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Show I 1 The Mystery of My Flag j l ., By Elsie Endicott j I tho significance of tho broken sentence, sent-ence, as the short but powerfully-built powerfully-built bandit directed them what to do. The chief carried no gun, but ho wore a well-filled cartridge belt, and tho crowd ho had lined up on the road-side road-side felt quite sure ho had within easy Kji reach a dozen pistols, though they d only saw them in their excited wits. Several large, swarthy men, however, stood hard by, with guns ready. One of the bandits was In front, near the lead horse. The driver was uncon-cornedly uncon-cornedly sitting on his box with crossed legs, smoking a cigarette. He had been stopped on the highway be-fore, be-fore, and knew tho consequences of B getting excited. One of the bandits threw a saddle blanket on the road B near the prey, who were told to "con-tribute." "con-tribute." Hi With sighs and half-voiced protests the passengers placed tholr purses and Jewelry on tho blanket. Tho leader did not Bearch them, and when tho formality was over ho signified B they might return to the coach. B As a rather thin young man was B about to climb up beside the drivor, B the bandit touched him on the shoul-B shoul-B "Pardon, senor," ho said, "but you will stay with me." "What do you mean?" inquired the amazed traveler. "Haven't you got IBn my money? What more do you want?" IBIl Tho bandit, with a Bmlle, pointed to ft the collection. "Take yours back," he directed. W&? "You have no toll to pay. I just want I One of tho men Inside the coach n started to make an argument for his B fellow traveler. Tho hitherto smiling face of the bandit gave away to storm I clouds. I "Shut up!" he said to the man In I the coach. Then to the driver: "Bob-K "Bob-K co, toss that picture box and things I down here. This young man's going I to stay with me. Don't throw, you I fool they're not sand. Hold on a I mlnutel Stop!" Then to the young I man, "What's your name?" "Joe Scott. St Louis." "All right, Mr. Joe Scott of St, Louis. Got your box ready for a picture pic-ture this is as good a chance a3 you'll get. Priesa!" "A plcturo of what?" "Come! Come!' said the bandit, Impatiently. Im-patiently. "If you're down in this country to take pictures, you must know what I mean. Got your machine ready while I lino 'cm up again. Bosco? "Yes, senor." "You keep your eye on Mr. Scott here, and have those crowbaits of yours move tho hoarse whichever way he wants. People, I'll have to trouble you to lino up again. The photographer's photogra-pher's most ready. You needn't bother both-er about trying to look pleasant I know you couldn't. Joo Scott, a young newspaper man with a damaged set of lungs, had been ordered South by his doctor, and had been commissioned by a wealthy friend to investigate a mining proposition prop-osition near Jalapa. He thought the routo was far outside of military activity, ac-tivity, but had not taken into consideration consid-eration a possible independent band. It wasn't until the bandit chief spoko about tho picture that tho news value of the situation struck him and then he glanced curiously at his captor. He saw only a short, swarthy man, with fierce black mustach and bristling eyebrows, but thero was something about the way he wore his hat that suggested an American more than a Mexican. And then his English was accurate, save for a gelal Irish twist now and then. "Say, chief," said Scott, now fully in tho spirit of the thing, "you ought to be thero with a gun pointing at em." The women Bcreamcd. "Oh, no! It might go off!" objected a young woman who had "contributed" "contribut-ed" a small purse and a bracelet Tho leader seized a gun from one of his mon, opened tho magazine, and took out the cartridges. "See," he smiled, "tho teeth are out of it" Tho place whero tho holdup occurred oc-curred was in a cut through tho side of tho mountain. At olther end the road curved sharply. Just as the dramatis personae wore picturesquely picturesque-ly deployed for tho camera, thero waB tho crash of hoofs, and a company of United States soldiers swept into the north end of the cut The bandit leader, in a lightning movement, slipped tho cartridges into his gun, but Joo Scott, not relishing the prominence of his position in tho play, and its probablo consequences to himself, seized an inspiration born of tho approaching cataclysm. "Steady, men!" ho warned. "Chief, stand right where you are! Don't movo on your life! Tell your men to hold their positions!" Turning up tho cuffs of his sleeves in a casual manner, Scott then walked down toward the approaching horsemen horse-men and held up his hand. Every rider had his pistol out and scorned on tho point of using it, but reined up when tho solitary unarmed man stood in the middle of tho road. "Cap Bald Scott, as if preferring a most natural request, "would you mind staying whero you aro a minute min-ute till I got the picture of the holdup? hold-up? I've Just got 'em posed right" And Scott looked up and smiled pleasantly pleas-antly at Uncle Sam's fighting men. "This 1b a queer how-de-do," panted pant-ed the leader of the troop. "Havo I been summoned here to take part In a fool moving-picture Bhow?" "L don't know who called you here, Captain," responded Scott, good-naturedly. "We Just got together a little lit-tle crowd to frame up a robbery for the camera. You can walk up and see it If you like." "But I was told that Rojas' gang was holding up the stage!" fumed tho officer. "Maybe he was," admitted Scott, "but this Isn't a holdup not a real one. Just as soon as I get the picture taken I'm going to hand over all the property to tho passengers, and the Btago will go on. But please keep your people back a bit till I get my picture." The officer reluctantly ordered his men to hold their positions, while ho narrowly watched the proceedings about the coach. Scott managed to got near the bandit ban-dit as he returned, and whispered: "I gave him the best I could, but he isn't more than half satisfied. Wo'll havo to tumble this stuff back in the coach when we're through." The chief gave an almost Imperceptible Imper-ceptible nod of assent, and Scott worked about posing his subjects In a most matter-of-fact way. Ho knew the cavalry captain was watching his every move, and ho appreciated the fact that the chances were more than favorable for his being taken along with the gang, if ho mado a false play. He tried very hard to get tho dark-eyed dark-eyed j'oung lady travoler who had contributed con-tributed her purse and bracelot to smile at him for tho sake of its effect on tho United States army captain, but sho insisted with relentloss realism on playing tho part of tho indignant person who was robbed. The picture was taken from several viewpoints, and tho ruse might havo worked with the soldiers, but when Scott did tho very thing he thought would help most returning the property prop-erty the passengors showed such delighted de-lighted surprise that it instantly reawakened re-awakened tho suspicions of tho soldiers. sol-diers. During the whole performance the passengers had kept still, fearing If they called out to the cavalry they would be shot by the bandits, who wero holding their guns pointed at them. Scott helped the female passengers back into the coach, and this time tho dark-oyed girl having received her property back smiled on him, but it was too late to save the situation. As the coach disappeared around the bend at the end of the cut, tho cavalrymen rod up, and the leader announced: "This may be all right, as this man hero tells me, but It's got a funny look about it, and I'm not going to risk It You follows can como to tho fort with me. and If the Colonel will accept tho explanation, you'll be released. You can carry your guns, however, if you want to." Scott glanced at the bandit chief, saw In his face a swift look that meant mischief, and he went up to him. "Don't do It," ho warned. "You'll only get shot down you and tho whole bunch. I'll stay with you, and maybe It will como out all right." Scott at the timo could not reason out why ho took such an Interest In this desperate man, whom, only a short whilo before, he had regarded as his mortal enemy. But now Bomo inexplicable feeling of comradeship had arison toward him, and ho was taking an interest in tho adventure that was as surprising as it was fascinating. fas-cinating. A horse was found for Scott, and ho rode alongside the bandit, both prlsonors of war. And as tho day wore on the bandit told his companion compan-ion tho secret of his life. "You doubtless know I'm an Amer ican," ho sahh "At the same time I'm Rojas, and tho minute wo arrive at tho fort they'll havo my Identity established. But that Isn't the worst of it. I'm a deserter from tho American Ameri-can army. The old Colonel at the fort knows mo well, and Bomo of tho other men who've been thero a long whilo will recognize me. That's what I was thinking of when tho Captain said we'd have to go to the fort. We might havo tried the thing out then and thero his mon and mine If you hadn't said no. I had a girl up thero In God's country the United States.' The bandit glanced at the flag waving In the column ahead. "Once my country," coun-try," he went on, with a wistful expression. ex-pression. "Wo had named tho day. Then a man camo from across tho border. He was tall,, black-eyed what Borne girls call handsome. To mako it short, he won her from me. When ho camo smiling around to whero I was, I told him if I ever heard of his mistreating her I'd kill him. Ho laughed at me. Sho went across the border with him, and in a month was dead of a broken heart. He never crossed the border again, and I couldn't go' across without permission. Tho rules wero very strict There was nothing but to cut loose. So I'm on the army books. Allen Tharp, deserter de-serter renegade. Down here I had to live. This man I was looking for became the head of a revolutionary party, he called it; bandits, in fact. To get to him I had to get up a band. Yes, I robbed right and left I became be-came as bad as tho worst My men would follow mo to hell. It I could catch that fellow, when I was through with him I'd go back to the Colonel and say, 'I have sinned.' You don't know how that old yearning comes back to a follow who's worn tho uniform uni-form of Undo Sam. God! I'd almost quit my hunt to get back as a man. But now now " A rider suddenly approached from the direction of the border. He exchanged ex-changed a few words with the Captain, Cap-tain, who halted the troop. Then ho rode back to whore Rojas and Scott wore, and spoke to tho former: "Pinto's revolutionists are between us and the border and aro going to try to Intercept us. Will you men give your word of honor you will remain re-main whero I toll you until It's over?" Rojas' eyes had strange light In them. "Remember," said the Captain, aa he lookod keenly over the picturesque group of prisoners. "I'm trusting you f fellows." I "Wo'll bo good, Captain," said Rojas. Ro-jas. The officer put spurs to his horse i and placed himself at the head of his troopers. Tho two forces met on a 1 plateau between long reachCB of hills. 1 PIntos crowd camo yolllng and firing their 'carbines. They largely outnum- bcred the United Statos company, and this gave them confidence. , Tho two forces Bwept through each , other and wheeled. Several men lay , on tho ground, and riderless horses , rushed frantically about the field. At tho next chargo tho Mexicans execut- cd a maneuver only possible because ; of their superior numbers. JuBt be- foro tho two commands met, PInto'3 j horsemen divided in tho center and when tho United States force swept through, tho Mexicans attacked them ; from the sides and rear. It looked like a maRsacre. "Here, Joo Scott, said Rojas, "take this handing him a revolver "I got two more. We'ro going to mix in, CamaradasI Rescatar!" The brigands, with a chorus of acclaims, ac-claims, swung In behind tholr chief. They swept In on the flank of Plnto'a divided command like a cyclone. A dozen Baddies wero emptied before tho revolutionists hardly saw their foe When they did, they turned to meet Rojas' band, and tho hard-preHsed United States soldiers were given a chance to reform. Looking across to whero the reinforcements Were engaged, en-gaged, the Captain saW tho giant Pinto Pin-to and the bandit chlof rush at each other like tigers, with tho shock their horses reared, tho two formidable antagonists an-tagonists seemed to empty their revolvers re-volvers at each other, and both fell from their leaping Bteeds. Then the United States line, reformed re-formed and true, swept like a hurricane hurri-cane at tho other section of tho enemy, and after a hot, sanguinary encountor, the Mexlcas who survived broko and fled across the plateau. Their leader out of the action, and themselves fiercely beset by the savage sav-age volunteers of Rojas, the other party quit tho field in haste, their flight accompanied by tho crack crack crack of tho pursuing bandits' ban-dits' carbines. The Captain rodo over to the part of the field that had been 'won by Rojas' men. Ho saw Scott trying to unolasp the chief's long, steel-like ingers from their fatal clasp around Pinto's throat "There, thero! Allen," soothed Scott 'JHo's done for. What's the lM At this Rojas looked up with a , 'alnt smile, and the deadly fingers re- jH "Thats tho man!" he whispered. j 'He he took Mary from me!" Tho chief's face was unscarred, but there was a great holo In his breast, and the blood from it was pouring IH aver his dark blouse. Tho right hand clutched spasmodically at tho place. rho army captain stood over tho wounded bandit The followers of Rojas wero standing a llttlo back, B resting their guns on tho earth, and looking aorrowmully at tho man who bad led them so long. "My good fellow," said tho Captain, as ho knelt beside the wounded man, "are you hurt bad?" , "They've dono for me, Captain," he ' fl sajd, "but its all right; Its all right." B "I owe you an apology for having suspected you," the officer frankly ad- B mltted. "I was wrong. You aro a good man you'd be a credit to the IB United States army." B Under tho dark, bushy eyebrows of tho bandit there was a lightning flash, IH and tho racked form quivered with j IB the Intensity of feeling. B "What Is It?" asked the officer. ' IH "The flag the flag!" Scott understood, though the Cap- B tain did not, and he hastened to get B the banner of the nation from the sol- IH dler who was guarding it He Btood B the polo so tho folds of the flag swept B before the eyes of tho chief. Rojas , B reached a shaky hand out, and Scott B lowered tho banner to within his B grasp. B Darkness had fallen on the pla- B teau with tropical swiftness. Tho sol- B dlers were ministering to the wounded B in different parts of the field. The IH notes of some wild bird of the forest B swept over the plain liko a requiem. B From a little stone chapel on the far B hills came tho faint tinkle of the Vesper bell. The men standing about bowed their heads. From down the valley was heard the crack of a hunt-er's hunt-er's gun. Tho bandit heard it, and he raised himself up on his elbow. "Company, chargo!" he orled. His eyes blazed, and then he suddenly re-laxed re-laxed and fell back, clutched the oloth to his Hps. and murmured: B "My flag!" |