The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-03-10

was Sancho and SanCno's brother he
could not stomach, and he would not be
beholden to either
You can think of nothing else in
the way Of precaution, Loring?' he
presently asked as he threw himself
down beside him. putting at his little
brier root
Nothing
1t would take nervier gang than
Arizona owns to try to rob this outfit"
and Blake looked complacently around
among the shadowy forms of the troop
ers fitting about the bivouac
We are all right SO long as we've
got you and your men. said Loring
quietly
Well, there's no order that can
come in time to take usaway from You,
old man III send one platoon ahead at
daybreak to camp half way, and they'll
be fresh to ride into Yuma with you
Sunday morning"
Loring nodded approximately
From the open doorway of the ranch
came the faint clink of glasses and the
murmurous flow Of voices. Presently
the boom Of the veterans jovial laugh
swelled the "concourse of sweet
sounds, and Blake stirred uneasily.
Wonder what that old thief is Civ
ing them?' muttered he. "Uncle Bill
ly's telling his bear story. ;"
A quarter of an hour passed. The in
rant moon had sunk below the west
ward horizon. The sounds of joviality
increased, and Blake's mouth watered.
Dash those heartless profigatesl'' he
muttered Reckon I'll have to 90 and
reconnoiter. You don t mind being left
to your Own reflections, Loring?'
go ahead" said Loring, and so
presently the tall, shadowy form Of
the longest legged officer in Arizona"
was dimly seen stalking forth from the
gloom of the willows and threading its
way through the open starlight toward
the bright and welcoming doorways of
the ranch Only one or two of the usu-
al loungers had been seen about the
premises since the cavalry came in.
Sancho and his brother were practical
~ destitute of other guests than the Of
ficers whom they were entertaining
Slowly and more slowly did the lieuten-
ant saunter open cared toward the scene
Of revelry
More than half the distance had he
Z gone when suddenly from another and
smaller clump of willows below the
ranch there came floating on the still
night. faint and cautious the musical
tinkle of guitar, and then, soft and
Turing. yet neither sweet nor silvery,
the voice OF girl was timidly uplifted
in song. Blake knew it at once 'sThe
daughter of my brother was out there
IN the Willows, q most unusual thing
Blake remembered how her eyes had
spoken to him twice before-how she
had thrown herself upon him the night
of Higgins arrestl Gould it be, was it
possible. that she was signaling to him
now?
Much as his curiosity and interest
had previously been aroused by the CO.
casional peeps he had had at this at
tractive little Mexican girl, the events
of that night had intensified them.
True. it was moment of thrilling ex-
element. Higgins, cornered like rat,
had drawn and fred, not with either
aim or idea of shooting his accuser, but
in the hope of SO startling both officers
that in the confusion he could leap to
the back doorway and escape. Loring's
lmpertur bable nerve and practiced fist
had defeated that scheme and laid the
deserter low, and Higgins was now lam
gushing at Yuma awaiting trial on
triple charges. But Blake for second
or two had felt the clasp of soft arms
about him, the wild futter of maiden
heart, much below his own, and Blake
was human. Somewhere he had met
that slender girl before. Twice he had
danced at the bales in Tucson and once
attended masquerade where for nearly
an hour he had enjoyed the partnership
of and had been tantalized by maid
just about the stature of this dark eyed
daughter Of my brother -
Blake knew as we'll as does the reader
that this was no time for philandering
and had been told but not yet taught
the wisdom of keeping we'll away from
the damsels who, like the sirens of old,
twanged the vibrating strings and sang
their Turing songs Why should she
have flung herself between him and the
desperadoes at that perilous moment
and thrown her arms around him unless
unless she was the girl he had been
making love to in broken Spanish dur.
ing the fiesta at Tucson? He would not
have let Loring know where he was 60.
ing or why for q good deal. But once
away from him Blake was alone. with
no one to interpose objection. and he
went.
In three minutes he had made his
cautious way to the westward willows,
and his heart began beating in spite Of
his determination to be guarded and
even suspicious, for there sat the little
senorita alone. That fact in itself should
have opened his eyes and would have
done SO year or two later, but Blake
was still good deal of boy. and in
another moment he stepped quickly to
her eide and almost swept the ground
with his broad brimmed scouting hat az
he bowed low before her. Instantly the