Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-10-23

uVwn has been put under martial lay
and the captain is in full charge. The,
quarreled over the favor Of a lady. an,
o your friend is in jail"
i didn't e him when / come BY
observed Hooker.
All, no-not In the carcel-in til,
Quartet the guardhouss Of ths
ruralesi"
Much obliged" nodded Bud. and
rode on through the town. The street
OF the Mexican quarter was filled
with strange people h~urrying to and
fro; long packtrains loaded with
trunks and curious bundles came
swinging up from below; and = pair OF
r%urales, looking fierce under their
huge sombreros stood guard by the
Quartet door.
Where is the captain?" demanded
Hooked. After requesting him to hang
hie pistol-belt on his saddle-horn. q
sergeant showed him In to The chief.
Manuel del Rey was very busy with
papers and orders, but AZ the Ameri.
a appeared in the doorway he rose
and greeted him with a bow.
"Ah, good morning, SENIOR" he said,
with one swift glance to read his mood.
You are in search Of your friend
nor"
81 senor," answered Hooker, but
with none Of the animosity which the
captain had expected. Where Is he?"
i regret very much" began the of.
nicer. speaking with military Formally,
blu 1t Is my duty to inform you that
the Senior 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
10 believe his ears. But when the zap.
tain repeated 1t he no longer doubted
his Spanish.
But why?' he cried; why did he
join the rurales?"
An, senor." shrugged Del Rey. was
ne not a Mexican citizen: Very we'll,
then; he could be summoned for mill.
tary service. But the circumstances
were these. Your friend came yester.
Day to this town, where am at pres
ent military commander, and made an
u~nprovoked assault upon my person.
For this, according to law, he should
nave been shot at sunrise. But. not
wishing to occasion unpleasantness
with the Americans now residing here,
offered him the alternative of mill
.ary service. He is now enlisted as a
'ural for a term OF FIVE years."
Five years." exclaimed Hooker:
then, instead of starting the ex-
oected rough-house-upon which the
'ural guards were prepared to Jump on
lis back-he simply threw down his
and cursed. Not anyone in par.
ocular, but everything in general;
at the end Of it he turned once
nore upon the watchfud captain.
"~Dispenseme, senor." he said, this
s the truth, is it?"
Isl. %senor," returned Captain del
ley. But before leaving with his de-
achment your friend wrote this letter,
Which he requested me to deliver to
|
He offered with a flourish a sealed I
Envelope, from which Bud extracted a !
hort note. !
Bud: I
When you get this I shall be far away. !
must have been mad. but It Is too late
ow. Rather than be executed I have {
nlisted as a rural. But I shall try to be :
rave for her sake. Take care Of her, .
me! PHIL.
Bud read 1t through again and medi- I
ated ponderously. Then he folded It c
p and thrust 1t in his pocket.
"Muchas gracias, senior captain" he '
aid. saluting and turning upon his t
eel; and while all the Mexicans mar
eled at the inscrutable ways of Amer r
he mounted and rode away. e