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Show I Dice of Destiny II By JACKSON GREGORY j ill Copright i ' jejunal. IWWW "WHOTHE DEVIL ARE YOU?" Bynopsls-Senor Antonio do In duerra, a nno old Bpanlara living on Ma ancestral estate on tlio r American sldo of tlio Mexican bor- der, la Informed by Ills American H lawyer, Dempton, that there Is a technical error In his will. Ho thereupon signs a new will, without reading It. Whllo this Is going on his adorable granddaughter and heiress, Senorlta Teresa, Is out on her rose-covered balcony listening to American lovo-maklng from Billy Stanwny, owner of the Tainted Itock ranch. Teresa goes to Join her grandfather and finds him gone, with the drawing room In disorder and blood on tho floor. The Amer-lean Amer-lean takes command of the sltua CHAPTER III Continued. "Twrnty-flvc," replied Onucho promptly. "Good," cried Stnnwny. "Take twenty men with you; send the other five to the house. Pronto, Onucho." Gaucho turned and rnn, calling to lils vnquero.s ns ho went. "rcdro," called Stanway to tho chief of the house servunts. "Aqul, "Have the doors and windows shut, the shutters locked. When Onucho sends the five men, put one of them upon tho senorltn's balcony, tho oth-era oth-era at the windows, especially tho south windows, Pedro. Then put out til the candles und ho silent, nil of "No one goes to bed again tonight. Knch one, man und woman, find a kuii of some sort. I do not think that (hero Is danger, but remember that tho border Is Just there, remember that they have taken tho Rood scnor from you, remember that wo are lenv-Ing lenv-Ing the senorltn In your protection." He spoke swiftly nnd turned to follow Onucho out Into tho dark. To-resn, To-resn, who had been watching him In H. silence, came to him nnd put her hand i upon his nnn. "Senor ISIIIy," slio whispered. "You H' are going with Onucho nnd tho rest?" "Yes," ho nnswered shortly. "You are sufo here; they do not dnro on open attack In United States territory. And no doubt we shall bo back beforo D. morning." "What have they done with him?" ahe was asking, trying to speak stead-Hf stead-Hf Uy. "What do you think did they" i She broke off. Ho could see her lips trembling. Onoof tho Indian women, through habit m beginning to tidy the room, moved thb rug Stanwny lind placed by tho table, discovered tho stain, went down on her hands nnd knees, und then roso with a "Sangrol" sho cried. "Jesus Mnrln I 'Stn mucrtol Ho Is dend. They hnvo killed him. Tito beloved senor, who was so good " j Stanway strodo back to her, taking Iter by tho shoulders nnd commanding her to stop her nolso nnd go help Pc-dro Pc-dro lock tho doors and windows, Iiut Teresa had heard ; they had all heard, She stood very still then, looking tall nnd slender and whlto. I "Go to the doors nnd windows ns tho American senor commands". sho dald steadily. "Lenvo no light to show that nnyono Is nwnkc. Do whatever Pedro tells you to do, lu swiftness nnd In silence. I shall como to sco what you aro doing In a moment now. Go." , They left as sho commanded, In swiftness nnd silence. Tho doors closed behind them, nnd Teresa turned her grcnt eyes, full of dread and suf-ferine, suf-ferine, upon Stnnway. "You saw It before?" Ho nodded. "You think that they have killed "No," ho cried, moro assurance In H. his volco than la his heart "It means nothing If there Is a little blood after men havo struggled as they must havo fought here. And If they killed him, then why carry tho body with them? He Is alive; ho must be." "Yes," sho answered, "I should feel It here." Her hands wero pressed tight upon her breast. "Now go with them, Senor nilly. You aro good to us." "Good to myself," ho laughed back at her, trying to speak easily. Stanway passed out Into tho patio, running toward tho corrals where ho had left his own horso saddled under llvo oak. As lis rnn he heard tho slrl's volco calling to him : "Remember, Senor Hilly, that you aro riding across the border tonight Into Mexican territory. Thero Is dnn-gcr dnn-gcr there. And well, perhaps thero ls.ono who will pray for your speedy nnd safe return." Ho saw tho flutter of her gown through tho-mlsty moonlight, swept off his hat, called, buck a cheery word, and ran' on, Ho snw n group of men . mounted or '" mounting now.lntifto-corrnl, nnd knew Gauclio and his vaqucros were ready, He could eco tho glint of tho palo night light upon tho rifles in their lean brown hands. Ho found his own horso,- a tall, res-H res-H tivt; sorrel, swung Into tile saddle, r.,iir. -'nvi-li to Onucho, and then H. !en, y ttuit. soine-thlng was keeping tho men at the corral, gate, that their voices wero raised excitedly. Giving his mount tho spur ho dashed down to them. . "Quo cs?" ho called, half nngry nt tho momentary delay. "What Is it, Onucho?" "I'll answer for Gaucho," camo a deep, sonorous voice, unmlstnkably southern In accent. "It Is I, scnor." "And you," Bnappcd Stanway. "Who tho devil nro you?" "Ono who Is not accustomed to being be-ing nddresscd ns If ho wero n mestizo," mes-tizo," with a certain haughtiness which rode well upon tho deep music of tho voice. "Scnor Don Kduardo Itamon Torre, at your service, scnor I" "Oh, h 1," grunted tho American under his breath. And then, riding Into tho heart of tho excited group, reining In his sorrel closo to a deep-chested deep-chested black animal, Its hldo glistening glisten-ing with sweat, ho said shortly: "Well, Torre, what Is it? Wo nro In something some-thing of a hurry." Torre laughed. "We? So you nro ono of us, senor? Ilueno. It Is n pleasure to know." "Ho has met up with tho raiders, Scnor Stanway," Gaucho snarled. "IJo was riding this wny from ncross tho river. Ho is wounded, sec?" Stanway saw that thero wns blood upon tho young Spaniard's check, that thero wns n long cut which might havo been mndu by n grazing bullet. "Smnll reason wo should loiter here," ho said quickly. "What way did they go, Torre?" "South, naturally, scnor," replied Torre evenly. "Gnuchol" cried Stnnwny then. "Scatter your men out as wo rldo bo Hint we mnko n lino a mllo long when we como to tho hills Just ncross tho line. Let them keep a sharp lookout, nnd flro If they seo tho rebels.. Wo must not get too far apart, or wo shall not be nblo to do anything. How mnny of them were there, Torro?" "I forgot to count, scnor. I should say, fifty, perhaps." "Wo nro twenty. That Is enough. You nro not coming with us?" "I think not. Why, with so competent compe-tent a leader ns you, should I como nlso? No. I think," and he turned his horso toward tho whlto walls of, "I Shall Remain Here." the hacienda, "that I shall remnjn hero with ray kinswoman. Thero may bo a second attack upon tho rnncho. Good hunting, senor." 'Ho turned his horse, and, sitting enslly, gracefully in tho deep Mexican raddle, rodo away through tho moonlight. moon-light. Stnnwny, frowning nfter tho retreating form, hesitated a moment. Then, culling shnrply to Gaucho Morales, Mo-rales, ho-gavo his horso the spur and turned southward. "You understand what we're doing, Gaucho?" ho suld sternly. "Wo'ro invading in-vading Mexico, como right down to It. Wo're not supposed to hnvo any business busi-ness thero Just now. We've got to take euro of ourselves." "SI, senor," muttered Onucho ut his side. CHAPTER IV. Word From the Insurrectos. Moon puled, stars died, the eust flushed to tho coming of tho sun before be-fore they turned back from a fruitless quest, riding ngnln closo together toward the north. Stanwny nnd Gnucho had kept upon th!LiilL1-l1J0.1iS1Lthofl91'18' tho otnera "spreading" out to cusf'nnd, west ns they rodo that thero might bo no chnnco of missing tho party they sought In the night. But in an hour they had como Into a country where nil tracks wero mingled with the hoof marks of cattlo and vaqueros' ponies, and their trull was smothered and lost. Shortly beforo midnight thoy hod como upon 'three men, ragged, ugly-looking ugly-looking Mexicans, sleeping about n cump flro which was fast dying. The men know nothing or professed nt Ignorance, Stanwny could not' tell which. After that- nothing, although they had pushed many miles into tho Mexican Mexi-can country until they realized tho utter ut-ter usolessncs.1 of riding farther. "Wo may ns well go bnck, Gaucho," Stanwny said nt Inst. "They will wnnt ransom, I suppose. When they speak wo'll know what to do." And reluctantly, his faco black with the wrath upon him, Gaucho Morales called to his men to turn back. Tho sunlight lay bright nnd warm upon tho oranges nnd their blossoms when they rodo back to tho rnncho, Stnnway threw himself from the saddle, a bit stiff from long hours of hard riding. Then, wulktng slowly now, loath to greet Teresa do la Ouerra with news of their failure, ho enmo into the patio. She was thero waiting for him. . "Nothing," ho blurted out. "Wo havo found nothing." "I know," sho said quietly. She camo townrd hlra, putting out her hands. "You havo been good to us, Senor nilly." He lnughcd n bit nwkwnrdly. ' "I don't know how," ho retorted. "I hnvo dono nothing. You have not been molested hero?" Sho hcsltntcd. Ho 'snw n quick frown gather her brows. Then, speaking lightly, sho replied, snylng: "No. Hut como; you must bo hungry hun-gry nnd tired out. Coffco Is ready." Ho went with her to tho broad-open doors. ' "Torro Is hero?" ho asked, his eyes Intent upon her fare. Tho frown camo ngnln, nnd was gono quickly, Iiut ho had seen It. "Ho Is here, yes. Asleep, I think. Ho wns wounded. You know?" "Ho is not badly hurt?" Her tired eyes, Into which sleep had not come during tho long night, grew .brightly contemptuous. "It Is only his beauty which Is harmed," sho sold swiftly. ; "Good morning, prima rolal" called , n deep; laughing volco. "Ah, still wlttr us, Senor Stnnwny" Torre, debonair In tho dark, youthful youth-ful beauty of htm, greeted thcra at tho doorway. "Certainly Senor Stanwny Is still with us," said Teresa coolly. "Ho Is my guest, my grandfnther's friend, Scnor Torre I" Torro laughed nnd lifted his shoulders. shoul-ders. " "loiter," ho said with a grnclousness which was In some strango way vaguely vague-ly Insulting; It was ns though ho wero tho master here, nnd becnuso of his generosity not only Stanway but the girl as well wero nllowcd upon the premises. Now It was Teresa who flushed. "Come, Scnor nilly," sho said quietly. qui-etly. "Wo nro going to havo coffeo togothcr." For tho fraction of a second tho two men stood fronting each other, their level eyes filled with chnllenge, with n mistrust which wns llttlo less than hntrcd. Then tho Spaniard, bowing again, turned uwny, with n slight smllo playing play-ing under tho small, pointed mustucho, and Stanway followed his hostess. Pedro himself superintended tho serving of tho slmplo brcukfnst. "Senorltn," Stnnway snld at Inst, pushing back his chair, "I should llko to go buck to the drawing room, Thero might bo something there to glvo us n hint that will help us." "SI," she snld, "I hud thought of that. I looked last night carefully ufter you hud gone." "You found nothing?" "Nothing that I could understand," sho nnswered quietly. "Something I could not." Ho looked up nt her quickly, his eyes full of question. "This," sho nnswered, not waiting for him to speuk. She pluced u folded paper beforo him. -Ho glanced nt It, frowned, looked nguln, and turned onco moro to her. ' "It is his will. Dated lust night. Iiut why hus bo mudo a new ono?" "Itend It," ns quietly us befoie, though her eyes wero brightening with some surge of emotion he could not guess. Stanway to Torre: "You can't get away with a thing like. this. Explain it!" (TO RE CONTINUED.) |