Show A V huttt a rry 1 I i OF ihbe TH s by J rex beah beach 0 copyright by harper sf 17 brothers run RIGARDO RICARDO GUZMAN IS LURED TO THE MEXICAN SIDE AND MURDERED BUT DAVE LAW DISCOVERS THE REAL PLOT AND ACTS airs alagre austin handsome young mistress of bf las paining erwich lost in tho the texas desert zanders wanders into tile the camp of david law state ranger waiting in ambush for it mexican murderer she has to remain there 21 hours until law clip captures tures his man kills another and escorts her home young E ed V austin drunkard berates his wife and makes insulting insinuations about tile the i ranger anger law discovers austin Is with mexican rebels and horse thieves mrs austin encounters sen Alex mexican ican federal when she goes to la ferla her mexican lie elii ranch to collect war damages and honi ho likes loyo to tier her day dae law kills ft cattle thief mrs airs austin gives him a horse and discovers lie Is secretly in love loo with tier her CHAPTER XI A new moon was swinging in tho ilia sky shy ns as alagre and dave rodo rode back toward las palmas now how or when aladro austin came to feel that this ronn man loved tier her she never knew gainly she knew tonight and strange to say the knowledge did not disturb liar her alaire had been repelled by luls luis Long evident love for her but it similar emotion in tills this mans breast had lin d quite the opposite effect she was enier eager for friendship hungry for affection starved star vt d for that worship which every woman lives upon having it a wholesome confidence in her own strength of character and complete falth faith in laws sense of honor better she was neither alarmed nor offended for the first time in years she nl lowed her intimate thong thoughts lits free expression and spoke of tier her hopes her interests find and her efforts under tile spell of the moonlight she even dpn aided something about those dreams that kept tier her company anu and robbed liar her world of its sordidness dave law discovered that she lived in a fanciful land of unrealities realities un and the glimpse lie he gained of it was delightful supper was waiting when they arrived at las palmas und tind dolores lin announced that young ed had bad telephoned front from the lewis ranch that lie ile would not be a homo home yielding to a sudden impulse alabre bald to ner her companion panion YOU must dine with me dolores will vill show you to a room I 1 will be leady in half an hour the austin ranc ranch house hhuse offered a contrast to the majority of texas country homes not for many years had dave law ann been a guest amid such surroundings and lie he began to feel more and ana more out of place with growing discomfort ho be realized that the mistress of this resi residence was tho the richest woman in all this part of tex tet ns its and that lie he was little better than n tramp alaire knew how to be n gracious anil and winning hostess I 1 of course she did riot not appear to notice tier guests embarrassment silo she had rather welcomed tho the thought that tills this man cared for tier her and yet had she deliberately planned to dampen ills his feeling she could hardly have succeeded better than by showing him the lie wide disparity in their lives and situations dave was dismayed he felt im sorry I 1 killed the fellow i veri very poor and ana ridiculous al alre was no longer the woman lie he had ridden with through the solitudes her very friendliness seemed to be a conde condescension seen ile he uld old not linger long after they had dined for fie wished to be alone where he fie could beachan understanding with himself on the steps he be waited bust n moment for alaire to mention it site filie chose that subject which they lind had still left open on the night before reading Itea dlug his thought bhe said you ore are expecting me to say something about canillo panillo sanchez Sanc Sane bez 11 yes yea 1 I lave have thought it over in a fact I 1 have been thinking about lr jr aa 1 11 day but even rt et I 1 dont ko what wha to tell you As its cavi tipon wp self you know I 1 care very little what people say or think im sorry I 1 killed the fellow 1 I have dono done it but one sees seea things differently out in th rough and here berd in tile the settled country I 1 cant help but feel that ills conduct under the circumstances called for or what ft lint he got llo lie a good junn annn in III spite of what joso jose says anto ante confessed to tile me that they were planning nil all sorts 1 of deviltry together 1 thai Is hardly tin nn excuse alabre smiled faintly oh I 1 knowl know I 1 dave agreed dont weaken on oil my iny account not nol im not thinking of the ilia con sequences to you or to me file yu you aro tile the kind of man who can protect himself ini im sure your very ability in that direction frightens me luo a little on joses account but she sighed and lifted tier her shoulders tn in a shrug perhaps time will decide this question for us davo dave laughed with somo some relief 1 I think taink youve worried yourself enough over it maam lie said splitting hatra hairs ns as to right and whiles wrong when it ft matter much in either case suppose you continue to think it over at your leisure Perli perhaps id better and now aladro extended her hand wont you all and Mon trosa come coine to see me once in a while im very lonesome wed loyo loye to davo dave declared ile he had it on his ups lips to say more but at th bluit at moment an eager whinny and tin an impatient rattle of a bridle bit camo came from the driveway and be smiled Ther theres eji liar her acceptance now oh no nol I 1 she merely eitard your voice tile the fickle creature alagre watched tier her guest until lie ho had disappeared into the shadows then silo sho heard him talking to 0 o tile the mare benetos Benl tos words at the ilia rodeo occurred to tier her and site she wondered it if tills ranger ibinger might not also have bave arway a way with women nonien the house was wag very still and empty when she eho reentered entered re it CHAPTER XII the guzman ginman incident ricardo guzman did not return from romero the wan man had bad disappeared fi cared it seemed completely and mysteriously at first farsi the facts appeared plain a citizen of the united states had been lured across the border and done to death by mexican soldiers for it soon became evident that ricardo wits was dead the outrage wils was a casus belli such as no self respecting people could ignore so ran tho the popular verdict the ominous mailed serpent which lay along the rio itle grande st irrell itself of course the people of texas were delighted that the long lie hour ur ila biad struck accordingly when the ilia state department manifested its willingness to allow don dan ricardo ample time in which to come to life in preference to putting a further strain upon international relations I 1 they were both surprised and abid enraged telegraph wires began to buzz the governor of the state sent a sarcastic message to ilia national capital offering to dispatch a company of rangers after guzmana Guz mans body just to prove that lie he was indeed dead and that tho the mexican authorities were lying wh enthey when they professed ignorance of the fact this offer not only caught the popular fancy north of the illo ilia grande but it likewise had tin on effect on tho the other side of the river for on the very next lay day general luls luis longorio Lon gorlo set out for to investigate personally tho the ran ranchers ebers disappearance now throughout all this public cl clamor ainor truth as usual lay hidden bidden at the bottom of its well ivell and few even of ricardos closest friends suspected tho real reason for ills his murder murde r Jones janesville jonesville ville of coursey could think or talk of little else than tills this outrage and blaze jones ns as befitted its leading I 1 citizen was loudest in III big criticism Critt elst of the governments policy Il blazes lazes conception of diplomacy waa peculiar it if talk straight that consul bent a gun bart over the old ruffians ruf ilana bean and telephoned for a couple hundred battleships we americans ite cussed rath notions motions of brotherly lave and universal peace baht bahl were hound bound 0 fo o have war dave sauie some day or other dave nodded his agreement yes yea dut but everybody wa bus the wrong idea of at this killi tig the iho federal cors ers it in dimero illint frame fraine it up no who didt did tul tad lewis jones started what mattes you think v listen I 1 tad was abrald to lot ur gllnn ilia come to trial ricardos dead nud and the lie other witness Is gone now draw your our own conclusions jones was is ania zed say dave lie cried that menus your ense anso lias has blown up cli I 1 absolutely lowis tills has been selling vet pt stock to tho the federals and lie probably arranged with settle of them thein to murder It icardo blaze curson eloquently ill id like to hang it onto tad rd id sure clenn house down dou its his way if r was positive 1 I sent a n I 1 man iian over to romero Iloine ro davo dave explained further lie ile tells ino ine to do Is dead till nil right theres a neny grave rave in tho the little cemetery above ilia town but there it bere iere been a death in iii romero lately t tho the speaker watched its his friend closely it we lind klicar dos body on oil tills this side it would put nil an end to nil all thu the lies and perhaps force colonel blanco to inako inake known they thereal etil facts it might even mean a ease case against tod tad lewis what dyon dyoll say wo go over there and get ricardo davo dave smiled teats whitt what rye ive been lending leading up to will you bod take it cl chance inneo yes 11 1 I knew yon yea would all we need to la a abair pair of mexicans to do tho the worl work I 1 liked RI nicardo cardol I 1 owe him something suppose were in that c case ase well have to tn run for it tind and 1 I presume ill bo be from ilia ho ranger 1 I aint very good tit nt not from mexicans enns benzes eyes were bryght and hard tit at the thou thought glit its moren possible that if they discover us its wo we can start a nice little war of our own that evening davo dave managed to got get ills his ranger hanger captain aln by long distance telephone and tor for somo some time tho the two talked guardedly when dave rang ot off they had como come to a thorough understanding der standing 0 0 0 it had been tin an easy matter for jose sanchez 3 to secure a 11 leave of aisemo from benito hut but alabre knew nothing whatever about the matter until jose himself asked permission to her on a matter of 0 importance the man had ridden liard hard most of the previous night and ills excitement was patent even before lie ho spoke alabre realized that fate was its known to him and she decided swiftly y that flint there must be no f urther further concealment denoral Sc Se norol noral A terrible thing I 1 joso jose burst forth it Is strange unbelievable u 1 my head alabre quieted him saying in spanish anlin yourself joso jose and tell me everything from the beginning 11 nut but how can I 1 be calm calin is completely dead but you know alabre nodded III 1 I suspected suspect od 11 joses josefs dark eyes blazed lie ho bent forward eagerly what did you suspect end why tell me nil all it was with a peculiar apprehensive flutter in her breast that alabre realized tho the crisis had come heretofore 0 she blie had blamed law but now oddly enough she found herself interested in defending him As calmly as she could she related nil all that had led up to the tragedy white while joso listened with eyes wide ond end mouth open you see I 1 hod no suspicion of tile tho truth bho concluded it was it terrible thing and mr lav lacy regrets it deeply ile he would have made a report to the authorities only lie be feared it might embarrass me joso jose was torn with rage yet plainly a prey to indecision lie ho rolled ills his eyes and aad cursed under ills arenth these Ra hangers ligers I 1 11 lie ho muttered that la is the kind of men they are they murder honest people tills was not a murder aladro cried sharply Ol llo was siding aiding a felon to escape the courts will not punish mr law ball bah I 1 who cares for tho the courts this mat man Is a gringo and these tire gringo laws nut but I 1 nm am a mexican and panello was my cousin we see ece dont be rash jose she elie exclaimed warningly jose continued jo io glower then turning away ile he salil without meeting ills his employers eyes 1 III I would like to draw my money very well I 1 nm am sorry to have ou oil leave las palmas for I 1 have regarded raga ed you ns as one of my gente joses anee remained stony stona what do you intend to do where are you going The Thel fellow shrug gett quien perhaps I 1 hall io go tp to my general lon gorlo alabre smiled faintly you will bo be shot she told him those soldiers have little to eat and no money at all but joses bright eyes remained hostile and his bis express expression lOn baffling it was pla plain into to alaird abitt tier her explanation cousins death had carried not the slightest conviction and sho even begin to cicur cor that her pari pare in tho the had him it tu look upon tier her us ns tin accessory nevertheless when site paid him lita his wages she gaad liin him it good horse borse which joso jose with vw thalien hut but without gratitude As alaire watched wiit ched him ride away with n backward glance silo bho decided deel doil I 1 alint lla she ho must illah t lose no time it u appala lug ing tho the ranger hunger of tills now condition of liff filis sho iilo drove her to jones villa hin t afternoon more inore worried lhnn sho lie tired cured to admit t nowhere lii town find so in spite of 0 tier her relue tance alaire wits was forced to look for hlin him at the tones jones home As silo lind aie never er called cill cil upon Pa lonin and lind had alindo it almost impossible for the girl toY to latt lits tile lie met ting of tle two women was somewhat eonik for formell mill X sa s1 A denoral Se noral a terrible ThIn gill joao joae durst burst forth nut but no ono one could long remain sult or constrained with paloma jones tho the girl had a directness tit of manner and tin honest friendly smile that simply would not be dented iter her delight that hilt alaire had anid come to see tier her pleased and shamed the elder woman who best hesitatingly ta confessed abo object ot of tier asit visit oh I 1 thought you were calling on ino valenta iii pouted tier her pretty tills lips dave hero here ho ind and father have gone away it riveted m edca no close observation to discover the concern in Pa lonias cacal cyca aladro told tier lier story quickly mr law must be warned awny away silo lidded tor for tile man Is capable of anything palaina nodded davo dave told us how low lie he had killed ponfilo 11 she blest fated and abild then cried impulsively mrs airs austin im going to confess something ive got to tell somebody or ril ill burst I 1 was as walking ilia floor when you came well dad and dave have completely lost their wits they have gone across the river to get III cardo guzmana Guz mans body what I 1 alaire stared at it the alio girl my aly dear girl arent you dreaming 1 I thought I 1 must be when I 1 hoard heard about it dad woul dat have told ms ine at nil all only he thought I 1 ought to know la in ense coso anything happens to him pa lamas breath failed tier her momentarily ily they left nn an hour ago in my machine with two mexicans to help them they intend to cross rt nt your pumping plant as soon its as it gets dark and be back by midnight that Is it if they ever get back ra palomas lomas face was pale tier her eyes were acro strained ante end tragic she mado made it hopeless gesture and aladro wondered momentarily whether the girls anxiety was keenest tor for the safety of tier lier father or nr the other cant we prevent them front from go lug she eho |