Show aa the he 0 A of U A K A romance zane age q M ca do 4 LV c vv s EN rn CL L bi harpf and nd brot Brol brochert lien hert CHAPTER continued 17 ills his white face loomed over hers she closed her eyes lie ile rained kisses upon her face but no more upon her mouth on her closed eyes her hair her cheeks her neck he pressed swift lips lips that lost their lire fire and gal V cold then he released lier her and lifting and righting her in the saddle he still held her arm to keep her from falling failing for a moment madeline sat on her horse with shut eyes she dreaded the light now you cant soy say youve never been kissed stewart said ills voice seemed a long way olt off but that was coming to you so be game here she felt something hard and cold and metallic thrust into her hand band lie made her fingers close over it hold it the feel of the thing revived her slie she opened her eyes stewart had bad given her his bis gun ile he stood with his broad breast against her knee and she looked up to see that old mocking smile on his face go ahead I 1 throw my gun on me be a thoroughbred madeline did not yet grasp his meaning you can put me down in that quiet place on the hill beside monty price madeline dropped the gun with a shuddering cry of horror the sense of his words the memory of monty 4 id now you cant say youve never been kissed stewart said the certainty that she would kill stewart it if she held the gun an instant longer tortured the self accusing cry from her stewart stooped to pick up the weapon va pon you might have saved me a h I 1 of a R lot of trouble he said with another flash of the mocking smile youre beautiful and sweet and proud but youre no thoroughbred majesty hammond adelos stewart leaped for the saddle of his horse and with the flying mount crashed through the mesquites mes quItes to disappear CHAPTER the secret told late in the night madeline fell sleep asleep in the morning she was pate pale and nd languid but in a mental condition that promised composure it was wag considerably after her regular hour that madeline repaired to her office the door was open and just outside tipped back in a chair sat stillwell lawnin Slaw Maw oln nin miss bliss majesty be said as he rose to greet her with his usual courtesy madeline shrank inwardly fearing his old lamentations about stewart then she saw a dusty ragged pony in the yard and a little burro drooping under a heavy pack both animals bore evidence of long arduous travel to whom do they belong asked madeline them critters why danny mains replied stillwell with a cough that betra betrayed ed embarrassment la Is danny mains here blie bile asked in sudden curiosity the old cattleman nodded gloomily yep hes ayar all right sloped in from the hills bills an he hollered to see sec bonita lies iles locked too about that little black eyed hussy why he be hardly y said howdy lowdy I bill before lie began to ask wild an eager questions I 1 took him in to see bonita lies hes been there moren a half hour now rapid footsteps with an accompaniment of clinking spurs sounded in the hallway then a young man ran out upon the porch ile he was a handsome frank faced hoy boy at sight of Madel madeline lne he slammed down his sombrero and leaping at her he be possessed himself of her hands his bis swift violence olence sl not only alarmed her but painfully reminded her of something Eom ethLa she wished to forget this cowboy bent his head and alid ald her hands and wrung them and when he straightened up tip he was crying miss hammond ashes safe an almost well nn an what I 1 feared most aint so thank god ho cried sure ill never be able to pay you tor for all youve done for her ashes told me how she was dragged down here how gene tried to save her how you spoke up for gene nn an her too how monty at the last thrower tits his guns poor monty momel I 1 we were good friends monty an L theres nets nels an all nick an gene hes been some friend to me but monty price was he was grand ue ile never knew any more than you or bill here or the boys what bonita was to me Still wells kind and heavy hand fell upon the cowboys shoulder danny all this queer gab he asked an youre taken some liberty with miss hammond nam mond who never seen you before I 1 see youre not drink ln come ease up now an talk sensed sense the cowboys fine frank face broke into a smile he dashed the tears from his eyes then he laughed ills laugh had a pleasant boyish ring a happy ring bill old pat pal stand bridle down a minute will you then he bowed to madeline 1 I beg your pardon miss bliss hammond tor for seeman deemin rudeness im danny mains an bonita Is my wife im so crazy glad ashes safe an unharmed so grateful to you that why sure its a wonder I 1 kiss you outright Bo boultas bonitas your wife ejaculated ell sure weve been married tor for months replied danny happily gene stewart did it good old gene I 1 guess maybe I 1 come to pay him up tor for all lies hes done for me 1 you see ive been in love with bonita for two years an gene iou know bill what a way gene has with girls lie was well he be was bryin to get bonita to have me quick varying emotions were sal swallowed sallied loed up in a boundless gladness something dark deep heavy and somber was flooded from her heart she had a sudden rich sense of gratitude toward this smiling clean faced cowboy whose blue eyes flashed through tears danny Bla mains insl she said tremulously and smilingly if you are as glad as your new neus has made me it if you really think I 1 merit such a reward you may kiss me outright with a bashful wonder but with right hearty will danny mains availed himself of this gracious brivil privilege ege stillwell snorted the signs of ills his phenomenal smile were manifest otherwise madeline would have thought that snort an indication of furious disapproval bill I 1 straddle raddle Et a chair raid aid danny 11 youve I 1 on ve gone back a heap these last few months frettin frett ln over your bad boys danny an gene need support under you while im th throw rowin ln my yarn story of my life bill ile he placed a chair tor for madeline miss its hammond beggan your pardon again I 1 want you to listen also youve the face an eyes of a woman who loves to hear of other peoples happiness besides somehow its easy for me to talk lookin at you walking off the porch he stood before the weary horse and burro with the swift violence characteristic of men of his class he slipped the pack from the burro and threw saddle and bridle from the horse he untied the pack and taking a small heavy sack from it he be came back upon the porch deliberately he dumped the contents of the sack at feet piece after piece of rock thumped upon the floor the pieces were ere sharp ragged evidently broken from a ledge the body of them was white in color with yellow veins and bars and streaks stillwell grasped up one rock after another stared and stuttered put the rocks to his lips dug into them with his shaking lingers fingers then he be lay back in his chair head against the wall and as he gaped tit at danny the old smile began to transform his face danny regarded stillwell with lofty condescension now bill we got here say offhand oh lord dannyl danny I 1 im afraid to say LOOK miss bliss majesty jest look at the gold ive lived among prospectors an gold mines for fer thirty lears an I 1 neverseen the beat of tills this the lost mine of the padres cried danny in stentorian voice an aal it belongs to me I 1 stillwell made some incoherent sound as he sat up fascinated quite beside himself bill it was some long time ago since you saw me said danny fact Is 19 1 I know how you felt because gene kept me posted I 1 happened to run across bonita an I 1 coln to let her ride away alone when she told me she was in trouble we lilt hit the troll trail for the bonita had genes borse an she was wag to meet him film up on the trail we got to the mountains all right an nearly starved for a few days till gene found us ue he had got in trouble himself an fetch much wl with th him we made for vie the crags an built a cabin I 1 come down that dai daar gene sent Us bis horse majesty to you never saw gone gene so brokenhearted broken hearted well after lie he sloped for the border bonita tin an I 1 were hard put to it to keep alive but we got along an I 1 think it was wag then she began to care a little for or me once I 1 went to el 0 cajon an run plumb into gene ile he was back from the revolution an cuttin up some but I 1 got away from him after doln all I 1 could to drag him out of town A long time after that gene trailed up to the crags an foumal us gene had stopped drinkin hed changed wonderful was fine an dandy it was then ile he began to pester the life out of me to make me marry bonita I 1 was happy so was she an I 1 was some soine scared of ln it IL genes doggone dog gone hard to buck against I 1 had to give in an I 1 asked bonita to marry me well she at first said she good enough for me but I 1 saw the marriage idea was deep an I 1 just kept on bein as decent as I 1 knew how so it was my to marry donita my byln glad to marry her that made her grow soft an sweet an pretty as as a mountain quail gene fetched up padre marcos an he married us danny paused in his narrative breathing hard as it if the memory of the incident described had stirred strong and thrilling feeling in him Still wells smile was rapturous made sia deline leaned toward danny with her eyes shining miss mis s hammond nam mond an you bill stillwell now listen for this Is strange ive got to tell y you ou the afternoon bonita tin an I 1 were married when gene an the padre had gone she left me for a little an when she came back she wore some pretty yellow flowers in her hair she said some queer things about spirits rollin rocks down the canyon then she said she wanted to show me where she always sat an waited tin an watched for me when I 1 was away she led me around under the crags to ft a long slope it was some pretty there clear ear an open with a long sweep an the desert lawnin deep an red there were yellow flowers on that slope the same kind she had in her hair when I 1 heard the strange crack of 0 rollin rocks heard them rattle down an roll an prow grow faint I 1 was some out of my head hut but not for long them rocks were rollin rollan all right only it was the mea mcatherin therin of the cliffs an there under the crags was a gold pocket then I 1 was worse than locked I 1 went gold crazy I 1 worked like seventeen burros bill I 1 dug a lot of gold bearon quartz bonita watched the trails for me brought me water that was how homr she come to get caught by rat pat llam hawe e an his guerrillas surel pat glawe was so set on doln gene dirt that be remixed mixed up with don carlos bonita will tell you some stag staggering stagger gerin ln news about that outfit just now my segry Is all gold danny mains got up and kicked back hla his chair blue lightning gleamed from his eyes as he thrust a hand toward stillwell bill old pal put her there give me your hand he said you were always my friend you had faith in me well danny mains owes you an he owes gene stewart stew art a good deal an danny mains pays I 1 want two partners pard ners to help me work my gold mine you an gene go fetch him an right here in this house with my wife an miss hammond ammond II as witnesses well draw up a pardner partnership ship go find him bill I 1 want to show him this gold show him how danny mains an the only bitter drop in my cup today Is that I 1 can cant t ever pay monty price madeline watched the huge stillwell and the little cowboy both talking wildly as they walked off arm in arm to find stewart she imagined something of what dannys disappointment would be of the elder mans consternation and grief when he learned stewart had left tor for the border at this juncture she looked up to see a strange yet familiar figure approaching padre I 1 marcos marcosa I 1 mention of padre marcos SI arcos sight ot of film had always occasioned Bladel madeline lne a little fri indefinable defInable shock and now as he stepped to the porch a sh shrunken stooped and sad faced man she was waa startled the padre bowed low to her senora Sc nora will you grant me audience it Is a matter of 0 great moment which you might not tare are to have any one hear wonderingly madeline inclined her head bead althe he padre gently closed one door and then the others senora Sc nora I 1 have come to disclose a secret my own sinfulness in keeping it and to implore your pardon do da you remember that night senor stewart dragged me before you in the walting wal ling room at el cajon yes replied madeline senora since that night you have been senor stewarts wife madeline became as motionless as stone she seemed to feel nothing only to hear bear you are senor stewarts wife I 1 have kept the secret under fear of death but I 1 could keep it no longer senor stewart may kill me now ah senora it in very strange to you you were so ao frightened that night you knew not what happened senor stewert threatened me ne he forced you ile he mode made me speak the service ile he made you speak the spanish yos yes arld and 1 I senora knowing the deeds of these sinful com cowboys boys fearing worse than disgrace to one so beautiful and so good as you I 1 could not do less than marry you truly at least you should be ills hla wife so I 1 married you truly in the service sen ice of my church my aly godl god I 1 cried madeline rising hear me I 1 implore you senora hear me out do not leave met me do not look so so ali ah senora let me speak a word for senor stewart lie he was drunk that night nl ht lie he did not know what he was about in the morning lie came to me made me swear by my cross that I 1 would not reveal the disgrace he had put upon you if I 1 did he u would kill me life Is nothing to the american vaquero quero senora I 1 promised to respect his command but I 1 did not tell him you were his wife lie ile did not dream I 1 had truly married you ile he went to fight for the freedom of my country senora he Is one splendid soldier and I 1 brooded blooded over the sin of my secret it if he be were killed I 1 need never tell you but if he lived I 1 knew that I 1 must some day senora I 1 pray you yon do not misunderstand der stand my mission beyond my confession to you I 1 have only a duty to tell you of the man whose wife you are but I 1 am a priest and I 1 can read the soul the ways of god are inscrutable I 1 am only a humble instrument you are a noble woman and senor stewart Is a man of desert iron forged anew in the crucible of love quien sabe senor stewart swore he be would kill me it if I 1 betrayed him but he will not lift his hand against me for the man bears you a very great and pure lose loe lo se and it has changed him to love you above uie the spirit of the flesh to know you are his wife tits his never to be an others except by his sacrifice to watch you with a secret glory of joy and pride to stand while lie he might between you and evil to find his happiness in service to wait with never a dream of telling you for the hour to come when to leave you free he must go out and get hini himself self shot senora that Is beautiful it Is sublime it Is terrible it has brought me to you with my confession so I 1 beseech you in my humble ollice office as priest as a lover of mankind before you send stewart to his death to be sure there Is liere here no mysterious dispensation pensa tion of god I 1 pray you senora before you let stewart give you freedom nt at such cost be sure you do not want his love lest you cast away something sweet and ennobling which you yourself have created CHAPTER news of stewart blinded like a wild creature madeline hammond ran to her room she felt as it if a stroke of lightning had shattered the shadowy substance of 0 the dream she had made of real life the wonder of danny mains story the strange regret with which she bad realized her injustice to stewart steart the astound |