Bridgeton pioneer., 1906-08-02
Senorita Rita
By IZOLA FORESTER
Copyright. 1906, by Ruby Douglas

| girl looked straight ahead at the wide
sweep of level prairie pasture, her red
lips parted In a smile-a most tantaliz-
ing, annoying smile Carruthers thought
as he caught glimpse of it sideways.
Perhaps" he returned moodily. 81
have stayed too long already"
"You do not like Texas, senor?'
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.
THAT was a long time ago-last
week-but I will call you it again if
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 a horse with
a 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
tance of nearly a mile between them
he knew what the figure looked like,
knew that it was watching them as he
was watching it. 1t was not pleasant
knowledge.
you have changed your mind, Seno.
rita Rita" he said bitterly, "since Ra.
mon came to the ranch. 1 was very
happy-in Texas-untu 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 viii
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 it. You are 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. II would not give
that for the silly kid lover who rides
away. Ramon is a Mexican, but he is
brave; he can fight. If I 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.. Jack?'
Il 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 l came here to Texas I meant
to stay even before 1 met you"
"But you are rich. Ramon says yop
could buy all of the Fortuna for pas
time if you cared for 1t. And the For
tuna is the richest ranch within huI
dred miles of the border. There Is D.
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 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 a week
that old Diablo Riaz had squandered
his wealth in gambling; that not q
thing on the Fortuna was unmort
gagged save his daughter, and even sha
1t was rumored, was pledged to Ramon
Doranda in return for his promised as
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 a transaction
over old Riaz's gambling debts. If he
could win her, If he could hold her
promise freely from her own lips, ther
he felt free to buy up the whole For
tuna when the crash came and lay II
at her feet. But she must be free t.
say yes or no. And she would say
neither. She would only laugh.
"Have you told Ramon you would
marry him?" he asked, with sudden
curtness. The uncertainty was mad
dening to him.
"Why do you ask?" she answered
teasingly.
Rita" he pleaded, ''be serious. Il
you do not
She raised her arm with a sudden
imperative gesture and pointed to thu
| herd.
''Look"' she cried. 'They are STAN
| pedingp'
Carruthers looked The brown SCI
had suddenly stirred to life. Undulat
ing, swaying, branching out loosely a
| the edges, 1t was lurching toward them
| There seemed to be nothing rapid O
| swift about Its coming. Carruther
thought, almost idly, of how it resem
| bied the swing of a bunch of rae
horses rounding the end Of the field