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Show ' EFEL AM of the COPYRIGHT P0UBLEPAY.WRAN8.Co. Inc. W.N.U. SERVICE ' SYNOPSIS j Seeking death to escape dishonor dishon-or at the hands of a drunken desperado, des-perado, Sonya Savarln allows her- ' self to be saved by her repentant attacker. The girl ls a self-appointed physician to the Navajo Indians, living on an Arizona sheep ranch with her brother Serge and his wife, Iila. She Is engaged to Rodney Blake, wealthy New Yorker, but her heart ls with the friendless Nava-Jos Nava-Jos and she evades a wedding. Sonya pulls Little Moon, wife of Two Fingers, a Navajo, through the crisis of an illness. Two Fingers ls deeply grateful. Sonya again meets the man who had Insulted her. He tells her he bitterly regrets re-grets his action. Sonya ls affected, but unforgiving. She hears rumors of a Border bandit, "El Capltan Diablo" and vaguely connects him with her attacker. On Lone Mesa, she again comes upon the strange young man. "When he reiterates his sorrow over his misconduct she indicates forgiveness. for-giveness. Days later, at a dance, he tells her his right name is Starr Stone, but that he goes by a different differ-ent name In this region. He departs with a tall, fierce Mexican, with whom he ls mysteriously associated. associ-ated. Sonya. with a feeling of shame, realizes she is falling In love with an outlaw. An Influenza epidemic among the Indians keeps her busy for many days. CHAPTER VI Continued 8 It ached all the time, these days, anyway. She tried to think It was for all the fear and suffering she encountered among her lowly people, peo-ple, but she knew better. The deepest deep-est ache of all, the deepest fear, lying far down under all the rest, had to do with the memory of a man's haggard face above her head, the clasp of an arm that shook, and a harsh voice saying, "Hombre, you disobey I Let's go." Weeks had passed since the dance at the Neidlingers' ranch, and she had had no breath of news about Starr Stone and the sinister figure which he had followed from the floor. The Servant of the Lord, whom she had come to draw toward as one who could tell her things, seemed to have vanished from the country. She had forgotten Rod entirely. She had even forgotten the menace of his threat to let no people no land no man take her from him, ever In this world. Hud she stopped to remember, she would have written writ-ten him dutifully, "ns a shield between be-tween herself and his presence. But she did not remember, and in New York Rodney Blake was sending her a wire that very day. Serge, going into the little town for supplies, sup-plies, brought It out the next afternoon. after-noon. "What's wrong?" It read. "Write or shall take plane out by Friday Rod." Sonya herself drove In 'late that evening and sent her answer. "Nothing but epidemic," she wired. "Forgive me. Sonya." And as she left the straggly small dot of civilization under the thin sickle of a new moon she came upon a tiny cavalcade plodding in the desert's dust Three burros, their patient little feet shuffling In the white sand, bore two packs and a rider, the latter a thin old man in rusty black whose silvery hair shone In the dusk with beauty. Her heart pounding, Sonya drew up beside him. "Good evening, sir," she said. "How is all with you?" "Good evening, daughter," he replied. re-plied. "It is well. And you?" "We have much sickness among the Indians," she said gravely, "and much work." "That's bad. I hope you pray a good deal?" "Well," said Sonya hesitantly, "yes, sir, I do. ' I have to to carry on. One needs strength, you know." "Just so. Just so. And strength will come to you, never fear. Take that One now, that Blue-eyed One. Three nights ago I saw him by a little lit-tle stream, and he grasped my arm so hard it hurt. The old, you know, my daughter, are soft in the flesh,' without resistance. And he asked of you, the dark-haired doctor woman, wom-an, and called on God for strength. Just so. 'God,' he said, 'if 1 was strong enough!' Just so. They all come to the knees of God, daughter sooner or later." Sonya swallowed painfully. Her eyes felt blurred again with the excitement ex-citement suddenly in her. "Tell nie," she said slowly, "tell me again where was he?" The Servant waved an alrv old hand, fine of line and yellow as parchment. "Iv a stream," he said vaguely "to the south. Three nights ago! "ell, I bid you good night, daughter daugh-ter We must be getting on." fie boweo. politely, and tha burros pattered away. Sonya stepped on the starter and bounced ahead. So. He was In the country again. He would be here, somewhere, sometime. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next day. The winds that blew softly soft-ly up from the south fanned her face with a perfumed breath; the little moon was fair as a maiden's brow; there were mystery and ecstasy in every shadow of the sage. CHAPTER VII Soul's Covenant. BUT the morrow came and brought its flying trips to this hogan and that, and nothing happened but death and sorrow, and the sun went down and rose again on Sonya and her feverish work. It was, at the end of another week, when the tide of life in her seemed at low ebb with all the monstrous labor and - the strain of human suffering about, that she came face to face with Starr Stone once again. She had Just ridden down the sounding aisle of Tall canyon can-yon to come out on the dusky levels, lev-els, when she saw him. Un d'Oro stood like a statue against the great wall's lip, a dim and shining shape of gold, and the man in his saddle held his hat In his hand and looked at her steadily. Sonya looked back, and such a light broke on her tired face as should have humbled any man. It humbled this one to the very dust, beholding. "Starr Stone I" she cried softly In the silence. "Oh, Starr Stone! You have come back I" "I'd come back from hell's edges," he said soberly, "Miss Sav-arin. Sav-arin. I can't help myself." "I don't want you to," she said swiftly. "Never. You must come to me always." She had stopped a few feet from him, and the man reined close beside be-side her, laying a hand on hers, looking into her face as if he could not look deep enough. "Of course you know," he said simply, "that I love you." "Of course," she said. 'That I'm dust under your feet nothing. Less than that But I want you to know too that I love you as a better man could never love you. I don't love you no. I worship you, could kiss th' print of your little lit-tle foot in th' sand. You're a white angel on th' stairs of heaven, and I'm a devil In th' pit and hell Itself It-self Is in those separating miles, for me. I come back to look at 'you because I can't stay away and I forfeit my life every time. I want you to know that, as a proof, sort of." "I don't need proof I" cried the girl wildly, "and I know that tool Have known It ever since the night of the dance when you followed when you followed " "Yes when I followed and left you standing there in the open floor like the yellow dog I was and am 1" "No! Because you had to! Because Be-cause if you double-cross" "Hush ! I'm here now. Let's talk for a little while as If we were two ordinary people, with nothing between be-tween us to prevent. You're work-in' work-in' yourself to death," he said searching her face with anxious ' eyes. "It's nothing. My part in life A good one, a great one." ''Maybe. But you're a woman and so sweet, so beautiful. I'm afraid for you." "Don't be. I won't die. NotMnJ could kill me now." "Why now?" "Because," said the girl gravely, I e got a fight ahead. A fight to take you from whatever holds you d I'll do It. We've Just begun-you begun-you and I, Starr Stone." Her face was like a flower of the du sk be autiful and dim, but filled " ' , " stern co"ge, a white fire of the spirit. His hand on hers closed tightly. Slowly he leaned to n Shhr ad Sonya leaned to meet him his eyes, his breast, his lips In the darkening night she kissed him m ,n hprW had nGVer kisscd a sXVhor haTr'from . T Pns, nair tiom her forehead "Strange," Rle said, '"what life -s to us against our 'will, Z s of all were ever known, ever de sired, ever planned" G0'1' I'M!" he echoed, "ever known, ever planned i" eric?1 "Wp C;'n. bnck!" "Yes I As long as there's life I I know what the human soul is made of its strength, its courage. Men and women too have done great things, against all odds, because of It. Strong men, strong women. Everyone Every-one falls. Only weaklings stay down. Anyone can get up If he wants to hard enough. If he has a reason. I'm your reason." The man groaned audibly, an inarticulate in-articulate word of despair. "If I had the world," he said thickly, "I'd give It all to be worthy to make you that." He straightened In his saddle, gathered his reins. "Come," he said, "I mustn't keep you. Do you mind If I ride with you a bit? It's dark enough no one will see you riding with a man whose head carries a price." Once again the cold fear shot through Sonya as she turned and rode out across the desert at his I side. At a lift In the dark sage levels Starr Stone stopped and held out his hand. i "1 have a reprieve," he said simply, "for a certain length of time. ' I'll be In this country for Its dura-1 dura-1 tlon. Do you mind If I keep coming com-ing back while it lasts?" "Oh," the girl said with a sudden sud-den catch In her voice, "you break my heart 1 What ls all this? What is it?" "Life's mistake its sins and penalties," pen-alties," he answered lowly; "its grasping at straws, its compensations. compensa-tions. May I come If I'm careful7" "Cornel" cried Sonya. "Any time, any place!" And, wheeling Darkness, she rode swiftly away to hide the sobs that shook her. She came In late at home. Serge and Babs had long been asleep, but Llla waited In the dark patio, rocking rock-ing slowly in the fringed hammock. They exchanged low spoken words and went together into the silent house. As Llla struck a light she looked across its flame at Sonya. "You've seen him," she said. "Yes. At Tall canyon." That was all and the two women went their ways on soft feet. That meeting in the dusk at Tall canyon's Hp was the beginning of a strange and pregnant time. Two days later Sonya, wringing hot tffn irk "Oh, Starr Stone! You Have Come Back!" cloths from a steaming water-basket on a hogan's sandy floor, looked up as a shadow darkened the doorway door-way to the east Starr Stone stood there leaning his graceful length against the lintel. "Is there anything needing to be done that a husky man can do?" he asked soberly. "Water to bring, wood to get?" "Plenty," said the girl quickly. "Both of those. Every one in this family is down except the two littlest lit-tlest children." Without a word the man turned and disappeared, and presently he was back with two baskets of water. wa-ter. He set them Inside the door and went away again, returning later with great quantities of the bleached and straggly dead wood of the Juniper scrub which clothed the Uplands here. He replenished the outside fire where Sonya had been heating her stones for the water-baskets, water-baskets, set the latter In to heat again, poured fresh water into the basket at her elbow. "Anything to eat about?" he asked practically. "Very little. There was mutton two days back, but the man's down and the woman, too, and the last went bad on me. I carry cereals but I'm nearly out of those." "O. K.," he said briefly. "I'll nx that." Sonya went on about her ministrations, ministra-tions, and In the course of an hour he was back with the dressed carcass car-cass of a freshly slaughtered sheep. Without comment he put small pieces to cook. "This will do nicelv," ho nld when Sonya came out of the hogan Ive hung the meat In the tall-est tall-est scrub I could find back of the corral. Wrapped it In a couple of U'ks. Its In good shade and should cool out all right, what next?" Is n-f'!""'". Sh M,J- "1!llt this 's priceless." And when, two hours later, Sonva r' de out across the hot sage love'ls, M. rr stone rode beside her on his golden horse. "There's nolT Navajos, and C k a"art,- he said be seen." ' 1 Uiy , "And what if asked wearily tr. ter?" j s,. "We won't be, An, me where youvL back there?- "N't til "0h. I will r M In nearly aI1, No .water-ao f00H body too in toJr?-- "A what have Getting thpm l" :j yond me now. Tll ' f;: do. So many people myself,- f k:- She looked at ku "ark eyes In "1 man looked It;. doing?" he askpf V schools? Haven't they : "Of course. But , i: hands full ln Xi We're so far Z T T edge of the know But I woatZ? one of them without,1 best one I can pnt;' When theypassd tb, canyon's lip where tie ';: the dusk, Starr sto 7 and laid his hand pommel. eri -; "Soul's covenant," he ,. was that we made her. r lasting to everlasting v : what comes, we'll rem' of the little wlnds,7het ; Tm 6ky: the end, wrapped la my heart Sonya." "Soul's covenant," .aii tragically, "from nt6J-lasting. nt6J-lasting. Amen." '' Ana they rode f0rwlrJ ,,. dark mouth of the shadow the good woman and uW to that selfless service ou-i which is the immortal Ja-." mortal dross. CHAPTER VIII Clouds of Portent p THE hard days that ti 1 Sonya knew a fire ol f among the dark shadow 0! ter. Wherever suffering at! entered the lowly hogans, steady hands of Starr Stoat-a Stoat-a bulwark and a help. Tie; gentle as a woman's with 1 . child, holding a cup to the ; Hps, bathing hot dark faeii: a little rag, and once he b. and braided the black hair 0(1: mahala before they buried t--And that day Sonya wepli: his shoulder for sheer misery e tragic fate which had made t! man an outcast and a pari;! So the hectic days passe', little count of them and & working together at their 1 tasks. Once the girl told "You're no lost soul as you'i me think. You're of that t: hood of which Christ spie he said, 'If ye do It unto tie of these, my brethren, je oV: me.' Servers of the world.' . he had made no answer. They kissed each othei r parting, softly, as If the tt::: held between them was so p:-that p:-that a careless touch might d- It utterly. To the man tt tragedy and stark sorrow la touch of Sonya's lips, her hail' tender brushing of her t. against him. He was bless: yond all dreams, humbled t. all Imagining. And he knew how tee!;:; paradise must be, how soon li.'-its li.'-its mandates must take bia i: from her forever. It -knowledge which made tt chanted days so short, so ft'- And by the end of that th; strain lessened. Everrssffi people were getting up few hogan floors, thin brown s-with s-with big eyes ln their dart ' and no more were lying r- epidemic was dying out that were left begun to k making new hogans before i-; mer should be gone, for tM ' not live In any house ittere had been. They feared rhetor rhet-or ghosts of the dead, and -lent spirits. But they Sonya and Starr Stone it- looks, unfathomable sometimes a woman tone---girl's hand tentatively, tf said some clipped, g1Iu:l, which the latter could ; stand and Sonya lnferpr- "Ilosteen Little Man !p the Healing Winds," 0r,' lcine Is better medicine--Buck's." And now Life made rw? its reckoning. She ba -these rushing weeks, ; fast, very full, known tne --sorrow, --sorrow, of pity. and tM ' great Joy, the pte ' work well done. She M ; in the glow of such lo '- never dreamed of, 11 could spare to It, and W she were richer, niore the reaches of her with the cessation 0 tw she turned her eyes to"' ture nnd what It held- . "Now," she told SB" "we'll begin to think "f U- - I!ut Starr Stone hoA - , 1," he said, "mo ' My reprieve Is over-" 8 davs n,-o. I'll be K. |