Show the land of broken promises r promises by DANE COOLIDGE A st stirring arring irring stor story v author Autho of the th fool P t of the tha mexican hidde the Text Tex lean can etc revolution Il lustra by don J lavin n 1914 by prank frank A muncy CHAPTER continued let tile the mexicans firby it out lie said they might resent it if you took bides and that would make it bad for us just wait a while you never can call tell what will happen perhaps the and federals will stand the thorn off what that little bunch demanded dud pointing scornfully at the handful of defenders who were cowering behind their rock piles why halt half of 0 thorn them colones dont know what a gun was made for and the well the rebels are tho the same suggested tile the superintendent pacifically lot let them fight it out wo we need every american wo we can got get so BO just forgot forget about being a mexican 11 all right agreed dud as he yielded reluctantly to reason it aint because im a Alex mexican ican citizen I 1 lust just want to stop that rush lie ho walked back to the house juggling his useless gun and keeping his eye on tho the distant ridges and then in a chorus of defiant yells the men inthe federal trenches began to shoot in an airline tho the distance was something over a mile but at the arst scattering volley the rebels halted and fired a volley in return with a vicious a few stray bullets smashed against the reverberating rever berating steel tank but no 0 ono na was hurt and tho the defenders drunk with valor began to shoot and yell like mad the bullets of the rebels fired at random struck up dust jets in every direction and from the lower part of 0 tile the town came the shouting of the noncombatant Alexi mexicans cans as they ran here rind and there for shelter hut flut by the trenches and in the rear of the black tank the great crowd of onlookers persisted ducking as aa each successive bullet hit the tank and shouting eu en courage the defenders emptied their rifles and reloaded with clip after clip the rifles rattled a continuous volley spent bullets leaped like locusts across the flat men ran to and fro now crouching behind the tank now stepping boldly into the open and the defiant shouts of the defenders almost drowned the walls of tho the women except for one thing it was a battle there was waa nobody hurt for the first halt half hour the americans stayed prudently under cover busying themselves at the suggestion or of a few american women in providing a first ald aid hospital on the sheltered porch then as no wounded came to fill it and the rebels delayed their r charge one man after another climbed up to the trenches ostensibly to bring i down the injured As soldiers and bystanders reported no one bit and the bullets flew harmi harm loosly post past their solicitude turned rapidly to 0 disgust and then to scorn acorn strange as it may seem they were disappointed at tile the results and their remarks were derogatory as they commented on the bravery of pelones and Alexi mexicans cans in general from a dread of imminent attack of charging rebels and retreating defend ere era and a fight to the death by the house they came suddenly to a desire for blood and battle for dead men and the cries of the wounded and all fear of the Insurrect os oa left them come away boys grunted the burly who up to then had led in the work we wasted our time on that hospital therell be no wounded lets take ourselves back to the house and have a quiet smoke right you are ed agreed t the e master mechanic as he turned upon hla his heel in disgust this aint war them Alexi mexicans cans think working for a moving picture show 1 I bet you I 1 can go up on that ridge announced hooker and clean out the whole bunch with my six shooter before you could bat your oyo eye but the superintendent was not so ure sure never mind boys he said were worth a lot of ransom money to those rebels and they wont give up so BO quick and look at this now my miners coming back those are the boys that will fight walt wait till chico and ramon mendoza get after them I 1 ile he pointed as aa he spoke to a straggling band of sonorant Son orans led by the much vaunted Alen mendoza doza brothers as they hurried to save eave the town and a cheer went up from the trenches as the federate federals behold beheld reinforcements but a change had come over the fire eating miners and they brought other rebels in their wake As aa they trudged wearily into town and sought bought shelter among the houses a great body of men appeared on the opposite ridge firing down at them as they retreated the battle rapidly turned into a long distance shooting contest with the rebels on the ridges and tha defenders in the valley and 11 nally AS ALs the day wore on and a thunderstorm der storm came up it died out altogether and the rebels turned back to their cump calip except for one lone federal who had shot himself by accident there was not a dinglo defender hurt and if the enemy had bad suffer suffered euf ferol losses it was only by some such chanco chance but when the patriots holding up their empty belts came clamoring clamor tor for am muni 0 o men bv tl ahr 1 anse iise took in tho the real catastrophe of the battle seventeen thousand rounds of the precious proc louB thirty thirties had been delivered to the excited miners and now except for what few the americans americana had saved gaved there was not a cartridge in camp very soberly the superintendent assured tho the leaders that he ha had bad no more they pointed at the full belts of the american guard and demanded them ns as their right and when the americans refused to yield they flew into a rage and threatened all in all it was a pitiful exhibition of hotheadedness headedness hot and imbecility and only the firmness of the superintendent prevented a real spilling of blood tile the AlexI mexicans cans retired in a huff buff and broke into tile tho cantina cant lna and as the night came on the valley re echoed to their drunken outings shootings sh such was war as the sonorant Son orans conceived it whon when hooker standing his guard in the corredor encountered gracca aragon on her evening walk he could scarcely conceal a grin what aro are you laughing at senor hooker she demanded with asperity Is IB it so 00 pleasant with a houseful of frightened women and screaming children that you should make fun of our plight no indeed apologized dud bud nothing like that sure must bo be bad in there I 1 stay outside myself dut but I 1 reckon soon be over with the Alexi mexicans cans here in town have shot oft off all their ammunition and I 1 reckon the rebels have done the same like as not till all be gone tomorrow and then you can go back home oh thank you for thinking about mot met she returned with a scornful curl of the lip but if all men were as open as you mr air hooker we women would never need to ask a question this morning xou jou told me I 1 did not know what I 1 was talking about now I 1 presume you are thinking what cowards the Alexi mexicans cans aret arel oh I 1 knowl know you need not deny it you are nothing but a great big to banol yes I 1 was going to say brute but you are a friend of dear phils and so I 1 will hold my tongue it it for that id she paused leaving him to guess oh I 1 do wish he be were here she ehe breathed leaning wearily against the white pillar of an arch and gazing down through the long arcade it was so close in there she ehe continued 1 I could not stand it r a minute longer loneer these indian women you know they weep and moan all the time and the children I 1 am so sorry tor for them I 1 cannot go now because they need me but tomorrow it if phil were hero here I 1 would leavo leave and ride for the line have you seen del roy rey today no then all the better ho he must be policing the town it Is only of him I 1 am afraid these rebels are nothing nothings noth ingI I 1 agree with youl you not no I 1 am not angry with you at all bowl now dut but tomorrow just juat at dusk duek when all is still as aa it Is at this time then it if phil were here I 1 would mount my brave horse and ride out by the western pass she ended rather inconclusively lot let ting her voice trail off wistfully as she waited for him to speak but something within moved hooker to hold his peace and he looked out over the town without commenting on her plans it was evident to him that she was determined to enlist his sympathy and involve him in her wild plot and each time the conversation veered in that direction ho he took refuge in a stubborn It silence lence what are you thinking of mr air hooker she naked asked at last as he gazed into the dusk sometimes I 1 scold you and sometimes I 1 try to please you but I 1 never know what you think I 1 did not mean that when I 1 said I 1 could read your thoughts you are so diff different lerent from poor dear phill phil 11 m m mumbled dud bud shifting ills his feet and his face turned a little grim aha she cried with ill concealed satisfaction you do not like me to call him like that do you poor dear phil like dut but do you know why I 1 do it it Is to punish you for never coming near me when I 1 signed to you when I 1 waited for you long agol ago ali ah you were so cruell cruel I 1 wanted to know you you were a cowboy and I 1 thought you were brave enough to defend me but you always rode right by yes that was it but phil was different lie he came when I 1 sent for him hz he sang songs to me at night he took my part against manuel del rey and now yes yeal commented dud bruskey bru akly with tile his mind on dear phils finish and she turned to peer into his bis face so that Is it she said you do not trust me you think that I 1 sin am not your friend that I 1 will serve you as he was served Is thatchat that what you are thinking something like that admitted hooker leaning lazily against again tit the mud wall only I 1 reckon I 1 dont think just the way you do why how do I 1 think she demanded eagerly well you think abul fast answered hooker slowly and you dont always think the same seems like I 1 a kind of quiet myself and I 1 dont like well I 1 say that but you dont always mean what you say oh I 1 breathed gracca and then after a pause she camo nearer and leaned against the low wall beside ill him it I 1 would speak from my heart she eho asked it if I 1 would talk plain as you americans americana do would you like me better then would you talk to me instead of standing silent listen dud for that to is your nume I 1 want you to be my friend the way you were a friend to phil I 1 know what you did for him and how you boro bore with his bis love madness and that was my fault too but partly it was also your fault for you made mo me angry by not com coming ing yes I 1 will be honest now it was you that I 1 wanted to know at elret but you would not come and now I 1 am promised to phil lie he was bravo brave when you wore were careful and my heart went out to him you know how it to Is with us mexicans we do not love by reason wo love like children suddenly from the heart and now all I 1 wish in life Is to run away to phil dut but every time I 1 speak of it you shut your jaws bawa or tell mo me I 1 am a tool ump um protested bud turning stubborn again 1 I tell you you dont know what youre talking about these rebels dont amount to nothing around the town but on a trail awful they shoot from behind rocks and all that and a woman aint sate safe you must know what like thieo old women dont think about nothing else so the uso use of talk and besides lie he added grimly ive had some trouble with your old man and dont want to have any more what trouble have you had she demanded promptly but hooker would not answer in words lie he only shrugged his shoulders and turned id fight tool spoke up gracca away crumpling li bis is hat in hla hii hand band but not no she ehe cried as she sensed the meaning of his concealment you must tell mel me I 1 want to know was it over your mine then you must not blame me for he be never has told me a word no inquired dud bud rousing suddenly at the memory of hta his wrongs then maybe you will tell me how ho he got this he fetched a worn piece of ore from his pocket when my pardner gave it to youl you it was right there I 1 lost my pardner and he was a good kid too and Ie because cause of that rock here take I 1 at it I 1 took that away from atherl ather then he be c E d it from me flashed back gracia gracca as she gazed at the specimen oh have you thought all the time that I 1 betrayed phil but I 1 tell you I 1 tell you at tho the hotel when you promised to be my friend ali ah I 1 see that you are a hard man mr hooker quick to suspect eu slow low to forget and yet I 1 told you be bo ber r forel fore dut but listen and I 1 will tell you again I 1 remember well when dear phil showed me this rock he was so happy because he had found the gold and just to make it lucky he let me hold it while we were talking through a hole in the wall then my father saw me and started to come near I 1 could not hand it back without betraying phil and in the night when I 1 was asleep some one took it from under my pillow that Is the truth and I 1 will ask you to believe me and it you have other things against me ma you must say what they are and see it if I 1 cannot explain not no she ran on her voice vibrant with the memory of past quarrels 1 I 1 have nothing to do with my father lie he does not love me but tries to make me marry first one man and then another but I 1 am an american girl now at heart I 1 do not want to sell myself I 1 want to marry for love can you andersland Onder ander stand that yes no then why do you look away have hava you something that you hold against me ali ah you shake your head but you will not speak to me when I 1 was at school in los angeles I 1 saw the cowboys in the west show and they were different they were not afraid of any danger but they would talk too I 1 have always wanted to know you but you will not let mo me I 1 thought you were brave like those cowboys she paused to make him speak but hooker was waa tongue tied there was something about the way she talked that pulled him over that made him want to do what she said and yet some secret hidden voice was always crying beware ile he was convinced now that she had never been n party to treachery no nor even wished alm aam atm ill she bho was very beautiful too in the twilight and when she drew nearer he ie moved away for he was afraid she would eway away him from hie purpose dut but now she was waiting for some answer some bome word from hlin him though the question had never been naked asked and yet he know knew what it 11 was she wanted him to steal away with her in the evening and ride for the border and phil that was what she always wanted no matter what she said and now she was calling him a coward sure them bronco riders are brave he sald bald in vague defense but theres a difference between being brave and foolish and a man might be brave for yet be afraid for other people how flow do you mean she asked well he said 1 I 1 might be willing to go out and fight a thousand of them Insurrect oa with one haud hand and at the same time be afraid to take you along or I 1 might oh then you will go wont you she cried clasping him by the hand you will wont you im not af afraid no answered dud drawing his bla hand away just what I 1 wont dot do I 1 and ill tell you why that country up there Is full of rebels the 00 lowest kind there are it just juat takes one shot to lay me out or cripple one of our horses then id have to make a fight for it but what would happen to you id fight too spoke ke up gracia resolutely im not afraid no grumbled dud cud you dont know thorn them rebels youva been shut up in a house all the time if yotis been through what I 1 have in the last six months understand what I 1 mean if phil were here hed take met countered oracia and then dud lost his head bead yes he burst out lest jest the |