Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-10

Ia the lower mesa and the river
XIV.
Ruiz 0regorio.
lie rode easily. as one born Ia tho
saddle. tho feathers cresking unsteady
under him 10 keep time to the stunning
fox trot OF the wiry little range pony.
Once free of the mining camp and out
upon the mesa. he found a corn-husk
wrapper and his bag OF dry tobacco ana
deftly rolled a cigarette. doing II with ono
hand. cowboy fashion. When the cigar
cite was lighted the horseman ahead was
a mere khaki-colored dot. rising and fall
Ing In the mellowinG distance.
With the eye OF . piainsman he meas
ured the trails length to tho broken hill
range where the Pannikin energies from
its nnal wrestle with the gorges. Then
he glanced up at the dull crimson spot in
the murky sky that marked the suns
altitude. There was time sufSicient-and
the trail was long enough. lie did not
push his horse out OF the shufYiing trot.
At the portal hills the horseman now dis
appearing over the rim OF the high mesa
would slacken speed. In the canyon 1T
self dog could not go faster than
walk
On the lower mesa the Mexican picked
up the galloping dot again. holding IL Ian
view until II halted on the river bank Il
hundred yards below the entrance to the
canyon Since the water was low I'm
the ford the river bank hid the crossing.
and the Mexican drew rein and waited
for the dot to reappear on the opposite
shore.
slow minute was lost: then a second
and a third. The man In the corded
sombrero and laced buckskns touched
his horses flank with a spur and crept
forward at a walk. keeping his eyes fixed
upon the point where the quarry ought
to come In sight again. When three more
minutes passed and the farther shore was
still a deserted blank. the Mexican dug
both rowels into his mustang and gal
loped down to the river. muttertng curses
In the patois OF his native Sonora.
Apparently the closing In had been de-
layed too long. There were fresh hoof
prints In the mari OF the hither approach
to the shallow ford. but none to match
them on the farther side. The Mexican
crossed hastily and searched for the out
coming hoof marks. The rocky bar which
formed the northern bank OF the stream
told him nothing.
Now II rs only In the imagination OF the
wordsmith that the villain In the play 10
gifted with supernatural powers OF dis
cernment. Ruiz Gregorio Maria Al
varez Mattacheco. Familiarity and less
cumbrously known as Mexican George,
was q mere murderer. with a quick eye
for gun sights and a ready and itching
trigger finger. But he was no Vidocq. to
know by instinct which OF the two trails.
the canyon passage or the longer route
over the hills. Ford had chosen.
Having two guesees he made the wrong
one first. urging his mustang toward the
canyon trail. stumbling half mile up
the narrow cleft OF the rivers path re-
vealng nothing. he began to reconsider.
Drawing a second blank OF the same d.
mansions. he turned back to the ford and
tried the hill trail. At the end OF the first
hundred yards on the new scent he came
again upon tho fresh hoof prints, and
took or the brow-cramping hat to swear
the easier.
Two courses were now open to him; to
press hard upon the roundabout hill trail
in the hope Of overtaking the engineer
before he could reach the Horse creek
camp. or to pass by the shorter route TO
the upper ford to head him OF at the
river crossing. The Mexican gave another
glance at the dull red spot in the western
sky and played for safety: The waylay-
eral counts. The canyon trail was the
shorter and II could be traversed leis-
urely and in daylight. Pressing his livery
hack as he could. Ford would scarcely
creek before dusk. Moreover 1t would be
easier to wait and TO smoke than to
chase the quarry over the hills, wearing
ones pinto to the bone.
Ruiz Gregorio Maria set his horse once
more at the task of picking a path among
the canyon boulders, riding loosely In the
saddle. first In one stirrup and then In the
other. and smoking an unbroken success
sion of the corn-husk cigarettes.
One small cloud fecked the sky of sat
isfaction. His instructions had been ex-
plicit. II Ford should resign, quit, wash
his hands Of the Pacific Southwestern. he
might be suffered to escape. If not
there was only one condition attached
to the acknowledgement was done must
be done neatly. with dispatch, and at a
sufficient distance from any of the Mac
Morrogh camps to avert even the shadow
of suspicion.
Now the upper crossing Of waylayings
was within a stones throw Of the end-of-
track yards: nay, within an amateurs
pistol shot of the commfssary buildings.
But Ruiz Gregorio. weighing all the pos
sibilities found them elastic enough to
serve the purpose. A well-calculated shot
from behind a sheltering boulder. the
heaving Of the body into the swift torrent
Of the Pannikin and the thing was done.
What damning evidence might afterward
come to the light of day. II. indeed. il
should ever come to light. would be f1shed
out of the stream far enough from any
of the Marlborough camps.
Thus Ruiz Gregorio Maria Alvarez.
lolling lazily in his saddle while the hard
breathing mustang picked toilsome path
among the strewn boulders and through
the sliding shale beds. He went even
further-an alibi might not De neeotui.
but 1t would be easy to provide one.
Young Jack Benson. II no other. would
know that Ford had taken one Of the
shorter trails from Copah to the camp at
Horse creek. Bueno! He. Ruiz Gregorio.
could slip across the river in the dusk
when the thing was done. skirt the head
quarters camp unseen. and present him.
self a little later at Senior Frtsbie's camp
of the track layers. coming. as It were,
direct from Copah. almost upon the heels
Of Senior Benson. After that. who could
connect him with the dead body OF
man fished out of river twenty. fifty.
q hundred miles away?
There was a weak link in the chain
Ruiz Gregorios childlike plot turned upon
one pivot Of hazard-hazar most likely
to be ignored by SO good q marksman as
the ''man-killer.' One shot he might per-
nit himself. with little danger OF drawing
crowd from the mess tent and the
sleeping shanties in the Horse creek
camp. Two would bring the men to their
doors. Any greater number would be
taken as the signal of free fight need
fpg spectators. Hence the first shot must
suff1ce.
(To be continued tomorrow