Show TU alie fla faiq jeuhu T S and WMS w S of tr J r abken M INS a 0 U Is by DANE COOLIDGE author of A stirring story of the TIIE THE FIGHTING I TIIE THE FOOL HIDDEN DEN etc WATERS mexican revolution illustrations by DON J LAVIN copyright by frank A munsey muney A of border mexico vivid intense such auch as aa has never before been written Is this one of american adventurers adventure re into the land of manana texan mining engineer spanish senor and senorita peon indian crowd its ita chapters chaptan with clear cut word pictures of bual i ness adventure and love against a somber background of wretched armies marching and counter marching across a land racked by revolution and without a savior CHAPTER 1 I tho the slow blow rolling winters sun bun rose coldly far to tho the south riding up from behind tho the saw safi toothed sierras of mexico to throw LL a silvery halo on oil la doden tho the border city A hundred miles of desert lay jay in its path a waste of broken ridges dry arroyos and plains and then suddenly as aa if by magic tho city rose gleaming in tile tho sun I 1 it waa a big city for tho the west and swarming swa 1119 with truffle trade and mon men its ita b broad bd d main estreet lined with brick buildings and throbbing with automobiles ran mn from tho the railroad straight to the south until at s line it stopped short abort and was waa lout lost in the desert that line which marked tho the sudden end of growth and progress sa was wae the border 0 of tho the united states tho desert was waa mexico and tho the difference was not in tho the land but in tho the government As an tho the morning air grow warm arid and the hoar frost dripped down from froin the roofs the adlere of tho the town crept forth leaving chill lodgings and stale saloons for the street corners comers and the sun BUU against tho the dead wall of a big store thu mexicans gathered in shivering groups their blankets wrapped around their necks and their brown ankles baro bare to tile tha wind on another corner a bunch ot of cowboys stood donnishly clannishly aloof eying the passing crowd for others of their kind in this dun stream which flowed lowed under andor tho the morning run aun there were mining men with high laced boots and bulging pockets graybeards with tile the gossip of tho town in their cheeks checks hoboes hobles still wearing their eastern caps cape and still rustling for a quarter to eit eat on somber eyed refugees and sol doors of af fortune from mexico put jut oda illera alt all and each seeking hta cis class ii i i and kind jt auy women passed that way they walked si fast looking neither to tile the right nor to tho left for they too tol t ol being so BO few missed their class and kind gadsdon gadsden had become a city of men hugo huga and powerful and with a questing look in their eyes a city of adventurers gathered from the ends enda of tho world A common calan calamity lity had driven them from their mines and ranches and glutted tho the town with men tor for the war var was wao on oil in mexico and from tho the farthermost corners of sonora they still came hot from somo now scene of murder and pillage to adato add to tho general discontent As aa the day wore on tho the crowd on oil tho the bank corner whore tho the refugees made their stand changed its ita complexion pl exion grow grew big and stretched tar far up tho the street men stood in shifting groups talking arguing gazing moodily at those who passed here wore were hawk eyed texas cattlemen thinking of at their scattered horde horda at marabl Itta babi or el I 1 tigre mining men with idle prospects and deserted deser tod mines as aa far south as tho the rio yaqui mill men rancher ran chera fl and men of trades all driven in from below tho the line and all chafing at the leash while a hundred potty petty chiefs stood out against bla madero dero and lived by ransom and loot they must cool their heels in gadsden and wait tor for tho the end to come into this seething mass of the dispossessed many of whom had lost a fortune by the war there came two more with their faces still drawn and red from hard riding through the cold they stepped forth from the marble entrance of the tha big hotel botel and swung off down the street to see tho the town they walked slowly gazing into tho the strange faces in the tha vague hope or of finding somo some friend and gadsden not to be outdone out done looked them over curiously and wondered whence they had bad come the bunch of cowboys still loitering on ion tho corner glanced scornfully at ithe smaller man who sported a pair of putters puttees and then at the big mans feet binding rinding them encased in pros proa sectors shoes they stared dumbly at ahls wind burned face and muttered among themselves ilo ho was tall and broad across the shoulders with fani seeing blue eyes and a mop of light hair and tie be walked on an his toes stiff legged swaying from hla his hips liko 11 ko a maxi matt on horseback tho the rumble of comment rose up again as he be racked rached past and then a cowboy voice observed i ill bet ye hes a cow punch 1 the big man looked back at th them em mockingly out of the corner comer of his eye alid went on without a word it Is the boast of cowboys that they can tell another puncher at a glance but they are not alone in abla thero there are other crafts carts that leave their mark and other men ne ae shrewd A group of mining men took ibok one look at tho the arn allor mat man noting the candle grease on his c corduroy roys a and the intelligence it in hla his eyes and to them the big man was wall no more than a laborer or a I 1 shift boss at most and the little man was ono one of 0 their kind Ev every eryline alno in his 1118 mobile faco face spoke broko of intellect and decision and as aa they walked it was he be who did th the 0 talking while the big man I 1 only nodded and smiled they took a turn or two up the street now drifting into some clamorous saloon now standing at gaze on tile the sidewalk and as aa the drinks began to work the little man became more and more animated tho the big man moro more and more amiably in ilia his assent and silence then they passed the crowd of refugees they stopped and listened commenting on tile tho various opinions by an exchange of knowing smiles an old prospector whito haired and tanned to a tropic brown finally turned upon it a presumptuous optimist arid and tho the little man nodded approvingly as aa ho he heard him express hla his views you can say what you please the prospector ended but im going to keep butof out of that country ive knowel them mexicans for thirty years now and IM ill tolli telling fig you bitting gitting treacherous it dont do no good to have your t gun un with you shoot you from behind a rock and if they cant git you that way knife you in your sleep ive noticed a big change in n them pal since this war como come on defore madero made his hie break they used to bo be scared of americans thought if they killed one of us ua the rest would cross the border and eat em up what fow few times they did tackle a white man tie ho generally give a good account of himself too and ive traveled them trails for years without hardly knowing what it was to be afraid of anybody but I 1 tell you its entirely different over there them now I 1 surat right ill I 1 spoke up ul tile the little man with spirit youre talking more sense than any m man am on the street I 1 guess I 1 ought to know ive been down there and through it all arid and its got so now that you cant trust any of lern ern my aly pardner and I 1 came caine clear from the sierra madres riding SA www ape pretty near know ing ng hoy laud pu right observed bud tho the big bg matt man with a reminiscent grin 1 I 1 begin to think them fellers aou would id got get us for a lell ng men inquired the old prospector proa politely working on a lease sald said the little man briefly br lelly owner got scared out and lot let us in on shares but no more for this will hold bold me tor for quite a while I 1 can tell youl you here too agreed tho the big man turning to go arizona Is good enough for mo como come on phill where to the little man mail drew draw back halt resentfully and then tie lie changed hla his mind all right he said falling failing into step it a gin fizz for mine not on an empty stomach ad mon lahod his pardner you might get lit up and tell somebody all you know ilow how about something to eat good but where re you going the big man was w as leading off down a bado street and once more they canio came to a halt jims place its ft lunch counter he explained laconically the hotels all right and maybo maybe that was a breakfast wo we got but I 1 got get hungry waiting that way gammo a lunch counter where I 1 can arop my legs around a stool and watch the cook turn lem em over come on I 1 been there before an expression of pitying tole tolerance rafice came over tho the little mans face as he ha listened to this rhapsody on the quick lunch but ho be drew away reluctantly aw come on hud bud his he pleaded have a little class the use or of winning a stake staka if youve got to eat at a dog joint and besides say that was a peach of a girl that waited on us this morning did you notice her hair she was a pip pippin pint 1 the tha big man waggled hla his hand resignedly sign edly and started on his way all right pardner he be observed it if the deal ashes probably looking for you ill meet you in the room aw come bonill on I 1 urged the other but hla his heart was not in it and he turned gaily away up tho the main street left to himself tho the big tuan roan went on an to hla his lunch counter where he ordered oysters A dozen in the milk then ho he ordered a beefsteak to make up tor for several he had missed and asked the cook to fry it rare ile he was just negotiating for a can of pears that had caught his eye when an old man camo came in n and took the stool beside him picking up the menu with trembling hand give me a cup of coffee he be said to the waiter and he gazed at the bill of faro fare carefully and a roast beet beef sandwich cb no just tho the coffeen cof feel lie he corrected and at anat dud bud gave him a I 1 look 00 k he fie was a small man shabbily dressed and with scraggy whiskers and hla his nose was very red here called bud coming to an aa instant conclusion give am his sandwich ill pay for itt all right answered the waiter who was no other than sunny jim the proprietor etor taid and whisking up a sandwich from the sideboard deboard el he be set it before the old man who glanced at him in silence for ft a fraction of a second he regarded the sandwich apathetically then with tho the aid of hta his coffee he be made away with it and slipped down off his stool say observed the proprietor as aa dud was waa paying ilia his bill do you know who that old timer was what old timer inquired bud who hud had forgotten his brusk benefaction why that old teller feller that you treated to the sandwich Band oli oh himl him somo old drunk around town hazarded dud bud well hes that too conceded sunny jim with a smile but lemme tell you pardner if you had halt the rocks that old boys got you need to punch any more cows thata henry kruger the man that just sold cold tho the crosscut cross cut mine tor for fifty thousand cash and hea he got more besides huh grunted dud bud ho he sure dont look it say why you put me wise now ive got to hunt him up and apologize oh all right assured the proprietor ho he wont take any offense just like old henry hes kinder queer that way well ill go and see him anyway said bud ho might think I 1 was butting in and then going about his duty with philosophical calm lie ho ambled off stiff legged down the street CHAPTER 11 II it was not difficult to find henry kruger in gadsdon gadsden the barkeepers bar keepers those efficient purveyors of information rind drinks know knew him as they know ow their thumbs and a casual round of tile saloons soon located him rn jn in the back room of the waldorf say began dud bud walking bluffly up to him the proprietor of that restaurant back there tells me I 1 made a mistake when I 1 insisted on oil paying tor for your meal ineal I 1 jest wanted to let you know oh till nil tight right young man returned old henry looking up tip with a humorous smile we e all of us make pur mistakes I 1 knowel you ou kl 4 ana k ar t we all of Us make our mistakes mean no offense and so I 1 never took none fact Is I 1 liked you ou all the bettor better for lt it this country Is getting settled up with a class of people that never give a nickel to nobody you paid tor for that meal like it was nothing and never so eo much as looked at mo me sit down sit down I 1 want to talk to you they sat down by the stove and tell fell into a friendly conversation in which nothing more was said of the late inadvertence but when bud rose to go the old man beckoned him back hold on ho he protested dont go oft off mad I 1 want to havo have a talk with you on business you seem to be a pretty good young fellow maybe mayb we can make some dicker what are you looking for in these parts well responded dud bud some borne kind of a leasing proposition I 1 reckon me and my pardner jest come in from mexico over near the chihuahua line and we dont hardly know what we do want yet yes ive noticed that pardner of yours remarked henry kruger dryly iles hes a great talker I 1 was listening to you boys out on the street there having nothing else to do much and being kinder on the lookout for a man anyway and it struck me I 1 liked your line of talk best youre easy satisfied then observed bud with a grin 1 I never said a word hardly it returned kruger dignin cantly this job ive got calls tor for a man like that well phils all right spoke up bud with sudden budden warmth we been partners pard ners nero for or two years now a and nd he never give nothing away yett lie he talks but he dont forget himself and the way he can caa palaver them mexicans Is a wonder very likely very likely agreed kruger and then he sat eat a whilo while in silence WO we got a tow few thousand dollars with us too volunteered dud bud at last im a good worker it what you want and phil hes a mining engineer urn m grunted kruger tugging at hla his beard but he did not come out with his bla proposal 1 I tell you lie he said at la last st im not doing much talking about this proposition of mine its a big thing and somebody might beat me to it IL you know what I 1 am I 1 guess ive pulled off some of the biggest deals in this country for a poor man and I 1 dont make many mistakes not about mineral anyway and when I 1 tell you that this la is rich youre talking taking with a man that knows ile ho fixed his shrewd blue eyes on the young mans open countenance and waited for him to speak right he continued as bud finally nodded noncommittally non ashes sure rich ive had an a n eye on this proposition for years just waiting for the right time to come and now its come I 1 all I 1 need Is the man it aint a dangerous undertaking leastwise I 1 dont think it Is but I 1 got to have somebody I 1 can trust im willing to pay you good wages or ill let you in on the deal but have to go down into mexico No Noth thin ln doing responded bud with instant decision it if its ita in arizona ill talk to you but no more mexico tor for me ive got something pretty good down there myself as far as that goes tile the matter inquired kruger sot set back by the abrupt refusal 1 scared yes im scared admitted bud and he challenged the old man with his eyes must have had a little trouble then well you might call it that agreed bud we been on the dodge for a month A bunch of revolt osos tried to get our treasure and when we skipped out OU t on em they tried to get us well continued kruger this proposition of mine is different you was 0 over ver in the sierra madrea 1 where the natives are bad these sonora mexicans aint like ilka them chihuahua fell fellers |