| Show F U r a chamberlain a ift o 0 0 george agnew chamberlain EBY sy george agnew service t SYNOPSIS joyce sewell on the eve of her twentieth birthday rebels at her lot dependent on her detested stepmother irma and full of trag e memories of her mother s murder twelve years before and her father fathers s death s x months ago irma calls in helm black adder an admirer to help her persuade joyce to marry rich young mchael M chael kirk patrick mike sent up to joyce by irma and blackadder Bla chadder demands a showdown on his proposal and is rejected joyce real izes that la barranca a mex can hac enda wh ch her father had owned legally be longs to her later she receives a letter eft enclosing a warrant on the un ted stales states treasury for 10 compensation for her mother a murder at la barranca she con fers with mr bradley a banker and only remaining friend ot of her father fathers s she con fides that she wants to make a secret lourney journey to mexico bradley arranges all details fob fot her she departs by plane un detected ark D rk van second secre tary of the american embassy in mexico city gives joyce a cally ch lly reception and the she loses her temper she finds a mexican woman lawyer margarida Mar garlda fonseca who takes her to general onel a right hand man to the mex can minister of war margarida Mar garlda re reminds m inda onel a that the usurper of la bar ranca aranca is h s dangerous enemy general do rado the two make plans to send joyce with a few p eked men under pancho buena ventura to drive dorado out adan arnaldo a young man who runs el a night light club knows dorado s present where so they take joyce there that night where she notices D rk general dorado arrives and in the course of sudden gun play the lights go out and joyce Is left alone adan arnaldo whisks her out and takes her home the following morang morn ng joyce drives off to toluca w th pancho back in Elsin boro jo doces ces disappearance ds d appearance arance has been ds d sc covered blackadder upbraids irma but succumbs to her helpless charm and plans to marry her blackadder gets the secretary of state to wire the embassy at mexico C ty to locate joyce D rk Is delegated for the search ark D rk gettig gett ng no information from the ly ng onelia goes to el and interviews arnaldo ar naldo bids D rk follow him mean w h ie joyce and pancho reach la barra barranca aca pancho and euseb 0 one of his band leave her and at dawn cl mb the wall suddenly shots ring out CHAPTER VI continued 7 she sprang through the first zag uan and ran across the second court she reached the second zag uan entered the inner patio and plunged through odorous blooms to trip and all but fall over a dead body here also everything was si lent not the stillness of peace the silence of terror and death every door on the lower floor was tightly sealed she dashed up one branch of the double stairway which led to the balcony above fury still pos hessed her to the exclusion of all fear murder was being done on her account murder before her very eyes again shots pierced the silence but they were rhythmic punctual ed they came from the formal dining room she dashed along the balcony and entered upon a scene so astonishing it brought her to an instantaneous halt her eyes were riveted on a figure as hideous as a gargoyle which stood as if cruci cruel fied tied against the wall beneath one of the sconces she recognized the visage of gen eral dorado now twitching with ter as the rhythmic shots shattered one by one the lusters dangling over her head two other men were in the room euseblo and pancho both seated the jumpers were gone disclosing what had caused the bulges bandoliers still half full of cartridges euseblo was rolling a cigarette pancho was doing the shooting and dorado wondering why he was being spared had his glit bering eyes fixed on his tormentor pancho 1 cut in joyce s voice between two shots you lied you promised gen in one movement pancho sprang up snatched off his big sombrero and swung it backward at a ven yen ture striking her across the mouth for an instant dorado stared at her with unbelieving yet consuming eyes then his paralysis passed and he made a leap for the nearest door with a double bloodcurdling yell eu sebio seblo and pancho were after him half knocked off balance by the rush of their passage joyce was yet able to reach the balcony in time to watch the pursuit through the patio across the visible section of the great court through the daguan at its far side and out by one of the gates into the limitless freedom of the prairie joyce turned went out and de scented to the patio with a firm step she must do something sum mon aid but first she wished to orient herself revisit the spots she knew best she glanced toward her one time playroom and saw that the huge key was on the outside of the lock A moment later she had turned it and thrown open the door she stood transfixed it had be come a stable a pig pen two horses turned their heads and stared at her as though startled and three fattening hogs penned in one corner grunted low as if only mum bling she closed the door hurried ly and stepped back against a bush the bush moved and she thought it was because she had touched it but the next instant her ankle was seized in an unbreakable grip she looked down and saw a brown hand a brown hairy arm she opened her mouth and screamed but no sound issued from her throat she dragged back with all her might another hand came forward and then appeared the shoulders of a man she tugged more furiously than ever the oth er hand added its grip to the first now she could see his waist the whole body his shattered and bleed ing thigh he looked up and in scantly she knew he was asking for no aid the single thought in his eyes was as clear as if he had shout ed it he wished to pull her down transfer his grip from her ankle to her throat and kill her before he died all this for mi general do rado then her voice came back not her familiar grown up voice but the voice of memory uttering a cry of the past luz luz luzi luz CHAPTER VII dirk followed arnaldo around the crowded dancing floor retrieved his overcoat and hat and a moment lat er the two men sprang into the same car that had rescued joyce from the same spot four nights be fore adan barked a direction and the tone of his voice was sufficient to send the chauffeur tearing along through one street after another skidding around corners and agnor ing lights until he drew up with a squeal of brakes at an apartment house shrouded in darkness on the th h i 41 14 he s dead said several of the crowd in unison lighted a match to examine the name card then rang the bell with one hand and knocked with the oth er who is if it asked a deep voice presently what do you want it s I 1 margarida Mar ganda adan arnal do open thedoor the door something ter has happened the latch clicked and the door swung back revealing margarida Mar ganda fonseca what do you want asked mar ganda information take your hand off the gun do you think I 1 in an idiot oh I 1 wouldn t shoot I 1 d just tap over and around bour our brains harder and harder if I 1 t amused I 1 d scream for help you d get it all right the po lice are downstairs what police 1 why do you suppose I 1 in running around with a gringo secretary of embassy 7 9 countered arnaldo don t i 3 ou know a friend when you see onea one answer my questions and tell the truth or you 11 go to jail in a nightgown for what abduction of a minor what is it you wish to know where is the girl she s gone to la barranca what for la barranca is undoubtedly her property I 1 had to admit that much since I 1 explained why the courts can do nothing she has gone there to plead with general dorado to hand it back to her I 1 don t believe at it said arnaldo she told me she never wanted to see pepe s horror of a face again margarida Mar ganda smiled pityingly I 1 in the one who s telling the truth the girl is at la barranca I 1 swear it by every hair on the head of my dead mother where is la barranca 7 dirk asked I 1 mean how to you get there by what road the road to toluca said ar naldo naido out of a half daze the haci enda is southwest of toluca once you ve passed the city all you have to say is la barranca to the first man you meet and he will point out the trail how do you know so much about la barranca adan asked mar ganda curiously for my sins I 1 went to one of pepe s shooting parties said ar naldo still stin in a half daze dirk rose I 1 in leaving for to luca in half an hour he stated what about it arnaldo 7 any chance of your coming with me mea no said arnaldo snapping out of his daze he turned to van sut tart sit down dirk obeyed what do you suppose I 1 m thinking about do you know dorado no well I 1 do we re too late too late by hours to make the trip would be a mere sentimental gesture just the same I 1 m going said dirk to take a fall out of a wind mill asserted arnaldo impatiently have you any idea what a can hacienda is like no it s a fortress don t be a fool if you insist on making a journey to bring back the remains wait un til you can take a hearse and a troop of cavalry along with a bat tery of seventy fives to help you if your ambassador can t get them come to me and see what I 1 can do no said dirk you don t un der stand he gave me a job and if I 1 tried passing the buck back to him he d be through with me for keeps and I 1 wouldn t blame him do you mind dropping me at my place joyce stared down in horror at the wreck of a man at her feet reason told her since he was mor tally wounded she must be stronger than he yet she was not all her strength had turned to water from the waist up he was terribly alive his right hand was still clamped on her ankle so tightly that circulation had almost ceased and with his left he had managed to seize her skirt rather than have it dragged off her she sank to one knee straining her head back from the sight of his face luz I 1 she cried in a last despair ing wall A bar clattered on the far side of the patio a door opened and the fig ure of a woman stepped forth she was ageless as are all peons once the bloom of youth has passed but strong with the toughness of raw hide her leathery face would have been expressionless had it not been for the brilliance of cavernous black eyes the instant they beheld joyce their expression underwent a star fling transformation it did not oc cur to her she was staring at the babe she had nursed at her breast what she thought she saw was that babe babes s mother to the very life she dashed to the rescue scream ing mg as she went senor maximill ano anol julio leonardo Leo plutarco arcol ri rl quieta Nat aniell As the last cry for help left her lips she sprang through the air to pounce like a cat claws out on joyce s assailant heedless of the shattered hip which was uppermost she dug knowingly under his other thigh and presently tugged into view a sheath knife with a glittering blade a foot long gripping the han ban die dle with both hands she raised it on high the man promptly gave up he released his hold on joyce rolled over and with a sigh of relief exposed his breast to descending death but he counted without joyce she seized luz s wrists and wrenched them upward no luz no I 1 at luz s call doors had opened on every side and people were corn com ing on the run As the wondering group gathered luz looked up her face distorted in bewilderment an instant later she dropped the knife threw herself on her knees bowed her head to the ground and began bega kissing joyce s feet with a fervor interrupted only by elucidating walls joynita Joy cita cital cita cital chiquita Ci quita my ba byl at my breast my own breast she looked up at the crowd through streaming eyes our baby has come back to us joyce lifted her up and kissed her tear wet cheeks luz I 1 oh L luz ua I 1 but we cant can t talk now we must get a doctor what for fora asked luz this poor man we must try to save him he s dead said several of the crowd in unison wait t called a sonorous voice wait for me joyce looked around and memory not quite sure of itself stirred in her breast an imposing figure was approaching along the gallery of the patio with carefully measured steps accompanied by the regular thump of a rubber tipped staff who is he hea asked joyce hur friedly you have forgotten don jorge senor maximiliano Maxi miliano asked luz because he became blind she explained epla ined they left him life of course said joyce ye kemem nem bering maxie the superintendent but blind I 1 luz stepped forward caught senor maximiliano Maxi miliano s free hand and kissed it with respect she explained the baby of long ago had returned he let fall his staff reached out and laid hands on joyce s shoulders maxie she breathed I 1 used to call you maxie he wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a long mo ment of silence the babe is be come a woman he rumbled but she will always be a child to me welcome back to your home and to our hearts leonardo S senor e n 0 r answered leonardo stepping forward summon the people let them greet their mistress there was no need for leonardo to issue a call since men women and children were already swarm ing into the precincts of the inner patio they came from the outer court the tienda and the scattered houses beyond the gates silently their black eyes staring in wonder they passed before joyce each pausing with bent knee to kiss her hand A toddling infant closed the long procession strong joyce snatched up the baby and faced the throng As this child is one of you she called so am I 1 boundaries di vide peoples they cant can t divide the human family love me and I 1 will serve you serve me with faith in your hearts and I 1 will love you she turned to senor maximiliano Maxi miliano and laid her hand on his arm was that all right maxie your father might have spoken the words said don jorge and I 1 know no greater praise but I 1 am confused let us go inside you and luz and I 1 and talk don jorge maximiliano Maxi miliano de la si erra was a gentleman a scion of a collateral branch of the family which had originally owned la bar ranca aranca seated in the little room which had been her mother s boudoir with luz standing before them joyce told don jorge of her father s death and the dreary years culminating with the arrival of the warrant for 10 then interrupted by sev eral sharp questions she gave him the exact facts as to what had happened in the week since she had re turned to mexico lets let s say farewell to the pat pa t said don jorge and face the pres ent what you have told me about onelia troubles me profoundly why did he accede to your request 9 why did his men kill dorado and then abandon you youa they didn dian t said joyce quickly what cried don jorge straightening in his chair are you sure my child quite s sure ure maxie didn dian t I 1 tell you onelia told pancho buenaven tura that dorado austri t be killed at any price priced they chased him away I 1 saw them with my own eyes but they didn dian t kill him TO BE COmiN VED |
