Williams news., 1914-12-31

cry sign of difficulty.
 What is there up here?" incurred Bud, pointing at fainter trail that led off toward the north. This coun. try is new to me. Don't know, eh {? We'll, if we followed that trail we'd run into them rebels, anyway, so we might as well go to the west. Is your saddle all right? We'll hit it up then I'd like to strike road before dark"
 They hurried on. following we'll marked trail that alternately climbed ridges and descended into arroyos, until finally it dropped down into a precipitous canon where a swollen stream rushed and babbled and, while they still watched expectantly for the road. the evening quickly passed.
 They had no opportunity for conver- sation, for the trail was too narrow to permit of their riding side by side. Bud was thinking not only of the dan gers that surrounded them, but of this errand on which he was engaged, and what the end of it meant to him.
 First the slanting rays of the sun struck fire from the high yellow crags. then the fire faded and the sky gIowed an opal-blue; then, through dark blues and purples the heavens turned to black above them and all the stars came out. Thousands of frogs made the canyon resound with their throaty songs and strange animals crashed through the brush at their approach, but still Hooker stayed in the saddle and Gracia followed on behind.
 If she had thought in her dreams of an easier journey she made no com. ment now and, outside of stopping to cinch up her saddle, Bud seemed hard ly to know she was there. The trail was not going to suit htm-it edged of too far to the southland yet, in the tropical darkness, he could not search out new ways to go.
 At each fork he paused to light match. and whichever way the mule tracks went he went also, for pack mules would take the main trail For two hours and more they followed on down the stream and then Hooker stopped his horse.
 You might as well get down and rest while." he said quietly. This trail is no good-it's taking us south. We'll let our horses feed until the moon comes up and I'll try to work north by landmarks"
 "Oh.are we lost?" gasped Gracia, dropping stif1y to the ground. But of course we 'are," she added. I've been thinking so for some time."
 "Oh, that's all right" observed Hooker philosophically; 'I don't mind being lost as long as I know where Pn at. We'll ride back until we get out of this dark canyon and then I'1l lay line due north"
 They sat for a time in the dark ness while their horses champed at the rich grass and then, unable to keep down her nerves, Gracia declared for a start. A vision of angry pursuers rose up in her mind-of Manuel del Key and his keen-eyed rurales, hot upon their trail-and 1t would not let her rest.
 Nor was the vision entirely the re suit of nervous imagination, for they had lost half the advantage of their start, as Hooker well knew, and if he find himself called on to fight. As they rode back through the black canyon he asked himself for the hun dredth time how it had all happened why, at single glance from her, he had gone against, his better judg- ment and plunged himself into this tangle. And then, finally, what was he going to do about it?
 But he knew what he was going to do about it. He knew he was going to take this girl through to Gadsden and to Phil, and his loyalty was such that he would not admit, even to him. self, that Phil did not deserve her.
 Alone, he would have taken to the mountains with a fine disregard for trails, turning into whichever served his purpose best and following the lay of the land. Even with her in his care it would be best to do that yet. for there would be trailers on their track at sunup, and it was either ride or fight
 Free at last from the pent-in canyon, they halted at the forks, while Bud looked out the land by moonlight. Dim and ghostly, the square-topped peaks and bqttes rose all about him, huge and impossible except for the winding trails. He turned up a valley between two ridges, spurring his horse into a fast walk.
 From one COW trail to another he picked out way to the north. but the lay of the ground threw him to the east and there were no passes between the hills. The country was rocky. with long parallel ridges extending to the northeast, and when he saw where the way was taking him Bud called halt till dawn.
 By the very formation he was being gradually edged back toward For