneBank Ston e sank Bank deep In her heart ne never neer er to b be e quite eradIcated that Life could do such tI y thIngs to Its poor pOOl dev was devotees was tees cal caling 1 ing from the tarry starry skies They ner v ere e tree free together she and this scarecrow w man with the lId bronze haIr the th o naked torso the bare feet teet and she sh e ushe asked no more of destiny Her ner bras bra brae e a heart leaped high In be beher ber r her soul was ready for Cor anything It might encounter She looked up an d there vas nas laughter on her white face fac e She flung Oung herself to destiny and glori ed In the hazard The memory ot of all sane and o or ordered r tiered dered things las s-as dim and far awry the ranch house that was home the tt faces ot of Serve SerJe md 1111 and the chill d And Rodney mal Blake e I 1 fth a shod sho ck she remembered him He was a stranger to her She Si e could not recall his race face with Ith any a ny clearness there 1 here nas as only one face fa e clear sI r to leI hei The face ot of this man so By VINGIE IE E ROE Copyright ht Doubleday Doran Doron Co Inc Service sn Itched d from death to life this man mun nho ho dross e an through the sl sky ton to ird life and 10 lose e and liberty v Presently tensely tense she saw the gl great elt pale pille ribbon of the Rio nIo The Borders order I t 1 he Intern line I She held her a as they passed above e It and let It out In n a grEat sigh DI CI n Diablo Manuel the adobe house to In the poplar grove they all seemed to fide to became be- be become come came unveil um ell Tike like the figures In n a flight ft ful dream dreamA A little longer and the they be safe and Safe home home At that thought Sonia a sit sharply up the of the b belt Home I Whit It t mean to her and to Starr Stone The rhe stern face of her brother Rod Blake e who had so g promised that no people no country no man should ever er t the her from him and Minton of lew l York the min who came to find nho ho sent the from f rom to the coast t I They had not cheated destiny after all They were he heeded straight for far this and Starr Stone knew It I rot that lie he v Would not leave her to Sl gigs e hImself she i knew V ne full well Confronted wIth this new knowledge of disaster Sonya wet her dry lips cast 4 i i in il ir n l r I i 4 r a II t fit rr 1 Through This and the Night Sky Was Above Them desperately about for Cor something she might tell these three grim men and found nothing But she 1 not glee gie gi e up she told again would wId nc er sink They had passed through too much to fall fail fallat at last Something would happen some nay a v open And then leaning her face across s the cockpit s polished ede she be- be became became came conscIous of something felt fel t something pith a se seventh sense E l- l as a dog senses danger he h e cannot see so this th Is girl of the nil lid d ed land sensed nen ne neda danger da ngel now It 1 as asas s as It if the hackles of her spirit rose What could It be She looked at the back of Stir r Stone Stones s head its bronze hair ss hippie In the of wind Ind behind the thelow th e low and wished she could see his fice It If she could bate ha done so she Woul d base ha seen It set like a mask for long lon before she felt the presence of this un unseen seen danger he hid been g of It lIe knee that not so far behind behin them not so high abo above aboe e another little gray gra Y ship droned f steadily out of the south south- that Nemesis Incarnate was on their r trail lIe knew that In n that f ship there then e v nas as In all a machine gu guIn gun gunIn n In tIle the hand hands of Il El Diablo hImself nit ho nas as an expert In Its use What th the e end would be he did not know Only y that It would be nn an end There was wa s no doubt ot of that II El Capitan never In thIs thi s world let him get n as ny y with what ho l ii e had done with the knowledge ledge he hi d with the stand he be had taken to for forS r S shear Sear ear him and all his works II He e meant to kIll to him kill hili them diem both h It If no other way nas as to possible shoot shoo t them down If they s not land There was n a white line Une about the th e mans s mouth ills blue C eyes es Her ere e black blach with Ith spreading pupils lIe ii e thought desperately of the ion 10 adobe e house Where here firer people lived Alan A d de Ink Ing there maybe a tight fight from the th e house itself Perhaps If he could coul d make mahe It before Ll LI Capitan sensed his s plan But that bl h spot agaInst the th e f sky ky kyas as cowing coming nearer And 1 Where here could coned they land with any an y chance ot of safety Well It nas as fate fate-as he bid told tot d poor Concha And then Sonya Son 1 looked up and bac back k and saw Saw the soft sliver silver thing that fol fo i 10 honed ed like a poin pointing sword She did not gasp or cry out but Dt it Watched It t with wide eyes oJ es and a ban hand d across her mouth After Arter all After nit all the mon monstrous tr nn the fear SOl sorrow ro roa a and nd the hopes hope I eerily Starr t Stone His lS Plying 11 In for hIs sins find and she paId alth Ith him fur t hat lute 0 c had holl redeemed him tl to manhood s high estate had hod made of her a ru fu e un an outcast from her 0 oWn II but horned burned In her soul with beauty So be It Sonya on a Su 1 t-in t so sobe sobe be It 00 Donn n In that dim World oriel below the thelast last net act of this drums ruml of the gigs land as Ing fur enactment lo Posse e utter pose scouring the lone lecis le cis had tinned lm nell kick tun tU ud the and the ton loan to n cisI I till they sought Hess ne cements In mule mote e preparations to the cannons l n ons and am the Bid Ian I ands s coup coun I by tl Serge S1 arlu tile the t O men pith Ith him rode tnt and Would not gigs up 1 0 I fingers Nev lIo I t so hunted p In eser er iden I iden Ing circles hit th had coffered ered all the fare e of the II tt H laud land laudin landIn In the quest of these three silent triflers there nas more thin a mere mero search for or a lost stifle Homan There US nas the dim and nd gentle shadow of that iii deity the Blue lue South Wom- Wom Woman an n ho made her hopin In the white girl S heart heartSo So the Nl rode steadily lly 1 rl ride e until then the foun found her eIther In brio mg or dead del if she gas a an anywhere here In fa the tho aide land and destiny came to meet them diem They hid done pith the sagebrush le els Lone Mesi loomed before them Silently save sa for the click of the climbing hoofs hoof l they ascended fan fan- figures from a long deed past the low moon red behind them And In the magnificent hel heiens Start Starr Stone looking desperately down ahead caught the dIm outline of Lone Mesas tesa's crown Its shining shining white stone level le Here was a landing place Here Dere were wills against bich a man might make n a stand If he were armed find shelter behind which If he were not not I pro he could get the time to leave his bis plane and gain them Sonya at his back felt the ship be be- beneath neath her tilt In a long smooth d do- do elms cline saw the moonlIt earth come up to ard them themI I And she too SaW and recognized Lone Mesa lesa It was almost level leel le el with was them the so-the ship was as leveling off tance heIght had dropped they away were f skimming the mesas mesa's surface surface- touchIng bouncIng on the uneven rock 1 were erf still BehInd them that other 1 Was as at the ery edge above them passIng over Starr Stone pith his arms about Sonya dragging her 0 oser er the side cast castone castone one flashing glance ahead Kismet i he slid 1 nith Ith white lips 1 they hey beat us after nil alII I They re redo redone do done don n between bet een us and the pueblos So So the they were the rocking gray ship still a hundred feet beyond And m El Diablo Manuel l deadly shapes ot of menace were climbing out coming to ard them Calmly stood beside her man Come hack bach she saId touching him ton to ard the cliff It Is our only way ny With his arm around her StarE Starr Stone turned and stumbling hurry hurry- hurryIng hurrying Ing they crossed the tho space between them diem and that sheer lip where once ages ago It seemed they had looked Into each other s tragic faces and found theIr destiny Dirling the man sill softly hold to tight me-tight-don't be afraid Sonya S1 ann laughed a little low SOli sound nd Afraid she said running WIth you halts BaIt I came the great voice of II El CapItan Diablo Halt i 1 Or I fire I There Thue was v as yet et a moonlit space for tor forthe the running feet Ceet Death might catch them before they leaped to meet lt It Crack I Crack t I Crack I IThe The sharp harp of an automatic not the machine gun Bullets whined about them cUpped clipped Into the rock roch beyond And Sonya Sl looked up for forthe forthe the list time Into the face which had filled her heart her soul to the exclusion slow sion of all else since Ince thit wild day In spring here hele on this wind swept heIght When hen she hid h first behel beheld It it The man looked down sloe ed cd In hIs stride One moment more more-a kiss hiss maybe and this glorIous a adventure venture would be bedone bedone done fore sealed forever sealed er-sealed like HIe a deathless flame fame In n the casket or of eternity And then high on the thin blue air there came a sound as old as the ruIned nails aIls behind a sound to chill the blood to shock the tho very soul souk Clear and high and age sa primitive as life itself the nar ar cry of the Nav- Nav Navajos ajos It abo above aboe e the cricking gun stopped the min and the Homan oman like a trend upon their shoulders And out from the dusty shadows of the crumbling Hills v three shadows came Ithe darting fames In the very act or of skirling to meet them m El Capt Capi- Capitan tan and his henchman were ere caught in their theft onslaught neat ent down beneath diem Then as Starr Stone rim toward them as Sonya a follo followed ed tall Two lin- lin lingers l Ia hers gers rose with the dapper pilot hel held by the neck in his pen PO erful hinds Behind hIm Nez Hosteen Tso came struggling up with the great bulk of El I I Diablo fighting like n a fiend fend be be- tv to een them thero South Woman said Two shat hale hl these done to you and to your man lie He spoke In Navajo and Sonya any an- answered panting TO an am OO Tl O |