Show i 1 Dice of Destiny JACKSON By GREGORY or 7 1 ce 1 Copyright ON THE MEXICAN BORDER Action always action Is the tho outstanding feature of this stir ring romance by Jackson Greg ory Dice of Destiny Is a tale of the Mexican border about as as lively a spot as there Is in the world The actors In the story are interesting for themselves aside from their thrilling story a a fine old Spaniard living on his ancestral estate this side of the border his villainous kinsman kins man with his rascally accomplices pikes his entirely charming granddaughter his efficient young American neighbor and various Mexican bandits from across the bor border er Love danger danger dan dan- ger per fighting a Just retribution and a happy ending all ending all the elements of a thrilling tale are h here And nd the tale Is well told CHAPTER I. I I t 1 tAn 1 11 t 1 An Error Rectified IPe Pedro ro the tle m s having g lighted the wax tapers in la the massive candlesticks candle sticks having ha placed ed bottle and glasses upon upon the great mahogany table tobacco tobacco to to- bacco and papers papers- upon the small mahogany mahogany ma ma- table withdrew silently as tins was his way swiftly as was his train train- lug ing His old master Senor don Antonio Antoniod dJ d de la Guerra looking as genuinely antique an an- tique in his old-fashioned old black coat small high-heeled high boots boots and curled white hair and mustache mustache as any article ar ar article of the the- antique furniture in in the v vs vast st drawing room of the hacienda turned his lively lve y b black ack eyes upon his g guest cst You Yon r m will forgive the rudeness of an old man Senor Dempton he said softly his English perfect his utterance utterance utterance utter utter- ance still the honeyed speech of Castile Castile Castile Cas Cas- tile but may I l' l lask ask you to understand that I know nothing of what you Americanos call business And that I have no wish to learn That is why I place these matters in the hands of an attorney He Be bowed after the way of or the old school old school and ended smiling ini In the hands of a thoroughly competent compe compe- tent attorney senor 4 D Dempton a little man with a rest- rest manner and eyes like a arat's arat's rats rat's shifted In his chair cleared his I th throat o t and thanked his patron looking t t c on the whole This TIlls is a very important matter Mr lr la Guerra he offered a trifle hesitantly and with keen eyes upon his bis host To be sure the old man cut in Impatiently though with no lessening of the courtesy of his speech A will willIs J Is always Important I B He leaned forward poured himself a t glass of the red southern wine lifted lifted lift lift- ed it so that the still candle flames shone in it brightly and drank slowly Already Dempton had bad been asked to drink drink as he was always asked when he came to the Bancho Rancho de la Ia Guerra already h he had refused as he always refused The old man set down his glass and took tobacco and fine white paper from the tray upon the smaller table his steady slim white hands making the cigarette swiftly You say Senor Dempton he said when he had lighted a paper paper lighter at the nearest candlestick that you have found a flaw in the original will Yes sir Dempton spoke hurriedly hurriedly hurried hurried- hurried v ly Iy and ran on very much after the manner of a schoolboy who has gotten his lesson by heart and wants to say It tt before he forgets forget Only a small matter a technical error error which might never be noticed And Aud yet there is a risk there risk there Is danger dan ger that the will might eventually be beset beset set aside because of It that your der desires de de- r sires s might come to naught in a word that the Senorita Teresa whom you wish to make your your sole legatee might never come into the fortune you have willed to her I have thought it best sir to draw up a new document You have done so Inquired the theold theold old Spaniard his eyes musingly upon the thin wisp of smoke from the thee ciga ciga- rette Yes Dempton slipped a red band hand into his breast pocket If It you I will read It and sign it It sir sir sir-if if we can I get bet et the matter settled right away destroying destroying de de- the original documents documents- The rhe details Senor Dempton I I trust I I may leave with you you De Pe laGuerra la l Guerra waved a white hand gracefully You have attended to my business for forme forme me for seventeen years now and I have hav never found cause for criticism You do not even care to have me go 0 into detail concerning the flaw which I allowed to creep in inT Dempton had leaned forward a n little In hIs Ms chair his eager eyes upon the others De la Guerra laughed softly and shook his head c You would force for j me to appear stupid stu stu- J pid pid- d He lIe put his hand upon the bell bellA A cold coid hanging from the edge of the big Mg table ano ana u. u bell tinkled from beI beyond be be- I yond the door dooc Let me have the papers pa- pa wish to sign pors pers you me i Pedro Illo pen and ink retreat retreat- Ll n ed upon another errand and once more returned bringing with ht hip n two of the other servants af about out the great adobe house to witness the signature The old man looked at the new will wll carelessly and signed carelessly asking ask ing lag merely If the will were In In all essentials essentials es es- es the same as the original one The servants withdrew with their masters master's thanks and loose silver slIver ant and De la Guerra returning to one copy of the paper which was Intended intended in In- tended after his death to dispose of the hacienda a great range heavily stocked and an Indefinite su sun sung in gold and silver folded the other and placed it upon the shining table topI topI topI top I shall read it tomorrow he said lightly You know that I do not read after the candles s are lighted senor Dempton his errand done was already already al al- al ready upon his feet his eyes roving for the hat which Pedro had taken from him a few minutes ago But Dut cried ried De la Guerra you are not going back tonight senor Surely you would not think of putting my hospitality so to shame I You must spend the night with us Dempton's eye had found his hat and he speedily crossed the room to take it up Thank you Mr de la Ia Guerra he said paid hastily But Dut I must return to toLa toLa La Ia Panza immediately He Be managed a bow with a poor trial at the Spaniards Spaniard's dignified grace put putout putout putout out his hand quickly as thou though h to have havethe havethe havethe the farewells over and done with and i 1 i I iH k Q J Iv l Thank You Mr de la Guerra retreated to the door which gave passageway passageway pas pas- sage vay through the three-foot three adobe walls from the drawing room to the patio De De ne' la ta Guerra looked at him with a curious smile You are Incomprehensible you Americanos he said sald softly You will insist on riding a dozen miles through the dark when there is a warm bed and bright bIght candle light Inviting you oti to stay Your business must be urgent urgent ur gent Mr Dempton to take you out tonight alone Your ride is not without with out danger and It and He Be put his hand again to the bell cord At least If IS you Insist you yoa must mut allow me to send some of my vaqueros vaqueros vaqueros va- va queros with you yon No no 1 cried Dempton already at athe atthe atthe the he door It Is unnecessary Mr de deIa dea dela la Ia a Guerra There Is no danger As you will Senor don Antonio spread out his white hands and lifted his shoulders slightly But you must remember that we are only half a mile mUe from trow the border and that those rascally rascally rascally ras ras- cally Mexicans are a thieving treacherous treacherous treacherous erous lotI lot lotI lotI I have already given orders to lo herd close my steers and d yet Gaucho my foreman reported to me this mornIng morning morning morn- morn Ing that the rebels had crossed over and had driven off oft half a dozen cows for forme me Again he spread out his hands and lifted his shoulders In the daylight Jt It is one one thing thIng thIng- after dark it is another I should be glad to send some of my vaqueros with you senor senor- Still Dempton protested There was wasa a moon his way ran across across a wide open level land and the rebels were not looking for complications with Uncle Sam De la to Guerra too courteous a host to insist smiled gravely rose and went Into the patio with the lawyer directing direct direct- lug ing Pedro to have Mr Dempton's Dempton ho hor home brought up from the stables Miss Teresa I did not see Dempton remembered to say from the I saddle She Is well welI I hope I Very well thank you senor I shall shull tell teU her that you Inquired And It was wasI I kind of you to take this Ion long Ions ride rille to tell me about the mistake in the will mil Good night Mr de do la In Guerra Buenas Duenas noches naches senor And Lawyer Dempton his horses horse's mane and tall tail flying was on his way through the moonlight night and th the theOld theold old m man n leaving leafing Pedro to close dose the thedoor thedoor thedoor door after him had gone back to hi his chair and wine wiM and cigarettes Los Americanos Americanos' he be muttered when he lie was alone again they are all alike YOU too C cannot nn t. t trust them That Dempton Demp- Demp ton tOti has the eyes yes of a rat the face of ofa a liar the fire manner of a convict AmerIcanos Amer on the one hand Mexicanos on the other I l Sangre de Dlos Dios l I I mus must take Teresita Teresi ta a away way from them Pedro I ISI I ISI SI Sl senor Where is the senorita In her rooms I think senor Bueno Dueno Convey to her my affectionate affectionate compliments and md tell her that I shall be for the hour half-hour adding a certain note to my American memoirs After that I shall be pleased if f she will come to me SI senor Swift and silent Pedro went upon pon his errand Senor don Antonio de la Guerra pushing the will to one side drew a thick manuscript from the table drawer and writing in a fine scholarly schol schol- scholarly arly hand began to add c certain highly Insulting commentaries to the chapter dealing with the vitriolic description of the character of Los Americanos i iThe The book he planned to print In Spain I Meantime the Senorita Teresa de la laGuerra laGuerra laGuerra Guerra his demure granddaughter was not in her room room but upon her little twined rose-twined balcony and the moonlight bright about her was not more bright than the laughing eyes she turned downward toward the ador ador- adoring adoring ing face of an Americano I CHAPTER CHATER II Abduction The hacienda where Antonio de e la laGuerra laGuerra laGuerra Guerra had lived for the odd fifty years of his exile from om his beloved Spain where his granddaughter had hadt been t een born and reared was one of the landmarks which linger on In stately white walls under dark red tiles from the time of the Spanish occupation The old Spaniard was overlord of what had once been a grant from his grandfathers grandfather's king the boundaries carelessly marked In leagues Instead of miles He bred cattle and fine horses in in- trusted Gaucho Morales his foreman with the business details and yet managed managed man man- aged so large and fertile was his empIre empire em em- pire pare to go on from year to year swell swell- lag ing ng his wealth The wide verc house with none nona of Its walls less than three feet thick with great spacious rooms spread out across a wide ext extent of the shaded land and among the olive and pear and I pepper epper trees In the time of the faher father father fa- fa ther her of Antonio de la Guerra there had been fourteen rooms now rooms now there were twenty No less could suffice for the master of the estate and his cherished granddaughter There was the patio with its flowering flowering flowering flower flower- ing garden den and leaping fountain About It were the rooms all on the ground floor with the exception of the three rooms added by the old man for forthe forthe forthe the use of la senorita Here at the southeastern exposure of the rambling dwelling a wide and winding staircase had been constructed to 10 lead upward to a spacious landing r Then came broad doors a deep window window win win- dow and beyond the senoritas senorita's private sitting room Her bedroom was high high- celled with much ornate embellishment embellishment embellishment embellish embellish- ment after the Moorish fashion and anda a lavish display of gilt under the domed roof Upon the landing a couch where each night Pedro lay across his mistress mistress mistress' mistress mistress' mis mis- tress tress' doorway And then the balcony Teresa must pick up her skirts daintily daintily dain dain- tily to step out through the deep windows windows win win- dows to it from her bedroom and once there she was all but lost behind the bank of flowering roses swallowed by a dim dusk through which the moon had bad difficulty in filtering lapped In Inthe Inthe inthe the perfume of the flowers which clung about the balcony In the warm June night And from here while her scholarly grandfather annotated his remarks concerning the hated Americano Teresa Te Te- resa leaned out her beauty as soft and delicate a thing as that of the rose brushing her cheek and talked with one particular Americano Reader meet the adorable adorable adorable adora adora- ble Senorita Teresa and the adoring Billy stanway f TO W BE CONTIN Ur |