Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-02-23


premises since the cavalry came in.
Sancho an1 his brother were practical
ly 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
gone when suddenly from another and
smaller clump of willows below the
ranch there came floating OH 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, a 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 arrest! Could it be, was it
possible. that she was signaling to him
now?
Much as his curiosity and interest
had previously been aroused by the &C.
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-
citement. Higgins, cornered like rat,
had drawn and fred, not with either
aim or idea of shooting his accuser, but
i'll the hope of so startling both officers
that i'll the confusion he could leap to
the back doorway and escape. Loring's
lmperturbable nerve and practiced fist
had defeated that scheme and laid the
deserter low, and Higgins was now Ian
gushing at Yuma awaiting trial on
triple charges. But Blake for a second
or two had felt the clasp of soft arms
about him, the wild flutter of a 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 go
ing or why for 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
senorta 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 side aud almost swept the ground
with his broad brimmed scouting hat as
he bowed low before her Instantly the
song ceased, the guitar dropped with an
Eolian whine upon the sand, and as
Blake stopped to raise it she sprang to
her feet, half stified cry upon her lips.
With smiling self assurance he bowed
low again. as if he would restore the
instrument to the little hands that were
half appraised as though to warn him
back, but she began coyly retreating
from the bench Oh which she had been
seated and he quickly followed, mur
muring protest and reinsurance in such
| Spanish as he could command, declar.
; ing he had never yet had opportunity to
thank her for deed of daring that per.
haps had saved his life Che knew it
1.-THE long legged, nimble tongued
reprohate). and trembling timorous,
sweetly hesitant she fingered, she ese,.
let him seize her hand. and only family
strove to draw it away She began even
| to listen to his pleading She sbyIy
hung her pretty head and coyly turner
away and furtively peeped across the
starlit level toward the ranch, where
Two Ozark terms, sefape ShrOuded, We're
lurking at the corner Of the corral They
had come crouching forward dozen
yards when something. some sudden
sound, drove them back to shelter and
in the next moment Blake heard it, and
the girl too, for, like frightened
fawn. she darted away and went sour
rying to the rear entrance of the ranch,
leaving him to confront and hail two
horsemcn. 'Grineos' evidently, who
came Looping III OH the Yuma trail, and
at his voice the foremost lsaped from
saddle and called
Is it Lieutenant Blake: We've come
with dispatches, sir, from Yuma And
christening his saddlebng the trooper
placed Il packet III the officers hand.
! Come this way said Blake briefly,
leading toward the li"ht and inwardly
bemoaning an i'll v that had blown
him far more good than he dreamed A
few strides took him to the door of the
ranch The dispatches were for the
president Of the late court at Camp
Cooke, for Turnbull, for Loring and for