Show FLAME of o the BORDER By V VINGIE I N G lEE E ROE W u Doubleday U Dorm Dorn Co Ine Ina CHAPTER XII XII Continued Continued 12 12 So he thundered my people talk behind me do o they They mention men tion that nt which Is never ne to be mentioned men r I shall deal with you you and and you jou ou senora senora later Now bring brIns me At that Son Sonya a felt the world go round for Cor one terrible second She clutched the chair back tightly And from somewhere at nt the right there came the tho so sound nd of ot marching feet the swift step of ot men obeying a master Through the dappled dapple shade cast by the poplar trees five figures mo moved mod d Into her line of ot vision four who walked abreast In twos and In their ml midst st a D fifth Starr Starr Stone as ns tIle she had seen him last In cowboy boots and dungarees belted belle nt at his lean hips a fa faded ed denim shirt lie was haggard and his eyes were large In his tanned face and his arms were bound behind him He was a prisoner wit with all nil a n prisoners prisoner's Indignities heaped upon him but buthis buthis his Ills tall form was erect his blue blueeyes blueeyes c eyes es dark with the spreading pupils He strode toward the table with his gaze saze on Diablos Diablo's s 's face and saw no other In the silent mass Senor he said Senor said El and the smile was gone from his face It was black with fury For five fire years Quince you have b been n with me my me-my my best and ablest man You have hae done my bidding quickly You have led my raids You have H e put my safely my merchandise safely through Its secret ways I have called and you have haye come always Always until lately Lately you have ha come on laggard feet Ceet You have held back at m my orders You have disobeyed me And AmI I have haye now the reason renso That hat reason Is a woman A woman whom you Jou have set before be be- before before fore El EI Capitan Diablo Whose word has Las been more to you than my word Who through your Jour Instruction doubtless has come upon the key of my activities Who has caught Quatro with the goods In his own store Who holds Diablo and all his future In the hollow of her hand Or would so hold him had It not been for Quatro's swift action In Inthe Inthe inthe the matter Senor Senor behold behold the woman 1 He had half risen again leaning with one broad brond hand on the table With the other he pointed dramatically to Sonya And like a flash Starr Stone whirled and saw her It was the first Inkling he had had that she was not safe In her own countr country and her own pursuits and the shock of ot It drained his face to toa toa toa a ghastly pallor Sonya I 1 his lips formed sound lessly I Yes said the girl defiantly I they took me from my horse two YO nights eights ago ago me me-by me by airplane air i I plane plane and and brought me here because I I stumbled on the fact that Parks Is their agent In the smuggling of narcotics across the line They think you told me me that that you and I have ha planned to double-cross double this wicked ed bandit here this here this beast who says Im I'm lying I 1 She waved a hand at El EI Capitan nodded her black head toward him Ah A beast am nm I El Capitan Diablo a beast Yes senor and and worse said Sonya You Yon may kill me meas meas meas me- me as I do not doubt you will but will but I am nm aman aman an nn American and I do not bend to you either In body or souL We are both Americans Oh Americans 1 And Americans do o not double-cross double No senor Well we shall see se-e. Quince at Quince at What do you say for yourself yourself your your- self The tall man standing In the mottle mot mot- tle sRa shade sT o e ed long In his masters master's masters master's mas mas- ter's nce ace What years of ot wrongdoing ing t cS J obedience of fear were In that only they two might say For Tor a time It held between the wild blue e eyes es the deadly black ones Then Starr Stone turned turne to Sonya A misstep In my mJ early youth youth youth-It It doesn't matter now what It ht was wasI was was- I put me In the power of El Capitan r Diablo For m my freedoms freedom's sake I 1 cast In my lot with him For my lifes life's sake I 1 could never leave him n afterward I have raided burned and pillaged but I have never killed a man nor harmed a woman or a child I have been his brains In smug smuggling his ablest lieutenant as as ns n's h ho ha says But now Im I'm through With death as my sure reward for tor what Im I'm saying I say here am and now before these witnesses that I Iam Iam am done forever Done with all al wrong and all evil mn That the tho leopard changes his spots at nt last For the thc l love e of you Jou In n my soul I am made over o new They rhey will kill me soon and I hope they'll send you with me mc with all my heart though heart though hen hell Itself can hold no torture for me mc meto to compare with the knowledge thaI that tha I I have brought you to this That Tha will be more punishment than my lost soul cnn can bear Oh Son Sonya n forgive for give me mo for what Ive I've done one to yo you F you panted the girl gir half sobbing Forgive you 7 I 1 glory In you I 1 And well we'll go together never tear fear I If It not one way then another It will not be a long good-by good I promise you Souls covenant co said Starr Stone answered Souls covenant she slie But here El EI Capitan leaped to his booted feet his fist on the table again It will not 7 he rasped You think It wm not I El Capitan Diablo has hns yet the final word You to the winds and the vultures Quince and may you remember remember remember re re- member many things In the the tile the In In- You he turned to Sonya and leveled a finger at nt her I 1 give to that one among my men who rises to this Quinces Quince's empty place Manuel Mantiel Manuel Man Man- uel tiel my compliments the lady I believe y you tl like lIJe a white skinned woman with curls In the hair And after you you the the rest And that as they y say across the Border Bolder Is that that Take them both away The four men moved to surround their prisoner the marching feet passed swiftly and Sonya watched the tall bronze head go o out of at the shade Into the sun sun around around a n corner orner The world and all It ht held turned dark before her Just as the senora reached out a n motherly arm She dimly heard hear Manuel saying Careful senora careful she careful she Is mine CHAPTER XIII Loves Love's Sacrifice WHEN she opened her e eyes es again It was dark Clark In the deep deep- walled room and she she lay on the ancient an nn cleat elent bed For a while she lay ay In Ina Inn ina a n sort of stupid peace gathering her faculties which seemed to have been scattered to the four winds And then sud suddenly enly the values alues of life dropped Into their appointed places like the brilliant colors In a kaleidoscope and she knew where she was and what had happened El had spoken and she was as still a prisoner the property of a dapper Mexican bandit with Ith predatory eyes and laughing thin lips Manuel the aviator lator And Starr Stone was gone gone oh oh heaven en I 1 Gone to that ghastly fate tate which lurked In the poignant words you to the winds and the vultures The wild blue e eyes es that had darkened darken and changed under the mandates of life Ilfe the lon long hands bands with their tender touch the li lips s so 80 warm upon her own 1 And presently the senora senom came padding softly to the door on heavy feet for she was old and excellently excellently excellently ex ex- ex- ex fed and entered to her kindly ministrations Sonya whirled and faced her her dark e eyes es burning In the shadows Senora she he said sald desperately have pity on me met mel J Can you not help me A knife senora with senora with my next meal meal left left on the tray In the name name of that holy Woman whom you worship please senora 1 I II I cannot child she answered gently Manuel would kill IJ me Come let me wash your sweet white body with fresh tresh water And there Is perfume and a womans woman's clothes to dress you In In-a In a scarlet dress and I golden shoes for your Jour feet Tonight Tonight Tonight To To- night you ou rest rest rest-Manuel's Manuel's Manuels orders orders- but tomorrow you wear these things for him You must forget torget Forget I 1 Forget the Forget the vultures and the wind I Forget the stars the soft sott winds blowing the creak of ot leather and Starr Stones Stone's hand on hers laid on her pommel I If It you have within you senora she said piteously any remnant of ofa a womans woman's pity for tor another woman lost ost to all the light of ot life leave me to fight It out alone Leave Lea me menow now For a alon along lon long time the other othI stood and watched her calculating then nodded and turned away I have hn not forgotten forgotten for for thirty years she said sail cryptically You shall have hae your Jour night que da The sound of the bolt holt falling echoed In the empty passage And Sonya SonJa who had guar guarded ed life lite so well now stood at bay baJ holding her breath pondering desperately how she might destroy destroy de de- stroy It I If only she had haa her bags I Her lIer I little case of ot Instruments 1 But she had nothing nothing and and Starr Stone was dying now perhaps or would to morrow There was nothing left to do do no foes toes to face with lifted head no schemes of ot hope to make no one whom she might coax to help her And so at last Sonya having ex ex- nil all her resources scant at best In this terrible situation ma made e ready to bow in resl resignation Dation She melt knelt by the ancient be bed which had no doubt seen trag tragedies les before and fol folding her hands addressed her soul to Its Maker In sorrow and humility How flow long she knelt so she bhe never neer afterward could recall Sometimes she sho prayed weeping for that other soul which had so grievously misspent misspent misspent mis mis- spent Its da days das s and these were fer cr v vent nt pra prayers ers abated abased an and agonized before the heavenly throne begging for that mercy of the eleventh hour which has been divinely promised sometimes for Serge and Lila Llla an and little Dabs Babs even eyen for Darkness For herself she asked scant favor It had been always al so with her Service Service Servo ice to her fellow men comfort for tor tora a all suffering things had been her passionate aim In n life Ufe Of or herself she thought last an and least of ot Starr Stone most If Ie only they had met In those early da days s 's of which he spoke before that one misstep had put him In El EI Diablos Diablo's Dl- Dl ablo's power ma made e him an outlaw a Border renegade When the sweetness sweetness sweetness sweet sweet- ness the kindness In n him had been paramount Before Defore sin and wrong had put the leopard spots upon him But the spots were changed at nt last when It was too late To his face he had repudiated El Capitan signed his own death warrant for tor anyone leaving the dark service of this monstrous bandit put himself on the spot as ns truly as any In more modern places And he had done It deliberately to prove pro to her that he was changed even to the death The courage which had shone in his face at that repudiation had been magnificent He knew none better the fate of ot ofEl ofEl otEl El Diablos Diablo's double and he double-crossed double him high-handedly high and with supreme finality Oh Starr Starl I wept Son Sonya a with her forehead on her clasped hands Oh my man of or all men I My Iy one and only love I 1 In the warm dark silence the heart in her seemed to melt In anguish anguish an nn- the tides of life liCe to run swiftly out For her It was the ebb of finite things the last low hour before the end In a dull coma of hopelessness hopelessness hopeless hopeless- ness her face swollen with weeping r rr r K t u ucA cA 3 a a i Through This This and and the Night Sky Was Above Them she sank lower and lower against the great bed her lips apart her I black head disheveled And Into this last deep ab abyss ss there dropped a D t tiny ny sound Th The outside bolt huge and heavy slipped slowly In Its slot I Instinctively the girl shrank back against the bed I I Manuel I 1 IManuel f Manuel Mnnuel her master I She stifled a n scream on her open mouth her hand across It And then a voice whispering Into the darkness a breath of a voice as ns lovely as ns said Senorita I ISI I ISi SI said Sonya Sona gasping I 1 am here There was the murmur of ot a movIng moving ing lag form and Concha knelt carefully carefully carefully care care- fully before her Sonya SonJa reached out and touched her Incredibly but the girl drew sharply from Crom the contact con con- tact Attend Attend she sal said If you OU are brave brave are are you Jou so senorita 7 I 1 am amery very ery brave bra said Son Sonya a simply Then listen You I hate from my souls soul's bottom bottom I. I could strike you OU now with my two hands hands but but there Is another Is-another another whom I love Oh Oil Mary Mother I Lovo Lovel I she said as If to her Inward self seIr She stopped a u moment moment mo mo- ment meat then went onIt on If It you can follow me without a n sound there Is Is-a Is a hope Can Cnn you Jou walk walle so Without a sound sal said Sonya and bent forward to unlace her boots Swiftly she took them off oIT The Mexican girl reached out and took toole her b by the sleeve slee That hatred In her would woul not not let let her touch her flesh llesh Softly step by step the two young things crossed the silent room listened at the partly opened door and slid through It In the thelong thelong thelong long dark passage they listened again then went south along the wall toward a door which also stood ajar Through this this and and the night sk sky was e above them the tall cottonwoods cottonwoods cottonwoods cotton- cotton woods against the stars Like wraiths of ot th the gloom they entered the grove p passed through It came camo out on the open landing field Before the little hangar Sonya saw In the starlight the ghostly shape of oC a little gray ship They mado toward It swiftly and as they reached Its protecting wing a man stepped out from the hangar behind be hind a n tall man naked to the tho waist his head hend bare his feet also aman aman a n man who was prepared 1 for spreadIng spread Ing up on the morrow Starr Stone drew them both against the gray graj ships ship's side Sonya I 1 he whispered Oh Sonya Sonya Son Son- ya Ja 1 Then Listen Wo have one chance In a million This plane Is still sun warm from a trip Manuel took this afternoon I heard It come In about dark Yes said Sonya so did I I. I It Is fueled They are always so Thank God God and and Concha wo Concha-wo wo are here I have Just disabled the other one I think though not as permanently permanently perma perma- as I could wish Weve We've got gotto gotto gotto to take that one chance Sonya SonJa Its It'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 Celt swiftly for the safety belt Safe the man whispered tensely Safe SaCe she answered pulling tho the buckle tight Then she saw Starr Stone turn to Concha and take her In his arms Concha he said softly but loud enough for Sonya to hear the whispered whispered whis whis- words I leave thee It Is la fate But never will I forget thee nor this thing which you have done Alwa Always s 's while I live I will remember Adios little one And ben bending his tall head he kissed her on the lips Ready neady he said and pushing the girl be beyond ond the planes plane's wing tip Up he caught the propellers propeller's blade Up and down he swung It one It one two three then a fourth v vehement time and came lithely up and over Into the pilots pilot's seat scat as the roar of ot the tho catching engine thun thundered ered Into the night There came the little surge Burse forward for tor ward the tile heavier one ne the lifting of the |