The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-05-24
In the Yaqui
Country
BY BAILEY MlLLhKD
tAuthor Of Down the riu,ns with tn. sheath
Piano" Etcl
Copyright, by Joseph Il. Bowles.l


ride from the railroad n most vexa.
tious adventure for the Nesbitts.
only seven days from Fifth avenue
and French cookery.
"Oh, don't worry. papa! I'm all
right" Muriel smiled resignedly
through her veil, and slipped off hei
mule with the help OF statuesque
mozo. Her big blue eyes shifted COW
ertly now and again to the up'trail
prospect, which, II anything. seemed
more desolate than the country they
had traversed. For 1t was here at
Aqua Caliente that Stratford Ban
ming was to meet them. Banning
was the man in charge of her fathers
mine at Los Nidos. Between him and
Muriel there had once been a per-
feet understanding. That was in the
year he graduated as mining en-
gineer and was hanging around the
Broadway offices waiting for a chance
to let loose his pent-up energy
Muriel. looking up the trail, was
thinking now of their last ride to-
gether under the Bronx beeches.
Many things have happened since
then. The chiefest of these things
was that the complete understands
ing was no longer any sort of under
standing-a few hasty, heart-freezing
words had done that. And now Alb
ner Card, a well-preserved, middle
aged man whose millions nearly
measured up with those of her ia
ther, was dangling along at her side
the luckiest man in New York,
they had called him, for had he not
bagged the proudest beauty Of the
Newport season?
Card had become interested In the
Nesbitt mine, in the Rio Yaqui coun.
try, to the extent of half million,
and was going with his prospective
father-in-law to look at the property.
Muriel. who had been everywhere
with her father since the day of her
mothers long funeral train, joined
him in this. his first visit to the
mine. She had dared the meeting
with Banning because she had
thought that they would each be
strong enough and have common sense
enough to show that they had lived
down the CHASTITY fact of their two
year arrangement
Banning came hurrying out from
the Office at the end of the great grimy
mining sheds
"Hullo!" he called, running bare
headed down the trail, big piece oil
white paper in his hand-the pay
sheet of the mine What in the name
of all the-Didn't you get my tele
gram? Sent it to Ell Paso, care O.
Stevens. Don't SEE how 1t could have
missed you"
Then he drew his face out of III
anxious, worried look and greeted
them more Hospitality. The touch o.
Muriel's gloved hand was like tina
CT phantom reaching out from tn,
dead years. Instantly he saw wha
we're her relations with Card. whom
he had met before when he was be
seeching Broadway for a mining job
and who, oddly enough, as he thought
remembered him. Somehow peopl,
had way Of remembering that clear
square chin of Banning's and thos,
unfiinching gray eyes,
After supper, when the men wer,
smoking big rough cigars in cornel
of the cool patio where the moonligh
silvered the smooth silken edges o
the banana leaves, Nesbitt laid hi
hand on Bannings shoulder
We'll, Strait" be asked, whats tn,
rumpus?"
NC rumpus," saio Banning, his ey,
searching out the feather-duste tol
of cocoa palm.
There's some kind of a mix-up, o.
you wouldn't have tried to head US OF
with that telegram"
"Oh, was little leery of the sit
uation, that's ALL" said Banning
glancing around to see If Muriel wa
within earshot.
WAS it that fever | heard about?'
mo fever up here In the Mazatan
at this season" said Banning. TT
the Yaquis. They don't like the wa.
the government Is parceling out thei
reservation to American miners. Nov
don't want to alarm you gentlemen
Che included Card with a glance o
his eye), but these chaps are spending
their last cents for Mausers."
Our men-are they all in it?" aske
Card, nervously.
Nearly ALL" said Banning, coolly
1--WE had 10 sneak out all the rife
from our gun rack and cache Their
away out of reach. They're In a de
serted tunnel quarter of a mile u
| the canyon. I couldn't think OF
safer place"
Haven't you any other men be
sides Yaquis?" asked Nesbitt, biting hi
cigar with tense onxiety.
"Oh, yes; some poor trash fror
Hermosillo, but only few. A hun
bred of 'em wouldn't get out ton O
ore in 60 days"
by Jove!" said Card. turning +
Nesbitt, 81 don't like this. We may al
be slaughtered right here in thi
house."
NO" said Banning. You are prstt
safe here for the present"
Muriel's light step on the flag
turned his speech to-"Nothing like
tropical moonlight. is there?"
lar