| Show ay y avs i the land of broken promises A stirring story ry DANE author of of the mexican n fotr foot revolution etc by don J bavm fc A AA MM by prank A u CHAPTER let the mexicans fight it out he gald they might it it you took eldes and that would make it bad for us just wait a while you never can tell what will happen perhaps the euralea and federals will stand them off what that little bunch T demanded bud pointing scornfully at the hand ful of defenders who were cowering behind their why halt 0 them t know what a gun waa made for and the well the rebels are the bame sug geared the superintendent pacifically let them fight it out we need every american we can get so lust forget about being a mexican all liht agreed bud as he yield cd reluctantly to reason it aln t because I 1 m a mexican citizen I 1 just want to atop that rush he walked back to the house jug glang his useless gun and keeping bis eye on the distant ridges and then in a chorus of defiant yells the men la the federal trenches began to shoot in an airline the distance was something over a mile but at the first scat bering volley the rebels baited and fired a volley in return with a vicious pang a few betray bullets smashed against the reverberating rever berating steel tank but no aiu was hurt and the defend erg 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 the town came the shouting of the non combatant mexicans as they ran here and there tor shelter but by the trenches and in the rear of the black tank the great crowd of onlookers persisted ducking as each successive bullet hit the tank and shouting encouragement coura gement as the defenders emptied their rifles and reloaded with clip after clip the rifles rattled a continuous vol ley spent bullets leaped like locusts across the flat men ran to and fro now crouching behind the tank now Bt epping boldly into the open and the defiant shouts of the defenders almost drowned the walla of the women ex capt tor one thing it was a battle there was nobody hurt for the flatt half hour the americans stayed prudently under cover busying themselves at the suggestion of a few american women in providing a first aid hospital on the sheltered porch then as no wounded came to fill it and the rebels delayed their charge one man after another climbed ap pp to the trenches ostensibly to bring down the injured As sold lera and bystanders reported no one hit and the bullets flew harm lessly past their solicitude turned rapidly to disgust and then to scorn strange as it may seem they were als appointed at the results and their remarks were derogatory as they corn dented on the bravery of pelones and mexicans in general from a dread of imminent attack of charging rebels and retreating defend CM and a fight to the death by the house they came suddenly to a desire tor blood and battle for dead men and the cries of the wounded and all fear of the left them come away boys grunted the burly who up to then bad led in the work we wasted our time on that hospital there II 11 be no wounded lets take ourselves back to the house and have a quiet smoke right you are ed agreed the mas ter mechanic as be turned upon bis heel in disgust athla aint war them mexicans think working tor a moving picture show I 1 1 I bet you I 1 can go up on that ridge announced hooker and clean out the whole bunch alth my six shooter before you could bat your eye but the superintendent was not so sure never mind boys he bald we re worth a lot of ransom money to those rebels and they afton t give up BO quick and look at this now my miners corn ing bacal those are the boys that will fight walt till calco and hamon mendoza get after he pointed ae be spoke to a straggling band of sonorant Son orans led by the much vaunted mendoza brothers as they hurried to eave the town and a cheer went up from the trenches as the federals beheld reinforcements but a change had come over the alre cating miners and they brought other rebels in their wake As they trudged wearily into town and sought 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 as the day wore on and a came up it died out altogether and the rebels turned back to their camp except for one lone federal who bad hot himself by accident there was not single defender hurt and it the enemy had suffered losses it was only acy some such chance but when the bonocan patriots holding up their apty belts came clamoring for am aba men by the fag bouse took in the real catastrophe ot the battle seventeen thousand rounds of the precious thirty thirties had been delivered to the excited miners and now except tor what few the americana had caved there was not a cartridge in camp very coberly the superintendent assured the leaders that he had no more they pointed at the lull belta ot the american guard and demanded them 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 hot headed nesa and imbecility and only the of the superintend ent prevented a real spilling of blood the mexicans retired in a huff and broke into the cantina cant lna and as the night camo on the valley re echoed to their drunken sh outings such was war as the sonorant Son orans con calved it when hooker standing his guard in the corredor encountered gracca aragon on her evening walk he could scarcely conceal a grin what are you laughing at senor hooker she demanded with asperity Is it so pleasant with a houseful of frightened women and screaming ahll dren that you should make tun of our plight no indeed apologized bud noth ing like that sure must be bad in there 1 stay outside myself but I 1 reckon soon be over with the mexicans here in town have shot off all their ammunition and I 1 reckon the rebels have dona the same like as not they II 11 all be gone tomorrow and then you can go back home oh thank you for thinking about me I 1 she returned with a scornful curl of the lip but it all men were as open as you mr hooker we women would never need to ask a question this morning you told me I 1 did not know what I 1 was talking about now I 1 presume you are thinking what cowards the mexicans are oh I 1 knowl you need not deny it you are nothing but a great big te banol yes I 1 was going to say brute but you are a friend of dear phil s and so I 1 will hold my tongue it it gasn wasn t for that I 1 d she paused leaving him to guess oh I 1 do wish he were here she breathed leaning wearily against the white pillar of an arch and gazing down through the long arcade it was so close in there she con linued I 1 could not stand it a minute longer these indian women you know they weep and moan all the and the children I 1 am BO borry for them I 1 cannot go now because they need me but tomorrow if phil were hero I 1 would leave and ride for the line have you seen del rey today no then all the better he must be policing the town it Is only of him I 1 am afraid these rebels are nothing I 1 agree with you I 1 not I 1 am not angry with yu at all now but tomorrow lust at dusk when all Is still as it is at this time then it phil were here I 1 would mount my brave horse and ride out by the western pass she ended rather inconclusively letting her voice trail off as she waited for him to speak but within moved hooker to hold his peace and be looked out over the town without commenting on her plans it was evident to him that she was determined to enlist his sympathy and in volve him in her wild plot and each time the conversation in direction he took refuge in a stubborn what are you thinking of mr hooker ebe asked at last aa be gazed into the duple sometimes I 1 you and sometimes I 1 try to please you but I 1 never know what you I 1 did not mean that when I 1 eald I 1 could read your thoughts you are BO different from poor dear phil I 1 dud shifting his M m m mumbled feet and his face turned a little grim aha I 1 she cried with ill concealed satisfaction you do not like me to call him like that do poor dear ahll lahe thail but do you know why I 1 do itt it la to punish you for never coming near me when I 1 signed to you when I 1 waited for you long ago ah you were BO cruel I 1 I 1 want ed to know you you were cowboy and I 1 thought you were brave enough to defend me but you always rode right by yes that was phil was different 1 he came when I 1 cent for him he sang songs to me at night he took my part against manuel del rey and now besl commented bud briskly bru with his mind on dear phil a finish and she turned to peer into his face so that Is if she said you do that I 1 am not not trust me you think your friend that I 1 will serve you as he was served Is that what you are thinking something like that admitted hooker leaning lazily the mud wall only I 1 reckon I 1 don t think just the way you do why how do I 1 think she demanded eagerly well you think awful fast answered hooker slowly and you don t always think the same seems like myself and I 1 dont I 1 in of quiet like well I 1 wouldn t say that but you don t mean what you say oh breathed gracca and then after a pause she came nearer and leaned against the low wall beside him it I 1 would speak my heart she asked it I 1 would talk plain as you americans do would you like me better abent would you talk to me instead of standing listen dud for that Is your name 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 bore with his love madness and that was my fault too but partly it was also your fault tor you made me angry by not coming 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 he was brave when you were careful and my heart went out to him you know how it Is with us mexicans we do not love by reason we love like children suddenly from the hearal and now all I 1 wish in life Is to run away to phil but every time I 1 speak of it you shut your jaws or tell me I 1 am a foot ump um protested bud turning stubborn again I 1 tell you you don t know what youre talking about these rebels don t amount to nothing around the town but on a trail they re awful they shoot from behind rocks and all that and a woman aln t safe you must know what like these old women don t think about nothing else so what s the use of talk inet and besides he added grimly I 1 ve 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 he only shrugged bla shoulders and turned id fight tool saoko up gracca away crumpling bis hat in his hand but nol she cried aal she sensed the meaning of hie concealment you must tell met I 1 want to know was it over your alnet then you must not blame me tor he never haa told me a word not inquired bud rousing sudden ly at the memory of bis wrongs then maybe you will tell me how he got this he fetched a worn piece of ore from his pocket when my pardner gave it to you it was right there I 1 lost my pardner and he was a good kid too and all because of that rock here take a look at it I 1 took that away from your eatherl fa therl then he stole it from mel flashed back gracca as she gazed at the sped men oh have you thought all the time that I 1 betrayed phil I 1 tell you I 1 tell you at the hotel when you promised to be my friendt ah I 1 see that you are a hard man mr hooker quick to suspect eu aliw to and yet I 1 told you be torel but listen and I 1 will tell you again 1 remember well when dear phil me this rock he was BO happy because he had found the gold and just to make it lucky he let me hold it while we were talking through a bole 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 un der my pillow that la the truth and I 1 will ask you to believe me and it you have other things against me you must say what they are and see it I 1 cannot explain nol she ran on her voice vibrant with the memory of past quarrels I 1 have nothing to do with my father he does not love me but tries to make me marry first one man and then an other but I 1 am an american girl now at heart I 1 do not want to sell myself I 1 want to marry tor love can you understand ander stand yest not then why do you look have you something that you bold against met ah you shake your head but you will not speak to me I 1 was at school in los angeles I 1 saw the cow boy 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 me I 1 thought you were brave like those cowboys she paused to make him speak but hooker was 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 he waa convinced now that she had never been a party to treachery no nor even wished him she was very beautiful too in the twilight and when she drew nearer he moved away tor he was afraid she would away him from hla purpose hut now she waa waiting or bome an awer some word from him though the question had never been asked and yet be knew what it was she wanted him to breal away with her in the evening and ride tor 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 said in vague defense but there s a difference between being brave and foolish and a man might be brave for himself and yet be afraid or other people how do you mean she asked well he said I 1 might be willing to go out and fight a thousand ot them Insurrect os with one hand and at the same time be afraid to take you along or I 1 might oh then you will go won t you she cried clasping him by the band you will wont you amnot atral dl no answered bud drawing hie hand away that s just what I 1 won t dol and tell you why that coun try up there Is full of rebels the lowest kind there are it just takes one shot to lay me out or cripple one of our horata then I 1 d have to make a fight for it but what would happen to id fight too spoke up gracca resolutely I 1 m not afraid no grumbled bud you dont know them rebels been shut up in a house all the time if been through what I 1 have in the last six months understand what I 1 mean it phil were here bed take mel countered gracca and then bud lost his head yes he burst out jest what s the matter with the crazy jest why hes up across the line now a hollering tor me to eave his garil lies brave Is het well why don t be come down then and save you because hes afraid to he s afraid of getting shot or going up against manual del hey by grab it makes me tired the way you people falkl it be d done what I 1 told him to in the first place he wouldn t have got into this jack pot oh exclaimed gracca aghast why what Is the matter with you and what did you tell him to do 1 I told him to mind his own busl ness answered hooker bluntly and what did he say he said he d try anything once bud spat out the phrase vindictively tor his blood was up and his heart was full of bitterness oh deal faltered gracca and so you do not think that phil Is bravet he s brave to start things sneered bud but not to carry cm through for a moment gracca huddled up against a pillar her band against her face as it to ward off a blow then she lowered it slowly and moved reluctantly luct antly away I 1 must go now she said and bud did not offer to atay her tor he saw what his unkindness had done 1 I am sorry she added pitifully but he did not answer there waa nothing that he could say now in a |
