Williams news., 1914-11-05

 with one swift glance to read his mo~d. You are in search of your friend no?
 Si, senor." answered Hooker, but with none of the animosity which the. captain had expected. Where is her"
 Il regret very much," began the of ficer. speaking with military formality, but 1t is my duty to inform you that the Senor De Lancey has left Fortuna. Last night he did me the honor to en- list in my company of rurales-he is now on his way to the north to assist in guarding the railroad"
 What?" shouted Bud, hardly able to believe his ears. But when the cap- tain repeated it he no longer doubted his Spanish
 "But why?" he cried; "why did he join the rurales?"
 "Ah, senor," shrugged Del Key, "was he not Mexican citizen? Very well. then; he could be summoned for mili- tary service. But the circumstances were these. Your friend came yester- day to this town, where I am at pres- ent military commander, and made an unprovoked assault upon my person. For this, according to law, he should have been shot at sunrise But, not wishing to occasion unpleas4ntness with the Americans now residing here, l offered him the alternative of mili- tary service. He is now enlisted as 8 rural for term of five years.'
 Five years!" exclaimed Hooker; and then, instead of starting the ex- pected rough-house-upon which the rural guards were prepared to jump on his back-he simply threw down his hat and cursed. Not anyone in par ticular. but everything in general; and at the end of it he turned once more upon the watchfud captain.
 "Dispenseme, senor," he sald, ,A"this is the truth, is it?"
 "Si. senor," returned Captain del Key. But before leaving with his de- tachment your friend wrote this letter. which he requested me to deliver to you"
 He offered with a flourish sealed envelope, from which Bud extracted a short note.
 Dear Bud:
 When you get this I shall be far away. must have been mad, but it is too late now. Rather than be executed I have enlisted rural. But shall try to be brave for her sake. Take care of her, Bud-for me! PHIL.
 Bud read it through again and medi- tated ponderously. Then he folded it up and thrust it in his pocket.
 "Muchas gracias, senor capitan," he said, saluting and turning upon his heel; and while all the Mexicans mar veled at the inscrutable ways of Amer icanos, he mounted and rode away.
 He paused in his labor and dreamy smile parted his Iips-then he broke into song:
 Sweet honey bee, be sweet to me, My heart is free. but here's the key; Lock up the garden gate; honey, you
 know I'll wait,
 Under the rambler rose tree-ee.
 Once more he returned to his work, humming now the dulcet strains of "The Merry Widow" and when Bud came back from the cut it was to hear coon song:
 Cos I want yer, me honey. yes. want
 yer, want yer:
 Cos want yer. ma honey. yes I do!
 So he labored and sang, until finally the labor ceased, and then the song. He went about other things, and other thoughts, not so cheerful, filled his mind.
 Bud returned sadly to the company of the Yaqui and gave it up. Perhaps his pardner had been right when. rid ing out of Agua Negra, he had en- 1or fho ~f ico, 'the land of manana and broken promises" Certainly his speech had been prophetic in regard to dark-eyed women; for, even as he had said, nothing seeAled to please them better than to come between man and man.
 It was madness, he felt sure--the spell of the hot country, where the women look out from behind barred windows and men sing beneath their balconies at midnight Already 1t had cost him his pardner1.would 1t con- quer his will as we'll and make him forget his trust?
 In his impotence the idea of some perverse fate-some malign influence over which he had no control-was strong with Hooker; yet when the blow fell he was not prepared for 1t. It was the third day of their mining and, with Amigo, he had been driving into the face of the cliff. Already their round of holes was drilled. the fuses cut. the charges set, and as he retreated before the blast he noticed absently that Cruz Mendez was in camp. The shots followed. one
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