Show CARMEL By FRANK H. SPEARMAN Franl H. Spearman CHAPTER leaping his horse Into the Jungle as he crouched In the knew he had one more pistol slug to and knew that only his knife was left him for a hand-to-hand Yet such was his tradition and his training qt all weapons available to the knife would be his choice in a short arm He plunged into the Jungle without qualm and headed his horse through the thicket by the sounds of the struggling horse Then came a silence as with his shattered pressed A pistol shot from the squatter rang and echoed through the The slug whistled past Bowie's His only answer to it was a a plainsman's Blood spurred to the close to a huge Bowie's horse was struggling up to its knees in mud and slime with every leap like to be its Suddenly there came a clashing sound and a terrible cry choked Through the tangle of vines and branches before him Bowie caught a glimpse of a lying What did It Slowing the Texan peered through the screen of leaves He worked his way closer to the giant when his horse shied Half face downward In the marshy lying so close at Bowie's horse almost trampled he saw the sprawling figure of a Clutching his knife in his left the Texan slipped from his plunged through the slime watching narrowly for a lifted the man's head by hair out of the As he took the head in his hands it disjointed at the the squatter was quite With one arm Bowie could do no more than partly drag the trunk of the body closer to the roots of the big He stood for a moment In bewilderment and stunned by the gruesome Almost at his side lay the squatter's only its heaving flanks showing The Texan stood hatless beside his panting wiping beads of sweat from his forehead and trying to decide what to The instinct to hurry away from the tragedy must be If he left the body it would be virtually impossible to find it and it would almost certainly be mangled by coyotes before it could be Nor could partly get it on his horse the squatter was a large man to carry It out of the Nor had he a pistol in hand to load for a shot But he had still a stentorian He knew and would trail him to the He sent out a slow high cry and No response greeted his After a long for even breath was precious in his he tried a second call and sat down to figure out what had befallen Soon he heard in the distance a pistol He knew it was a Again he gave the plainsman's shrill plaintive and there came at last an answering It was frontier wireless long before the day of Patience and calling and answering brought and swearing their way into the heart of the Melena to where Bowie stood leaning with his left hand on the sycamore you been Dog you've lost aplenty Set Where's was His questions came Bowie pointed to the fallen Simmie pulled at his beard reflectively the only sign he ever gave of stared a pulled the body but he saw no he you hit had no We were going I was within ten yards of him when we got He jumped his horse past the tree without seeing this The horse went pointed that old grapevine hanging across from the trunk to the That's what did Late that morning after searching the horizon since day-break with straining perceived a little party of horsemen riding slowly toward the ranch Most of all she searched among them for the to whom she had given her life in Her acute agony of suspense ended when she made out his broad hat and tall figure In the Carmen had promised herself she would be very collected when he All night and all the morning her prayers had been poured up to heaven for his and with answered and her her prayers out of the clasping her everything went black before- She disgraced herself by fainting In Bowie's one good the flames in the night along the she sobbed when she came If you ever ride into danger I ride with I must Never again can I stand such a What's she catching sight of the blood-soaked on Bowie's right are You are Madre de You will Bowie laughed as he held but not Not Despite bis she was Into the You do not know how bad you are As the couple entered the living room the excitement began all over The next moment the seno-rita and the breathless with had the serving women hot water sheets torn up and enough bandages ready to equip a small The rough bandages were soaked Carmen calmed herself until she saw the ragged wound of the slug in the arm as it was without even the excited girl fainted When Doane took charge laughed at Carmen's In your honor and mine that I wonder he said that you would send for me to attend to a little thing like my you'll be swinging a reata next He successfully concealed his anxiety lest Bowie should suffer a stiff forearm from the shattered Carmen's confidence in Doane was very but her solicitude for Bowie was She for the most part to keep the Texan in and failing to keep him In the she would say is my I have been waiting for it God sent me once a it was no credit to big that he chose credit to but It is the only thing in my life that I sent me a protector why shouldn't I persecute Why shouldn't I persecute too young to be he don't carel He's had too many tragedies in my life not to value a Had only you been there that dreadful day at Los My right arm Is getting quite strong But Doane says it must be exercised regularly so it won't be How about exercising It a little you must take no You might strain it you tomorrow if you Do you bad how I've already cast to the winds the rigid etiquette of I'm sure if Don Ramon knew how bad I've been and all associating with you he would disown You ought to be ashamed of yourself to Impose so on the weakness of a poor girl like And I don't believe you arc a bit What sort of people live In And you did say if I remember about marrying me I have so Imposed on your lovely I want of to make Then Carmen the I want you to take me over to the valley of the Will I want to go to that redwood tree where we sat Do you think you could find There were two close could find 11 there were two thousand close the horses I want to walk the rest of the way up the hill just with Is the Tell me from your beating what you told me that my said Carmen a week before the wedding must go to Monterey to engage the I want a violin and a flute and a They will ride with us In the to the mission and play on the way won't that be And we will take the horses from Don Ramon's of blacks they are such You and I will ride then Don Ramon and Dona then the and then everybody a hundred or this business of getting married In California seems to be for a week every every everyone in the has been getting ready for our It's not all for you and me that the have been the game brought Not all the the the cordials and the sweet potatoes and cocoanuts and Chinese ginger and Island sugar and the strong cigars have been brought in just for you and Guadalupe will be host to a hundred guests every ranchero in the with his wife and sons and daughters and his will be here every day for a So will all the De la Guerras from Santa and they will laugh and dance and sing and play and get very They will dance every night and all night for a in your honor and all our Monterey cousins and friends and our San Diego cousins and protect may well say that I hope we shall have a little time to ourselves after two or three days don't look for it before where will all these people nobody sleeps while the celebration Only perhaps an hour or so after They sleep where they Then In the morning come the like yours and she you remember nothing querida mla only that day and THE END |