Williams news., 1914-10-01

| masked face among the flower. and smiled again. That was the way Ora cia Aragon affected them all.
 He did not point out the place to Phil, nor betray her by any sign. All he did was to glance at her once and then ride on his way, but somehow his heart stood still when he met her | eyes, and his days became filled with | pensive, breeding melancholy. What the matter, Bud?" rallied Phil, after he had jollied him for a week; you're getting mighty quiet lately. Got another hunch-like that one you had up at Agua NegraT
 Nope" grinned Bud; but I'll tell you one thing-if old Aragon don't spring something pretty soon I'm go- ing to get uneasy. He's too dog-goned good-natured about this"
 Maybe he thinks we're etuck." sug- gested De Lancey.
 Well, he's awful happy about some 1 thing" said Bud. T can see by the way he droops that game eye of his | and smiles that way-that he knows we're working for him. If we don't get title to this mine, every tap of work we do on it Is all to the good for him. that's cinch. So sit down | now and think it out-where's the | joker ?"
 We'll" unused Phil, "the gold is here somewhere. He knows we're not fooled there. And he knows we're | right after 1t, the way we're driving this cut in. Our permit is good-he hasn't, tried to buffalo Mendez-and it's cinch he can't -denounce the claim himself" s.g5
 Maybe he figures on letting us do all the work and pay all the denounce- ment fees and then spring something big on old One-Eye," propounded Bud. Scare i'm up or buy i'm of, and have him transfer the title to him. That's the way he worked Kruger"
 Well, say" urged Phil, Tets go ahead with our denouncement before he starts something. Besides, the warm weather is coming on now, and if we don't get a move on we're likely to get run out by the revoltosos."
 Nope" said Bud; .I don't put this into Mendez's hands until know he's our map-and If ever do go ahead I'll keep Him under my six-shooter until the last paper is, signed, believe me I know we're in bad. somewhere. but ] hurrying up won't help none.
 Now I tell you what we'll doyou go to the mining agent and get copies of all our papers and send them up to that Gadsden lawyer. I'm going to go down and board with Mendez and see | if I can read his heart" So they separated, and while Phil stayed in town to look over the rec ords Bud ate his beans and tortillas with the Mendez family.
 They were happy little family. comfortably installed in the stone house that Mendez had built, and rap idly getting fat on three full meals a | day. From his tent farther up the canyon Bud could look down and watch the children at play and see the comedy Indian wife as she cooked by | the open fire.
 Certainly no one could be more in nocent and contented than she was, and El Tuerto was all bows and pro testations of gratitude. And yet. you never can tell.
 Bud had moved out of the new house to furnish quarters for El Tuerto and had favored him in every way; but this same reconsideration might easily be misinterpreted, for the Mexicans are slow, to understand kindness. & ] So, while on the one hand he had treated them. generously. he, had al- ways kept his distance. lest they be | tempted to presume ss But now, with Phil in town for few days, he took his meals with Maria, who was too awed to say word, and made friends with the dogs and the children.
 The way to the. dogs heart was easy. almost direct, and he finally won the attention of little Rancho and Josefa with well-worn Sunday supplement. This gaudy institution, with it's spicy stories and startling illustrations, had penetrated even to the wilds of Sonora. and every Sunday as regularly as the paper came Bud sat down and had his laugh over the funny page.
 But to Pancho, who was six years old and curious, this same highly col | ored sheet was mystery of mysteries. and when he saw the big American laughing he crept up and looked at it wistfully.
 Mira said Bud.i laying his, finger upon the smirking visage of one of the comic characters, Took. and I will tell l you the story.
 And so, with laborious care, he translated the colored fun, while the little Mendezes squirmed with excite ment and leaped with joy. Even the simple, souls of Fl Tuerto9 and Maria wer moved by the comicas, and Men deg became so interested that he learned the words by heart, the better to explain them to others.
 But as for Mexican treachery, Bud could find none of 1t. In fact, finding g .. -