Show W A pvn 1 11 Jf 77 azoo cp wilt lop 44 X r IN AC 1 31 utho the spoilers the iron trait the th stiver royde roy chorded de etc CW colt r hw U CHAPTER continued 21 sol let us go outside and learn more about this longoria Lon gorlo waved ills his men before him and followed them out of the room and down the hall and into the night when a moment or two had dragged post past dolores quavered what are they going to do with him 1 I dont know anyhow you need not fear there sounded the report of a gunshot deadened indeed by the thick adobe walls waits of the house yet sudden and loud enough to startle the women when longoria Lon gorta reappeared lie he found alaire standing stiff and white against tile tho wall with dolores kneeling her face still burled in her ber mistress gown give yourself no concern he told them quickly 1 I beg a thousand pardons for felepe henceforth no one wille molest you wils was that a shot alaire inquired faintly yes it Is all settled you killed him the general nodded purely for the sake of discipline one ne has to be fir firm now your woman Is andly frightened send bend her away so that we way may reach till an understanding oh hl hi this Is fright frightful fil alabre gasped 1 I cant talk to you go let me go the man pondered for an instant perhaps that would be better lie he agreed reluctantly for I 1 see you too are unstrung very belll my bly affairs will have to wait take a few hours to think over what I 1 have told you when you have slept you will feel differently about mb you will meet me with a smile ell eh ho he beamed hopefully sleep you expect me to sl sleep ecil please he begged beauty Is like a delicate flower and sleep Is the dew that freshens it believe me you can rest in all security for no one can come or gr go without my con consent pent you are cruel to postpone my delight nevertheless erth erthe eless leps I 1 yield to your feelings but star of my life I 1 shall dream of you and of that little priest who watts waits with the key to 0 paradise in his hands he bowed over Al alres cold fingers then stood erect until she and dolores had gone gode CHAPTER the priest from monclova that was a night of terror for the women although Long discipline was in some ways strict in others it was extremely lax from some quarter his men lind secured a supply of mescal and forgetful of fel Fell fillpos lp pos a unhappy fate they rendered tile the hours hideous there were singing and quarreling and a shot or two sounded front from tile the direction of the outbuildings buildings out morning found both alagre find and dolores sadly overwrought but they felt some come relief upon learning that the general had been unexpectedly summoned from hla his bed at daylight and had bad ridden to the telegraph office profiting by ills his absence aladro ventured from her room racking lier her brain to devise some menns means of escape but soldiers were everywhere they lolled around the servants quarters they dozed in the of the ranch buildings t ggs recovering from the nights nig lits debauch and an armed sentinel who paced the hacienda clenda lin road gave evidence that despite their apparent carelessness they had by no means relaxed their vig vigilance linnee A round of the premises convinced alaire that the place was actually guarded end and showed her the futility of trying to slip away she realized too that even if she managed to do so BO her plegh would bo be little better for how could she hope to cover the hundred miles between la ferla and the ilia rio grande when every peon was an enemy she was standing in ono one of the open windows when tier her former protector the old lieutenant bade tier her good morning and paused to smoke a 0 cigarette well it was a great night flight it lie ho began and wo have great news this morning we are going to fight you gringos cringos gri ngos 1 I hope riot liot yes it will probably go bard with you tell me this city of washington to la a eno city and very rich Is 18 it not olt oil yes yea its full of loot eh especially the presidents that Is good one can never believe nil all one henra hears why do yoa yaa ask anatro was waa curious 1 I was thinking it would pay its to go BO there it if your soldiers march upon mexico city it would be a brilliant piece of strategy for general longorio Lon gorlo to invade the united states would it not it would be funny to capture washington and told hold your president for ransom ell eh very funny alagre agreed dryly how would you go about it vl ia pancho shrugged that la Is tile the trouble we would have to march around texas I 1 presume around texas yes you see texas Is n bad country it is s full of barbarians who know how to fight it if it were not for texas wo we would have the ilia united stoles states it at our mercy after some consideration lie he ventured this opinion we could afford to pay tile tho texans for allowing us ua to ride through their country provided we stole nothing and paid for the cattle we ate well longoria Lon gorlo Is a great one for schemes he Is talking over the telegraph with somebody at this moment perhaps it Is the president of texas you are a poor roan man are you not alaire inquired miserably poor would you like to maken make n great deal of money t diesl that to Is why im it a soldier 1 I will pay you well to get me two horses but old pancho shook ills his licad head vigorously orous ly impossible 1 general lon gorlo Is going to marry you we all i got drunk last night to celebrate the wedding yes find and the priest Is walting waiting 1 1 I will make you rich hoi I 1 live to spend a single peso felipe felepe disobeyed orders ond and the general shot him before lie could cross himself boom I 1 the poor fellow was passed in a minute no we will all be rich after we win a few bottles battles and capture some american cities I 1 am an old mau mail I 1 shall leave the drinking and the women to tile the young fellows find and prepare tor for my old age seeing that she could not enlist aid alaire begged him to fetch the priest you wish spiritual comfort isenora cenora 7 perhaps well he look like ilke much of ft a priest but probably lie ho will do As for me I 1 dont believe in such things Chur churches Clies fire are all very well for ignorant people but wo we mexicans are too intelligent we tire are milking making an ad end of them the priest was n small white haired with a gentle almost timid face ond tit nt tile the moment when lie he appeared before adnire lie he wils was in anything hut but n happy frame of mind lie ile had undergone lie he told tier her a terrible experience ills 1118 name was ile he had conic come from monclova whence the file rebels hod had banished him under tinder threat of death ile he had seen ills his church des despoiled polled of its valuables ills school chool closed ho he himself lind had managed to escape only by n miracle during his flight toward the border lie he hold had suffered every indignity and finally longoria Lon gorlo had intercepted jilin and brought him here practically in chains what a situation 1 what clin lie lamented the land Is overrun with whit bandits there Is no law no authority tho rity no faith religion Is made n mockery the men are becoming inal lots and atheists and in many places they will not allow us to give comfort wen even to their women 11 Is it as bod tit as that fattier father OSt rilley shook hla big head bead sad ly youve no idea what do you think of a people who forbid the mention of gods name in their schools that ls is what the ilia revolutionists are arc doing Cande lerla claims that ilia churches are the ilia property of the state ile iio confiscates them and he charges admission lie ile lins has banished nil except a few of us its priests find and ling has shamefully persecuted our sisters of mercy olt oil the outrages outrage sl I 1 mexico Is today the blackest spot on the map of christendom ills ilia voice broke that Is the freedom the liberty the he democracy for which they are lighting that Is the new Jil mexico exico and ilia lie federals are not a lit bit better this longoria longorio Lon gorlo tor for instance this wolf lio ho brings roe me here as ills hla prisoner to sol at nn an unholy illar marringer marr inget ringe I 1 lie ile treats rents me like it dog last night I 1 slept in a filthy hovel 11 oh I 1 im sorry alaire exclaimed but rm im halt half crazed with my own troubles you yon must como come into the house tho the best I 1 have Is yours you shall be as much my guest na as I 1 can ianke you and will help me to escape 11 escape tile the little roan man smiled mournfully you are watched and guarded and so eo nm am L I 1 hven even it if you ton sot got away from here what aint then boll yol cant In ingino the condition of the country 1 I wont marry mail him I 1 alagre cried with a shudder 1 I worl wont tl I 1 ile he cant very well force you to do so but remember these aro are war times the man la Is a alend and he puts no restraint upon ills his desires it if ho be la Is madly bent on having you how enn can you prevent it in normal times he would riot not dare injure onn one so nent as aa you but now father OM rilley lifted up Ms isis hands 1 I only wonder that he suggests a lawful marriage suppose you refuse will ho he ilok bo sacrifice you yon to Us Ms passions ile I 1 I 1 litts done worse orse ti lings after b moments consideration he ha said of course it Is possible that I 1 misjudge him anyhow tt it you ou desire me inn to do 0 o so I 1 mill refuse to perform per forin the we cere many hut but im afraid it will just menn euln for both of us surely he would Wit harm yourl your the fattier father shrugged what nm am 17 an obscure priest ninny of 0 thy my broth era are burled buried la in mexico however I 1 shall do as you ou As the day wore were on alaire realized even more clearly the net fact that she was rag Long prisoner ilia nien men lu in spite of their recent debauch dt bauch kept very good watch over oer her and it was tins plain that they would obey ills hla orders no matter how extreme it occurred to tier her finally that he was sti biasing lying dwity purposely pui in order older to give ghe tier her n fuller appreciation of tier lier posit portion lon so that aliat ole mio might bent her wings against the ilia cage until exhausted afternoon came then hen zoning evening bild still longorio Lon gorlo did not return anther could give ghe scant scent comfort 1 dolores was a positive trial half distracted ainlee roamed through the house awaiting her captors coming steell steeling nr herself for their help final battle kut but the delay ans dying bryin 9 she longed for the alie crisis to come that tills this terrible suspense might bo be ended at such nn an hour tier her thoughts naturally turned to davo dave law lav and site sho found herself yearning seaming fo foi alia in with will a yearning utterly now new ills ilia love had supported her through those miserable days at las Pa linns but now it was waa ft a torture she called ills his name w wildly passionately siona slona tely lie ile knew her ter w whereabouts hereabouts and her peril why did ho a not come then more cn calmly linly site she asked herself what lie he or what anyone on one could do dorher for her how could she look for succor when two nations were tit it war night had come before ahti finally gave gae up lip and acknowledged the ilia hopelessness of tier her situation she had fought bravely bra ely but with darkness her fears grew blacker she ans on the he virgo verge of tier her first breakdown when in the early eaily dusk outside sho heard voices altos and jhb ha stani stamping plug of borkes li orhea hoofs the sounds were muffled by the heavy wooden shutters she bho lind had taken pains to close and bar but they told tier her longoria Lon gorlo had returned since it was futile to deny him entrance she malted where she was as old voice sounded bounded outside then thero there came a knock upon the lie door of the r room earn in which she stood come in she said tensely tile the lieutenant thrust ing ills bend bead in and removing its his lint hat announced there Is someone hero here to see general longoria Lon gorlo on important business lie ile says pays you will do 1 I N yes lie ile says baa lie he Is one of us ui caucho paucho wits pushed aside the door flung back find a man strode aa she heard daves voice faintly swiftly into the him lamplight plight ile iio paused blinking as if momentarily blinded and altiere elut clutched ched nt at ilia ho nearest choir chair for support A roaring began in tier her ears she bho felt herself sway forward as if the strength lint had left her ter knees site she heard daves voice ace faintly lie he was saying take caro care of my horse feed and water tier her well Under understand stano when lian general longoria Lon gorlo comes tell him i I 1 am waiting here As if in n drenzo alabre saw the mexican go out closing the lie door be hind blud him then bliok saw dave da conio tow ard tier lier heard jilin him speak tier her anine felt ills firms arms around her alabre ila did riot not but she never could remember very deiy distinctly chope first few moments scarcely lin know owing ing what bile did sho she found herself lang cling ing to her bar lover laughing weeping I 1 feeling him over oer with Mi jinking milikini hands that would not bo be convinced of his bis reality site bhe was aware of ills kisses upon tier her jops her eyes tier her hair lie ho was saying something which she ehu could not understand stand because of that roaring in tier her ears you heard zoe me calling kh ilia told allm at last olt oh I 1 was so frightened I 1 she clung closer to him after it a lime 1 phe file discovered that hat she bho was mechanically nodding and an slinking shaking her lend head at tile ho questions lie ha was putting to tier her but had only the tha vaguest ade idea a w blut h I 1 t they were by tind and by she bogar to tell him about Longcr lo speaking in a sort of hypnotic murmur ns as it 11 tier her words issued nt at his mental suggestion and all the alie time sho she snuggled against his breast dearest Dear estl I 1 dave held her away in gentle hands 1 I was waa afraid go to pieces like ilka this but I 1 hod had to brick break through the beat way I 1 could I 1 learned you iou were here and about i I 1 what was rag going on from tho the people nt lit the next brinch out but I 1 expected to find him here took too 1 how I I 1 ow did gilld you manage to get here 1 I 3 hardly know I 1 just lot let era em stop moil me ine this lieutenant lot let me cie in until I 1 told him I 1 was front from monterey Mont crey with Import important rint news I 1 dont remember nil all I 1 did tell him I 1 tried to get here last night but I 1 hail had trouble they caught tile nie nud and I 1 had to buy my way through ivo ive bribed anil and bullied find and tied lied clear from romero llo roero I 1 reckon they id risk being here if I 1 a friend it was wag more daves dares toria tono than lila his words that roused alnore to nn an ampre elation of what lie he solid mild are ar you sho she risked asked in vague doniny dl then what tire wo we going low 0 1107 1 I dont know yet my plans ended here davo davel 1 you rode unjust to find met roo I 1 just to he be with me yes and to got him saw ills his face twitch and realized zed tint that it wits very haggard very old find tired they lifted my runs guns a bunch of follows follow lows nt at the itlo negro crossing somo some of if them were drunk slid believe I 1 waa na an amigo so I 1 finally lind hod to ride for it cant you take aki me awny alio ila ar filially what will you do when lio ho coi comes 1 I reckon ill manage him somehow ills s grip upon tier her tightened liftin painfully fullA band she could feet him film tremble 1 I was afraid I 1 find you I 1 0 god cod alnore 1 ile burled buried ills his faco face in tier her lifter 1 I 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