The Press., 1906-05-30
DOWN BY THE
 RIO GRANDE By CURRAN RICHARD GREENLEY
Copyright, 1906. bp P. c. Edstme,lt

away and Margaret remained buried in her book. And all about a beggarly horse thief" he murmured to himself as he sat up straight and sent the pile of magazines crashing to the floor. There was a look of consciousness about the back of that shapely brown head that held itself so consistently averted, but Alleyne deemed it wiser not to reopen the subject of Miguel. Over in the corral things wore a de serted air. Two or three men lounged in the shade of the high wall. Alleyne yawned and looked at his watch and at faint movement of the figure in the | rocker. Margaret, I''- Crack-ack- ack! Somewhere away to the west three shots rang out in rapid success | sion, a pause and then three more. Over in the corral the lounging fig ures sprang to life, and an instant later three ponies were galloping in the di- rection of the shots. Alleyne dashed into the house, reappearing with the field glasses. They've got himw He was peering at a collection of black dots on the edge of the horizon. "Got who?" Margaret laid her hand upon his arm.
 "The mischief!' Alleyne jerked the glasses down. 'T forgot you were here" Under her steady gaze his color changed. "Yes, If you will have the whole ghastly truth and cannot be persuaded to stay out of it, it's that | scoundrel Miguel"
 Margaret shrank away from him l with d low cry of distress. The look ln her eyes went straight to Alleyne's heart, and his voice softened to a ten | der pleading as he tried to draw her to him. Little woman, you cannot be | the judge of these matters, and you cannot shield a horse thief. I could have told you this morning, but pre- ferred to let you think me a bit hard on Miguel than to shock you with the truth. There have been some queer happenings lately both here at the Alaho and at loses. Last night punch of loses best ponies came up missing, and the boys have been trail Ing him since sunrise"
 "John Alleyne, do you mean to let those savages of yours murder a man here on the Alaho just for the sake of a few brOnchOs?" Margaret faced him sternly, and Alleyne lost his hard kept patience.
 You forget that there are mems laws to be considered as we'll as Gods, and out here on the fringe of the world the code knows no greater crime than lifting a broncho, and the lifting of many bronchOs aggravates the case. It is not a question in which my wife may meddle." And Alleyne strode to- ward the corral, while Margaret pick ed up the glasses.
 The wind blown stretch of bare brown mesa told her nothing of the tragedy brewing behind its crest. She watched Alleyne until her eyes ached A chatter of hoofs and a voice call ing her name brought her to the door, where a half broken cayuse snorted and paved. Astride of him sat Bright Eyes, MigueTs Indian wife, the brown baby swung to her back. There was a queer ashen pallor on the wOman's stolid face as she slid from the pony's back, one hand clutching at the deer skin deong that held the papoose. "White man got Miguel. Miguel he die" Here she pointed to her throat and made a gasping sound. "White squaw much hurree. Miguel he no die. SabeG
 Margaret covered before the awful pleading in those savage eyes. 'Not a question In which my wife may med dle." John had said, but there was no tiIne to weigh scruples, and five min utes later a strangely assorted pair rode into the face of the setting sun, and the rough little cayuse strove to keep pace with the swinging stride of the Hindoo mare. Far ahead black dot moved against the sky that Marga- ret knew to be Alleyne A glimmer of consequences flashed across her mind, but the sweet young mouth only grew little firmer as she struck the trail of many horses and knew the goal to be in sight.
 On and on, sagebrush and prickly pear, the yellow sand beneath and overhead the blue melting into the evenings violet crown-nature's own smile upon the scene that swept into view, where men and horses were
 
 wrapped in the ragged poncho that lounged in careless grace against the white scared trunk of a large mes quite. Margaret's eyes went instinc- lively to the lariat knotted about the bronze throat. It was not the first time that Miguel had felt it there, but Rusty Pete himself held the end of this one.
 The voices hushed instantly, and to a man the wide sombreros were lifted as Margaret slipped from the saddle and stood looking from one dark face to another. An awful sense of self en. gulfed her, and in another moment Mi guel's cause would have been lost. But the grim set of Alleyne's mouth as he started toward her gave her the cour- age that is born of cowardice. Before he could reach her she had broken through the circle to Migueps side, and the sun struck along the barrel of a re~ volver leveled straight at Rusty Pete. "Drop that ropeP' she cried.
 Pete let go as if the Iariat were red bot iron; then she wheeled to face the ring of MiguePs accusers. "Men of the Alaho, you are many. This man is but oAO' OOuhu oAu ASApAeSS, Dul tue HrSI man that moves toward him does so at his peril. If you persist in taking him it will be over my bodyw
 Alleyne's eyes were blazing, but not a man stirred for long moment, an interminable time, 1t seemed to the wo- man, who stood between that ring of fierce faces and their prey.
 "God In heaven, will 1t last foreverP' Her brain was reeling and the black figures danced in Q blood red mist as earth rose In waves beneath her. The silent battle was almost done when a wild yell from the darkening mesa scattered the circle to right and left as the man from Jose's galloped in. "Cut that rOpep' yelled the leader as