Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1913-1914, 1914-12-10

Brought It Down on His Head With
Crushing Force.
ing her on her way. The touch of
timid finger upon her arm brought her
from her reveries.
THE horses wait. my lady"
Came a swift flashing of lights from
the house they had left behind. a sour
ny of feet. the sound of voices. loud.
shriIl. insistent The Mexican seized
her arm fiercely and half dragged her
from off the court to n clump of bush.
es. where two horses stood saddled and
bridled In a second she was in the
saddle. the man beside her.
The clatter of hoofs rang out upon
the silence. Looking back. she caught
glimpses of dark figures silhouetted
patio. A squirt of fire leaped out at
them like a living thing. The Mexi-
can muttered n cultural oath and urg-
ed his horse to more speed. Lucille
bent over her borse's head. bent low.
for the whine OF bullets was in the air
about them.
Suddenly the Mexican grunted loud
ly. His hands shot high in the air;
then the horse fairly ran from under
him. Upon the ground he swayed a
second; then leaped against the sha-
dow of giant fingered cactus plant.
sought his side.
Red, warm blood gushed from the
wound in his chest. His eyes were
glazing when she stopped and brush
ed her lips across his forehead
"Go!" he muttered Cor Then
his voice took on the resonant tone
of scant day or less before. 1T is
the ripple of the wishing well, my
lady. Go! Ride-to the one-your-
heart-desires."
He stiffened suddenly and a squirt
Vt tears came from her eyes. Louder
grew the shouts. the voices. The air
was alive with long. darting flames.
! Loubeque's hive was swarming.
She leaped into the saddle once more
and dug her heels into the horses
sides. Through the night she rode
with the ripple of the wishing we'll 10
her ears.
Behind her. Lucille could hear the
pursuit. Not a second could she spare
for thought of regret
Times. above the ringing of her
horses hOofs. she would hear the
shouts OF those behind her. Now and
then a message of lead would whine
! lie draadfttl "a into Hos ~ b,,k Ill
these were growing fainter. less dis
tinct with every leap of the animal she
bestrode.
Hours, It seemed, she rode. with new
er the slightest slackenIng Of the mad
pace TO which she originally set her
mount. He was lathered with foam,
but she had no pity on him. Her brain
was fercely chaotic. wild with the
bloody memories OF the night.
From now on she had every advan-
tage. She was free and she knew
where the stolen papers and documents
were secreted in the mysterious house
Of inexplicable disappearing rooms and
stairs. She had the diary of Hugo
Loubeque in her possession. and she
had the ruby necklace which was
equivalent TO vast wealth. She had
the outward seeming Of guilelessness.
was glrlish and delightfully."- effeminate.
but she knew the power of the claws
she had, and her eyes rested fondly on
the revolver which she found in a hOl-
ster attached to the Mexican's saddle.
even as she urged her horse to greater
i speed.
Across the trackless plain she rode
with only the moon and stars looking
down upon her, a wild, eerie figure
Of a bareheaded girl Behind the pur-
suit had died away and before there
was nothing save a slender ribbon Of
water that the moon buried its face In
contentedly.
She heard voices, low pitched. yet
carrying far in the silence Of the night.
Instantly she drew rein ard flung her
self to the ground, listening intently.
Creeping cautiously to a slight rise,
she looked down upon an adobe shack.
before which a little squad Of bare
footed Mexicans loafed idly, their
brown hands lazily supporting old
fashioned Springfield rifles, such as she
recalled the soldiers Of Uncle Sam to
have carried in the old days.
From where she watched she sud
denly noticed stir among the men.
From the interior of the shack step
ped a gaudily dressed little Mexican,
evidently an officer from the awkward
salutes accorded him by the tatterde-
nations gathered before the house.
For some reason she could not ana
lyze. Lucille listened eagerly, her