Show V I 1 w s in r COPYRIGHT iJ r f S i- i CHAPTER IX IX Continued Continued M g 8 S Senor nor Stanway It was as Torre Iq speaking coolly coony his voice steady and Indifferent I should like a word with you 5 Have ILave I r time to bandy words with you cried the rancher angrily m lIy This last thing you have done is Insanity Torre You have gone too far tar Or not far en enough ugh r Which Is It 1 His voice was stern now and rang with defiance and triumph He was sure bure of himself of his hla position I told you he ran on hI his cheeks checks flushed now his voice ringing out still sUIl stillmore stillmore more clearly in the hush In the room I warned learned you wilt I should do I asked twenty thousand dollars last night and you refused to to make terms You were a fool Now I ask fifty thousand And I Ishall Ishall shall get It I dont don't hide behind words I am not afraid of the open 3 I play my game of dice where all men can se see the ivory cubes roll out of the box I It Is I I-I I I who have caused the disappearance disappearance disappearance dis dis- appearance of the Senor de la Guerra It is I who have caused the senorita Teresa to be taken away from under your very eyes And I do not deny It For the game Is mine You wouldn't dare dare dare- began Stan Stan- way gray Torres Torre's short laugh cut ut Into his swift fi words Dare Dont Don't I r dare everything to stand up this way before you and tell you Sou what I have done what I am nm going Coing to do Mother of God senor e I dare anything 1 I There Ther was was' bravado In the words word f arrogance a haughty disdain of the themen wen men who held him prisoner who t footed Into his face with hard hunT bunS hun hun- t. t T S pry Fry eyes ees who thirsted openly for his blood He saw the look say the tightening of lean brown bro ha hands ds upon dagger hilt and revolver revolver- revolver and and he heE hep p E laughed ed at them t By y Heaven I muttered Stanway half aloud hes a man anyway I He He whirled and went out calling r K his last short orders savagely GauL Gau- Gau u L cho ebo was already at t the patio calling f S that the horses were ready that seve severa sev- sev e era era- cral al of the men had already ridden southward af after er the hammering hoof hoof- hoof hoof- eats bents St Stanway flung himself Into the ther i f. f saddle teeth set face white heart j pounding madly and Gaucho raced Then he away r upon the second Invasion of ot a land at atI I f war with Itself where every man must carry his own hope In his own Y f hand if i. r They rode across drying streams I and through sun-baked sun arroyos arroyo along P dry barren ridges through little green valleys across long wastes f t.- t. where the coyote hunted And at 1 night they came back worn out by I J r rs RS s r r He and nd Gaucho Raced Away l the merciless grind of the day upon J l spent horses whose legs trembled pitIfully pitifully pit pit- under them And they bad had found what they found before before noth noth ing Stanway dl did l not stop to eat cat or to rest He TIe drank thirstily at the leaping leap leap- ing ng fountain In the patio and went i Immediately to the house and to the f room which was now an nn Improvised t. t hospital l ward r for the accommodation of Pedro and Celestino r He found found Pedro conscious Very Tery white we weak kli tram from m the bl blood o which 1 n rJ be had lost A doctor had come from La Panza and bad gone leaving his bis simple directions and aDd simpler Pedro would live H Here a knife had hit bit deep delp and had hall cost Pedro much blood but by fortune fortune fortune for for- tune and a fraction of an inch no vital point had bad been reached reached reache Celestino as white and more weak than Pedro lay very still not having once regained consciousness lIe He might live JIve for Celestino had a Wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- store of health and vitality In that great frame of his Ills The doctor would come again tonight or early tomorrow Pedro asked Stanway with n a quick glance at the other bed and then c coming coining to Pedro's Pedros side how are things with you Not o so bad senor answered an- an faintly The senorita 7 We have not found her yet yet Stanway Stanway Stan- Stan way admitted regretfully But we shall find her soon l Pedro edro Did you see the men who attacked you Do you know know where they came came from We had sentinels out all night They swore that lint no men came from across across the border Pedro shook his head I r w was s asleep senor Then I heard Celestino call can out I thought he was vas dreaming 1 I sat sixt up half halt asleep you know senor Then I I saw There were three men I think Perhaps four I dont don't know One struck poor Celestino as he sat up and another sprang at him But ut then they w were re upon me too and I heard the senorita senorita senorita seno seno- rita cry out and they struck truck me over the head and put a n knife into me here And then they rushed Into the senoritas senorita's senoritas senorita's se se- norl noritas norita's ta's tas room It Is so so hard to know what happened happened happened hap hap- senor I dont don't think that they went Into the senoritas senorita's room When I l' l woke my eyes went first to her door It is always the first thing which I Ise Isee Isee se see when I wake It was closed I think that it was locked I r tell you I heard her call can out while Celestino Celestino Celes Celes- tino was being struck before they made eve everything go black for me T There ere were other men in there There I I suppose they came through the balcony But these men where men where did they go How did they come in His voice sank sanle to a trembling whis whis- per Senor can It be that that some of the servants are traitors That they haye let these men In and let them go That Is what I have haye been thinkIng thinking thinking think think- ing all nn day Pedro But you mustn't talk too much mush this time Ill I'll come cometo cometo cometo to see you again Walt Wait a minute senor There Is Isone Isone isone one other thing Stanway came back swiftly What Is la It he demanded sharply seeing a light In Pedros Pedro's eyes eyes eyes' which had not been In them before It is something which I foun found It fell from the hand of at one of at the men when Celestino struck back at him I r had them bring It to me here I have not talked about it I have waited for fOor you His hand was fumbling under his blanket and he brought a key very heavy and old made rudely of Iron and like the old keys of the mission days some eight Inches longI long I am not sure Pedro whispered his eyes feverishly bright You can cantell tell Call for Josefa Joseta She cares for forthe forthe forthe the senors senor's rooms Have her go there therewith therewith therewith with you yoli Let her see if anything l is missing She will know she has cared for his rooms for twenty years Will you let me know senor Here is the keyA key A su sudden den hope leaped up into Stanway's Stanway's Stanway's Stan- Stan ways way's heart as his l hand closed about the old key a hope which in no way could he explain If this were the key which unlocked the place where the old master yes master yes and the young mistress mistress had had bad been hidden what wha t then He was as far as ever eyer from knowing where was the lock which this key fitted And yet Pedros Pedro's words words words-Josefa- Josefa Ill let you know Pedro l I he called back from the door And he was gone walking swiftly through the house asking for the old serving woman CHAPTER X A Bold Game You will know Josefa if Ie there Is s anything missing from the masters master's room room SI senor I know each ach little thing There has been no change for tor torman man many years The small wrinkled almost black face of the little HUle old Indian woman looked up curiously Ily Into Stanway's Then come Let us hurry He led the way They went through the drawing room where one of the house servants was lighting the candles candles can can- n- n dl s where where where-Torre Torre was pa pacing back and forth his restlessness showing for tor the first time Teresa de la In Guerra Guerra's scream bad had sounded through the house early that morning at morning at three The They The long longI I Iday day had dragged and now nov It was I growing dark dart Still Torre and Juarez were prisoners prison ers still sUIl Dempton fretted and fumed and sulked In n the great library Torre looked up quickly his hL eyes eager expectant Stanway glanced at him giving no satisfaction in the swift turning of his eyes Torre frowned and lift Itt at his lip Juarez I looked to his leader with both question question question ques ques- tion and criticism In n his gaze Josefa followed the rancher and they passed on through the drawing room The door closed dosed behind them Now Josefa Stanway threw open the door of the Senor de la Ja Guerras Guerra's bedroom Josefa Joseta lifting a very white handkerchief handkerchief chief to her very black eyes crossed lu herself and stepped and over the threshold thresh thresh- old Look Josefa Josef a 1 Is there anything missing lIe He had the key in his pocket she had not seen It He looked at her in ina a moment tense with expectant waitIng waiting wait wait- Ing not sure why he was so eager ealer for the word she should say Josefas Josefa's eyes showing ag agan n as she folded and smoothed her handkerchief roved about the room She shook her head slowly and still her eyes went upon their quest There Is nothing missing she said speaking thoughtfully Everything Every Ev Everything ry- ry thing thing- thing She broke off suddenly her old figure figure figure fig fig- ure growing rigid her eyes brighten brighten- ing Then Thea she ran across the room to ton toa a far corner which was a bit In shadow as Stanway held his candle above his he head L I It Is gone gonel 1 she cried cried amazement In to her voice volee See where It has been for twenty for yeas for more than twenty years And it is gone What Josefa Stanway hurried to his side What is it that Is gone The key keyl keyt she he whispered her J Stared at at the Cumbersome Key voice suddenly dropping See where it hung against the wall See where it hung so o long that it left its Its own shape like a picture e. But who could have taken it itT Stanway peering above the old womans woman's head hend the candle held close to the wall saw aW dimly enough but plainly the mark which the key banging hanging from froma a little peg had left What key was It Iti he asked sharp sharp- ly The masters He would fould allow no noone noone noone one to touch it He bad it kept there always where he could see it In the morning at night when he went to bed And it is gone I But But cried Stanway Impatiently his hand upon upon her arm what was it for What did it open Josefa looked at him with wide eyes But the master would be angry angry angry an an- gry if be he knew He lIe has had It it there for twenty years years much much longer I think But Josefa Stanway hurried on cant you think what door It opens Cant Can't you guess I must know Josefa Jo Jo- sefa Think Is it some room in the house here I No no senor Not here Josefa shook her head I 1 should know i then I think senor it must be the key to some in his beloved Spain It is for no rG ream m upon the rancho Of that I am sure senor What is this Josefa 1 Suddenly he lie had drawn the great heavy key from his Ills pocket holding it before her eyes Sh She stared at it then with a little cry put out her shaking bands hands for it It That Is It a n Dlos Dios I she muttered We W shall shan put It back so that the master will not be angry when he returns Quick senor Let Letus Letus Letus us put it back Maybe Its It's being gone brought the bad luck Maybe when It is on the wall once more mOle good luck will come back to the rancho It was not until lie le had again hung the key upon the peg that Stanway succeeded in getting the now now delighted delight delight- ed d Josefa i to leave the room When she fhe had gone he closed the door came back to the key and took It again In his hands That opens the door behind which he Is a n prisoner he told himself half halt angrily He and perhaps Teresa I have the key and I cant can't tell teIl where the door is And it is getting dark Teresa Teresa- Long LongS and moodily he he- stared at the cumbersome key Its dull surface see seemed to him to be hiding from him the things TO BE CONTINUED I |