The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-01-04

vas miles away toward the CHA BEFORE
Feeny woke to q realizing sense Of what
had happened. Then he came out and
blasphemed. There in that wretched
little green safe were locked up thou
sands enough of dollars to tempt all
the outlawry Of the occident to any
deed of desperation that might lead to
the capture Of the booty. and with Dom
ovan and his party away Feeny saw he
had but half a dozen men for defense.
| At his interposition the major had at
least done one thing-warned Moreno
not to sell drop of his fiery mescal to
any one of the men, and when the
Mexican expressed entire willingness to
acquiesce Feeny's suspicious were
redoubled and he picked out Trooper
Latham, New Highlander whom some
strange and untoward fate had led into
the ranks, and stationed him in the
bullet SCARED barroon of the ranch.
with strict orders to allow not drop
to be drawn or served to any one with
| out the sanction Of Sergeant Feeny or
his superior officer, the major Even
the humiliation Of this proceeding had
in no wise disturbed Moreno S suavity.
All possess is at your feet. he had
said to the MAYOR. with Castilian grace
| and gravity. Take or withhold it as
you will.
Internal old hypocrite swore Fee
ny, between his strong, set teeth II
believe he'd like nothing better than to
get the escort drunk and turn us over
bag and baggage to the Morales gang"
Thrice during the hot afternoon had
Feeny secuted the premises and striven
to find what number and manner OF
men Moreno might have in concealment
there. Questioning was of little use.
Moreno was ready to answer to any
thing and was never known to halt at
lie. Old Miguel, the half breed, who
did odd jobs about the well and the
corral, expressed profound ignorance
both of the situation and Feeny's Eng
lish. The Mexican boy had but one
answer to all queries, mo sa-a-abe. -
Other occupants there were, but these
even Feeny's sense of duty could not
prompt him to disturb. Somewhere
in the depths of the domestic portion
of the ranch, where the brush on the
flat roof was piled most heavily and
the walls were jealousy thick, all
scouting parties or escorts we'll knew
that Moreno's wife and daughter were
hidden from prying eyes. and rumor
had it that often there were more than
two feminine occupants: that these
were sometimes joined by three or four
others-wives or sweethearts of out
lawed men who rode with Pasqual Mo-
rales-and all Arizona knew that Pas
quail Morales had little more Mexican
blood in his veins than had Feeny
himself He was an Americana, 4
cursed gringo for whom long years ago
the sheriffs of California and Nevada
had chased in vain, who had sought
refuge and mate in Sonora and whose
swarthy features found no difficulty in
masquerading under Mexican name
when the language of love had made
him familiar with the Mexican tongue.
Slow to action, slow of speech as was
the paymaster, he was not slow to see
that Sergeant Feeny was anxious and
ill at ease, and if veteran trooper,
whom his captain had pronounced the
coolest, pluckiest and most reliable man
in the regiment, could be so disturbed
over the indications, it was high time
to take precaution. What was the
threatened danger? Apaches? They
would never assault the ranch with it's
guard of soldiers, whatsoever they
might do in the canyons in the range
beyond. Outlaws2 They had not been
heard of for months. He had inquired
into all this at Yuma, at the stage sta
lions, by mail of the commanding
officers at Lowell and Bowie and
Grant. Not for six months had stage
been held up" or blackboard
Jumped" south of the turbid ella.
True, there was rumor of riot and law
lessness among the miners at Castle
Dome and the customary shooting scrape
at Ehrenberg and La Paz, but these
were river towns, far behind him now
as he looked back over the desert trail
and aloft into the star studded. cloud
less sky.
Nothing could be more placid, moth
ing less prophetic of peril OF ambush
than this exquisite summer night.
Somewhere within the forbidden region
Of Moreno's harem guitar was begin
ming to tinkle softly. That was all
very we'll, but then a woman s voice,
anything but soft, took up strange,
monotonous refrain. Line after line,
verse after verse, it ran, harsh, change
less. He could not distinguish the
words-he did not wish to; the music
was bad enough in all conscience, what
soever it might become when sung by
youth or beauty. As it fell from the
lips of Sonora Moreno the air was
succession Of vocal nasal disharmonies,
high pitched, strident, nerve racking.
Unable to listen after the third repe-
tition, Plummer slowly retired from
the corral and once more appeared at
the front, just in time for sensation.
Two troopers, two of the men who had
ridden back with Donovan, came lurch-
ing into the lighted space before the