Middletown transcript., 1906-03-03
HOW LOVE BROKE THE GANG
BY WILLARD FRENCH


Ridge, where the Wild Texan
hills rolls up out of The desert
and down into the Rio Grande.
Judge Sherman bought it, with
the hundreds Of acres pertaining
to it, when he was driven from
New England by a complication
of troubles. 1t heightened his
life a little, but he was coming to
the end.
Until her mother died, Mona,
his only child, was much away
at school. Since then she had
been his constant companion. It
was rather brave of her too, not
withstanding The second com
mandment, for a lonelier spot
there isn't anywhere. The near
est thing of social tendencies
was the fort, four miles away.
Her father was too i'll for guests,
and the only people about the
place were Mexican servants and
farm hands, except Zetto, a
young Spaniard who evidently
pertained to some better sphere,
but for reasons of his own had
hired himself to Judge Sherman
as kind of general manager.
He held the position with dig
nifty, and made better success
of it than the Judge before he
broke down. He was her only
possible companion, and Mona
found him much better than no
company at all, riding, shooting,
rowing-in every relaxation
which Raven Ridge afforded.
They were a good deal together.
That was all. Ifhe had thought
or hoped, he had been too wise
to speak.
Colonel Morgan, recently as.
signed to command in the dis
trict, had been making the fort
his headq quarters, as the best
point from which to carry out
his orders TO quell the border
troubles which, under the lead
ership of the bold Brisbane, had
assumed rather serious proper
tions. He was West Pointer
who had risen rapidly, owing to
the same qualities he exhib-
tied in his new field. Before he
had been at them a month, every
member of the border gang
hated him and vowed his death.
Just now he had pushed Bris-
bane and the flower of his fol-
lowers well into the wilds of
Devils Gulch, with every pros
pect Of bagging the whole of
them.
Colonel Morgan's father and
Judge Sherman had been bosom
friends. Mona's dreams and
castles began with the first vaca
ton, when Ned Morgan came
back from West Point in all the
glory of a uniform. One often
buries those first dreams, but
one never forgets them Neither !
had Colonel Morgan. Several /
times already he had ridden over !
from the fort, but all the Won
derful newness eli something
never dreamed of came to Mona
in a letter which an Indian
brought to her on her birthday. |
The fact that Ned had remem-
bered it at all was almost as
much to her as the letter. Large
as it was. the house could not
contain her happiness. She was
sitting On the veranda, where
she could have the mighty sym
pathy of the wild ravines and
grand gorges stretching down
to the distant river. Over and
over she read:
If I can reach the fort in time.
I shall ride over to spend your
birthday evening with you. II
have a pretty little diamond ring, /
just for a birthday, and you must
accept that, in any case. But |
am coming to tell you the old, /
old story, Mona. Don't say no,
if you can help it. 1t will only
mean that I must wait and work
till I can ask you again with bet
ter hope. / know I'm not half
worthy of you, Mona, but there
was never anyone but you. There
never will be.
Mona was wrapped iE2 golden
dreams. She did not hear a
step approaching or see shad-
ow fall across the veranda.
zetto stopped abruptly before
her and waited for her to look
up. It was a shock. Inyolun-
tarily she started to her feet, but
he caught her hand. His voice
was low, but he spoke quickly:
his eyes flashed, and there were
dao,, lines IN hir CnaniSh f.aa.