| Show F flame I 1 a M e of the border by VINGIE E ROE copyright t doubleday doran coina ina service SYNOPSIS seeking death to escape dishonor dla lionor at the b hands ends of a drunken desperado conya bony allows owe herself to bo be rescued by her suddenly repentant attacker the girl Is a self appointed to the navajo indians living on oa an arizona theop sheep ranch with her brother serge his wife lila iila and their small mall daughter babs bab she 13 3 engaged to rodney blake wealthy now new yorker but bor bar heart Is I 1 with the friendless cavajos navajos and she ehe evades a wedding sonya bonya pulle pull little moon wife who of 0 two ringers a navajo through the crisis of tin an illness two fingers Is deeply grateful sonya again meets the man whose advances she bhe had repulsed on yone lona mesa ho he tells her he bitterly regrets hla his action sonya Is affected but she beara rumors of IL ft border bandit el capitan diablo deablo and nd vaguely connects him with her attacker on lone mesa she again tomes cornea upon the strange young man when he reiterates his sorrow over his misconduct she bhe indicates forgiveness orel veness and nd urges him to abandon hla his life of lawlessness from concealment sonya witnesses the transference of 0 objects object from an airship to her attacker at a dance the she demands that he be tell her h his name ile he says he be li Is starr stone that lite hit mother believes him dead and that he goes by a different name in this region he leaves the dance with a tall fierce mexican with whom he Is mysteriously associated sonya realizes she la is falling ailing in love with a man whom she ehe can only class as a renegade land outlaw and that she can never marry blake an influenza epi epidemic demlo mong among the indians keeps sonya busy she and stone declare their love tor for each ach other all doubt in the mind of the th girl being ended CHAPTER VIII 11 clouds of portent in the hard days that followed fionia knew a fire of ecstacy among the dark shadows of disaster wherever suffering buffering and death entered tho the lowly hogans there the steady hands of starr stone were a bulwark and a help they rode together in the dawns meeting on this and that high level and at the twilights when they separated she to go back to the ranch he be to that mysterious limbo from which he had emerged where he spent his hours away from her sonya did not know and was afraid to ask again she only knew that hla his ion iong hands bands were gentle as a womans comans with a hungry child holding a cup to parched lips bathing hot dark faces with a little rag and once he brushed and braided the black hair of a dead lina liala before they burled buried her and that day sonya wept against bis shoulder for sheer misery at the tragic fate which had made of this man an outcast and a pariah so the hectic beetle days passed with little count of them and these two working together at their humble tasks once the girl told him youre no lost soul as have me think youre of that brotherhood of which christ spoke when he be said it if ye do it unto the least of these my brethren ye do it unto onto me servers of the world and be had bad made no answer they kissed each other now at parting softly as if the thing they held between them was so precious that a careless touch might destroy it utterly to the man there was tragedy trag gedy and stark sorrow in every touch of sonya annyas lips her hands the tender brushing of her ber cheeks against his ue lie was blessed beyond all dreams humbled bumbled beyond all imagining and he know how fleeting this paradise must be how soon life iffe and its mandates must take him away from her forever it was this knowledge which made the enchanted days so short so BO unreal and by the end of that week eek the betrain lessened everywhere her people were getting up op from their hogan ho an floors thin brown shapes with big eyes in their dark faces and no more were lying down the epidemic was dying out those that were left began to be busy making new hogans before the summer should be gone for they would not live in any house where death had been they feared the indis or ghosts of the dead and malevolent spirits but they looked sit at sonya and starr stone with long looks unfathomable looks and sometimes a woman touched the girls hand tentatively or a man said some clipped guttural word which the latter could riot not understand and sonya interpreted Il costeen osteen no steen little mao alan says we are the healing winds or our medicine la Is better medicine than yellow bucks and yellow buck had been very busy to lo all the hogans where sonya was not performing ceremonies singing chants and making medicine of his own and now life made ready to take its reckoning she had bad lived in these rushing weeks lived very fasti fast very full known the dark of sorrow of pity and the light of great joy the pleas tire of good work well done she had bad bloomed la in the glow of such love as ane had never dreamed of what time the he could spare to it and felt as though she were richer more vital in ALU all the reaches of her nature now with the cessation of the sickness the she turned her eyes toward the future and what t it held now sia she told starr stone well begin to think ot of us but starr stone shook ills his hend head 1 I he said must most think of you lly reprieve Is over was over some lays days ago ill be going back to where here I 1 belong nut but sonya smiled it did not occur to tier her that anything could be so dirk dark and strong that she and her strength could riot dot conquer it well not talk of that just now she said lets ride to the top of lone mesa we owe it something the mesa 1 I owe it something ho he said passionately siona tely owe it roy my everlasting apologies my in undying ree reference rence it was there I 1 saw creation as it was meant to be lu your white face on the tha cliff so they swung south from their trail that day and climbed the ancient path to in the stark precipice there was the th e long stretch 0 of the lestere edge where darkness had fled full speed a horse and rider at his flank where the wild face of a drunken man had blazed at the woman on his back with every evil passion of the soul there was the spot where the man had pulled the slim girl from her saddle where she had bad fought like a fury in his arms where at the last she had bad pulled free and lung flung herself bersel f in one wild leap over the mesas mesa I 1 s brink As they reined up at the great rocks edge they both sat silent allent each with unspoken thoughts plain to be read sonya said the man at last in a strangled voice rolce 1 I have no words there la Is nothing I 1 can ever say nothing I 1 can ever do to wipe that memory away dut but sonya turned and laid her hand on his and there was a soft smile in her eyes there Is no need she said no need needa I 1 the greatest need ill ever know I 1 and it cant be filled I 1 ill have to leave you soon forever with that on my conscience on my heart I 1 leave me no you will not not eer starr stone you are my man from the beginning the soul in my body it if I 1 have one will stay with you while life lasts lasta I 1 hope you know that but the body itself Is another matter I 1 think well be saying goodby good by up here here where we met in to in disaster di sister and I 1 want you to know sonya that if 1 there A climbed the ancient path in the th stark precipice Is such a thing as redemption of a nills mans inner self belt I 1 have been redeemed by knowing you all my instincts all my desires all my outlook on life itself have changed when im with you my speech even Is changed bal bach to what it once was the border and all it has meant to roe me in my wildness my devil may care has lost its charm id leave it all everything ever thing for a dif different terent lite life it if I 1 could oh starr she said tremulously cant you tell me wont you tell me what it Is that threatens you jou us impossible he said eald quietly my aly lips are sealed for your sake more than mine what I 1 know would be dangerous knowledge for you what I 1 have bare done being with you coming back to you agai against agal against rist orders has been a danger for you I 1 knew it but was too weak to go my way never to see your face again I 1 could not in this strange transition which ties has been taking place in me but strength has been growing in me of late like a great tree standing u against the wind do you see sec sonya what you have done for met me he finished earnestly 1 I know said sonya 1 I knew from the first almost that it would be so that the good was in you under unde r u under n whatever it was that hid bid it it that some day it would come outs out that the evil would fall away leaving you as you were meant to be you knew how early when the second time I 1 saw you at two fingers hogan in chee wash I 1 think I 1 knew it then dimly when your face flushed red on seeing me the good was struggling with the bad that minute youre right it was and has never teased to struggle since and youre not going to go back I 1 cried sonya passionately not going to throw it all away I 1 I 1 will not let lei you I 1 the man signed sighed wet his bis dry lips then he leaned toward her and took her against his breast lly bly darling he be said piea kiss we me once more ax W wim a strangled cry sonya threw her arms around him aby wily why the she pleaded why will you not stay here and go forward with nio me into life dont you love lova me love you my G d its because I 1 love you yon adore you worship you that im taking myself out of your life before it Is too late I 1 dont want to to see you see we me what nothing lets go 0 o lets go co now ile he turned un on doro sharply and headed tor for the down trail darkness following close sunya sonya sat ra rigidly in her saddle her throat swelled velle painfully with the dark realization that tier her dream of love wils was done for that this MD whom she lind had come to love so helplessly was riding out of her life she could riot not speak at the mesas foot they set out across the levels which were once more darkening into a starlit night in dreary silence and before they had bad suld bald another word before they could say that last farewell which cor comforts forts the heart bereaved fate was upon them out of the shadows ot of a clump of juniper four nion men suddenly rode across their wily way four men on good horses clad in dark garments their wide hats pulled low over their dark faces guns frankly showing at their thighs and at their lend head rode that huge buge figure of a man which bad loomed lourrie on the dance floor that enchanted night and called starr stone as a waster master calls his dog lie ile sat now and looked at him with black eyes burning in the gathering darkness I lombre he said again as he had bad said before three times in as man many y days have I 1 sent for you and you did not come this la Is the reason lie ile nodded toward sonya yes cried the girl like a shot though her voice shook yes I 1 I 1 and a better one I 1 first and the car can ing for those who died second I 1 am a doctor and there has been a great sickness among my people tile the indians this man has stood with me shoulder to shoulder in it a one fine thing together we have saved many lives by lie he stayed there was a note of defiance in the trembling voice oh so that ees why senorita the stranger said changing from the spanish to broken english why he disobeys bees li orders for you ell eh an for thees dirty naviys well he goes now an dont you forget it I 1 an remember senorita savaren SaTar ln that it he cornea comes to you ever again that will bappel to you an yours which will bo be a price A fair price for thees insult to me in that you keep my best lieutenant from bees hees work adios senorita do not forget lie ile raised his sombrero with a gallant gesture and whirled his horse away and this time starr stone following looked long in white face with eyes in which all the tragedy of life lay stark and awful then he be was gone and only the soft sound of loping horses in sand came back to her until the dim shapes were lost in the night the girl sat still listening her mouth open her hands on her rein cold and nerveless that which threatened had struck at last and presently she drooped forward with her face in darkness mane inane anil and fell to such weeping as only a heart cleaned to the quick can know when she rode into the patio at home an hour later a man came swiftly from tile the lighted doorway his hands reaching up for hers bers his aiace face glowing with joy corlys I 1 dear heart 1 he cried and rod said sonya before she crumpled rind find slid limp into his reaching arms ashes fal tainted he cried llla lila ser serge e quick dufel lie ile carried her to the door and in laying her down on the living room couch and llla lila was at his side in a flash get me some water she said hut but sonya strong creature that slie she was did not need it her senses reeling from grief and fear and the sudden sight of rodney blake who was the last man she wanted to see in tier her present trouble tro utile righted themselves swiftly she moved opened her eyes sat up tip a bit unsteadily why what ahat a silly thing she said tremulously and rod hod how bow in the world worl m steady dear said rod 1 I just dropped in by plane and car from new york williams got a man to bring me over Us rather have a friend with nie me hut but dont talk now down again ilme said sonya im all right A bit tired I 1 guess ashes been riding day and night foi a month said llla lila looking at blake T epidemic pid ernic you know dam clam indians again the man thought kill her yet but sonya sonia was oo on her feet stripping the kerchief from her neck roll ing frig back her shirt sleeves im 0 K she said ill just go and clean up a bit and she walked steadly steadily to tier own room inside its shielding door she clasped her hands together stood a long moment staring s into the darkness the light of life which she had of which she had spoken to starr stone was on and she hall had lost the first baittle to that black force across the border TO BE BB CONTINUED |
