Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-03-22

dark face and heightened Its beauty,
thought Harding, as, dismounting, he
asked If Don Jose were in. AS luck
would have 1t he had gone over to see
n friend, and the two fell into CONVEX.
sation. She was shy at first, but the
evident ease of her companion finally
set her last fear at rest, and when
the old don did return they parted the
best Of friends and with an under
standing that they were to meet again
down by the old well hidden away
In the little ravine outside the town.
After an hours talk with her father
Harding again left the house and,
swinging himself into the saddle, rode
carelessly out toward the hills.
A mile or SO from the town he made
a slight change in the direction he was
taking and 80 little by little headed for
the ravine.
Just as the sun went down Harding
reached the well, and after turning
his pony to nibble the juicy blades of
grass which grew around 1t, threw
himself down to walt. He had been
there perhaps two or three hours when
the bushes were parted gently and
Juanita came toward him. She had
slipped away, she said, while her
father and Pedro sat smoking, and
had come as she had promised, but
she must hurry, for the time was short
and her absence would be noticed. Lit
tie by little, between questions and
promlsings, she told him all her brief
life history, of Pedro. of her fathers
wishes and lastly of her own new
love for him, and when Mt last she
could say no more she stood looking
UP at him, her eyes full Of the love
she had just confessed, until he took
her in his arms and kissed her.
In the same instant they We're start
led by sound behind them. Don
Jose, his face pale with fury, stood
scowling at them. Chokingly he or
dered the girl away, and when she
was gone he turned to Harding.
Curse you," he said, you shall pay
for this--Santa Maria! du Amerlcano!"
and disappeared us quickly as he had
come.
There was no installing that, and
the young fellow knew that if he
stayed where he was his life would
not be worth the waiting. His first
fear was for Juanita. Loosening his
revolvers in his belt, he mounted his
pony and rode slowly toward San
Carlos. Some moments had passed in
this way and he had almost reached
the mouth Of the ravine, when he
saw figure coming swiftly toward
him. An instant later he recognized
Juanita. The poor child was almost
exhausted from running.
60! go!" she sobbed; "they are 60
ing to follow you. Don Jose and Pc
dro, they will kill you If you stay! All
no, not now," she cried, as Harding
held out his arms to her, they will
find me here with you and them
and then, as the impulse seized her,
she flung herself into his arms aud
sobbed rs If her heart would break.
She had not been moment too soon,
for even as he spoke the sound of
gallOping hoofs reached them, us rid
ing furiously, their two pursuers dash
ed into the ravine
With one arm supporting the tremb.
ling girl, Harding coolly unslippcd his
revolver and waited. The Mexicans
We're within thirty yards before they
saw him, and then as they opened fire
with their uncertain aim, he slowly
raised his own weapon and pressed the
trigger. With bitter curse on his
lips one of the men pitched forward
from the saddle and fell to the
ground. One more shot came from
the remaining man before the revol-
yer spoke again, and Harding heard a
smothered cry ut his side us the rider
less horse plunged past him and van
ished up the ravine. Then he put up
his revolver and turned again to Juan
ita.
She was strangely quiet us she gnz-
ed up into his face and smiled. A
quickly spreading stain over her fair
young breast told him the reason at a
glance. That last bullet of Don ,Iose's
had found n mark, anu as the shouts
of alarm reached them from the vii
lage, whittier the horse had gone, the
light faded slowly from Juanita's eyes
and thcv closed forever.
For some moments Harding did not
move, then lie laid her gently down
beneath lonely little willow, kissed
once the fair bloodless lips, and mount
ing his pony rode out of the ravine
past che dead bodies of the two Next
cans, and with his head sunk deep on
his breast turned his horses nose to-
ward the distant mountains, on whose
submits the last beams of the wan
ing moon still lingered.-H. A. Web