The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-08-14
Senorita Rita
BY lola FORESTER
Copyright, 1905, by Ruby Douglas

nave stay 6u lou lOuR
"You do not like Texas, senorT
you did not call me senior last
week" He bent toward her slightly,
but she did not turn her head. "You
called me-Jack."
She laughed and flashed a hasty
glance at him from her soft, dark eyes.
week-but l will call you it again II
you wish, Mr.. Jack"
Carruthers did not notice the conces
sion or her gay scorn. He stared out
to where the cattle browsed-a sea of
still, brown waves, hundreds of them,
mOtionless and peaceful In the morn
ing sunrise. Here and there ON the
outskirts stood figure of horse with
silent rider watching the grazing
herd. Carruthers' gaze swept over the
mass until it rested on one herder at
the extreme north. Even with the dis
lance of nearly a mile between them
he knew what the figure looked like.
knew that it was watching them as he
was watching 1t. 1t was not a pleasant
knowledge
you have changed your mind, Seno-
rita Rita" he said bitterly, "since Ra-
mon came to the ranch. l was very
happy-in Texas-until your old sweet
heart appeared"
Rita laughed again, deliciously, warm
ly, with full enjoyment of his mood.
You are not tired of Texas, Mr.
Jack" she said merrily you are tired
of me-ah, yes, say you are. You love
me so madly, SO entrancingly, until
somebody else comes who also loves
me so madly, SO entrancingly, too; and
then all at once you are jealous and
distant and dissatisfied, and, presto,
now, this minute, you say you will
leave Texas, you will never, never
come to the Fortuna ranch again. You
are-what did you call me the day
cried when Pep broke his leg?-kid,
that is 1t. You are a big, foolish kid,
Mr.. Jack. When a man loves he does
not sulk and ride away. He stays and
fights. See!" She held up her hand and
snapped her small tanned fingers
sharply In the air. 81 would not give
that for the silly kid lover who rides
away. Ramon is Mexican, but he Is
brave; he can fight. If l but let him
know the least bit I loved him he
would carry me off on his horse way,
way south over there to Mexico You
would not carry me away to your
home like that, would you, Mr. JackY
81 would carry you to the end of the
world" retorted Carruthers.
'But not to your homer she persist
ed.
Il have no home" said Carruthers.
when | came here to Texas I meant
to stay even before l met you"
But you are rich. Ramon says you
could buy all of the Fortuna for pas
time If you cared for it. And the For
tuna is the richest ranch within hum
dred miles of the border There is no
cattleman so rich as my father in Mex
icO.'
She lifted her head with the little tilt
of pride he knew well. Senorita Rita
Riaz, heiress of the Fortuna, could well
afford to lift her head a trife higher
than other girls. But to Carruthers the
motion brought merely regret. He
knew the truth about the Fortuna
knew what every Texan as far as San
Antonio would know within week
that old Diablo Riaz had squandered
his wealth in gambling; that not
thing on the Fortuna was unmort-
gagged save his daughter, and even she,
it was rumored, was pledged to Ramon
do In .afr h TO aA
sistance when the crash came.
Carruthers might have given the
same assistance and claimed the same
reward, but something within him re-
volted against making the hand OF the
girl he loved the stake in transaction
over old Riaz's gambling debts. If he
could win her, If he could hold her
promise freely from her own lips, then
he felt free to buy up the whole For
tuna when the crash came and lay 1t
at her feet. But she must be free to
say yes or no. And she would say
neither. She would only laugh.
Have you told Ramon you would
marry himY he asked, with sudden
curtness The uncertainty was mad
dening to him.
why do you ask p she answered
teasingly.
Rita" he pleaded, "be serious. II
you do not
She raised her arm with a sudden,
imperative gesture and pointed to the
herd.
"Lookw she cried. "They are STAN
pedingw
Carruthers looked. The brown sea
had suddenly stirred to life. Undulat-
ing, swaying, branching out loosely at
the edges, it was lurching toward them.
There seemed to be nothing rapid or
swift about its coming. Carruthers
thought, almost idly, of how it resem-
bled the swing of bunch Of race
when the movement was so concerted,
so deliberate, that 1t hardly seemed
movement. The herders were riding
here and there in confusion. They
seemed mere specks of helpless misdi-
rection in the distance
Rita's face had lost its color. She
turned her horse about, the rein held
short and tight in her clinched hand.
"We must race before them as they
come" she said. IF the horses k~er
their strength they viii not trample
u.s."
But Carruthers had slipped from the
saddle.
1T is sure death to try to ride with
Them" he answered. "Dismount and
do as tell you"
The stern masterfulness of his tone
startled her. He had never spoken
like that to her: no one had.
Hold the horses" he ordered. She
Sbeyed, watching him In GREATNESS ST.
sence. The brown cloud on the prairie
was becoming more and more dis
tinct There was heavy, low rumble
In the air like far off thunder. Car
ruthers drew a cigarette case from his
pocket, and after hunting carefully he
produced one match.
THAT Is the only one l have" he
said. Pray that 1t doesn't go out"
He struck it on the box. The faint
flame wavered in the southeasterly
breeze, caught the end of the cigarette
Carruthers smelled it and set fire to
the grass. 1t was dry and yellow from
! the sun and caught the blaze with a
snap. The wind famed 1t, and wav-
ering line of thin smoke slid like a
| snake along the roots for several feet.
The horses reared and kicked at the
first Whit, and Carruthers seized the
brides from the girl.
Take the cigarette" he said, hand
ing 1t to her Keep 1t alight and set
fire to the grass as far as you can
reach in a straight line facing the
north. The wind is from the southeast
and will blow the fire toward the herd.
II may turn them"
Holding the plunging, trembling
horses, he watched her. There was no
fear, no sign of weakness. She was