Mexico Missouri message., 1914-10-08

that she was an American girl at heart,
she forgot to show II to him. To all
she was now the proud Spanish lady.
thrown with the common people by
the stress of circumstances, but Tar
away from them in her thoughts.
The conference between the leaders
dragged on aud messengers came and
went with the news-then, after hours
Of debate, 1t broke up suddenly in a
row and the emissaries came back on
the run. Even at that they narrowly
escaped, for the rebels opened ere
upon them from the ridges, and before
they could get back to cover the
dandy, Manuel del Rey, received bull
let hole through the crown of his hat.
A grim smile fiickered across Buds
face as he saw the damage 1t had
wrought, for he knew that Amigo was
In the hills-and bullet shot down
hill goes high! Some trace of what
was in his mind must have come to
Del Rey as he halted in the shelter Of
the house. for he regarded the Ameri-
can sternly as Aragon spoke rapidly
in his ear But IL they planned ven
geance between them the times were
not right, for a rattle of arms came
from the lower town and the captain
was up and away to marshal his men
to the defense.
So far In the siege Del Rey had kept
under cover, patrolling the streets
, and plaza and letting the volunteers
fight, but now the war had shifted to
his territory and his ruraies were run
ming like mad. For. matching treach-
cry against deceit. the rebel leaders
had sent men around to slip up near
the town and at the first fusillade from
the hillside they came charging UP
the creek.
Then it was that the ever.watch.ul
rurales proved their worth. AS the
rebels appeared In the open they ran
to the outlying houses and, fighting
from the fiat roofs. checked the ad-
vance until the miners could come to
| their aid.
But in the confusion another party
of rebels had rushed down the gulch
| from the west, and while the fight was
going on in the lower town they found
Judgment In big adobe house. And
now for the first time there was fight
| ing In earnest-the house-to-house
| fighting that is seen at its worst in
Mexico. While women screamed in
, the casa grande and the Americans
paced to and fro on the hill. the boom
of dynamite bomb marked the begin
ming of hand.to-hand
II there was to be a casualty list In
this long-looked for battle of Fortuna,
the time was at hand when they could
begin counting the dead
With fearlessness born Of long IA
miliarity with explosives the Sonoran
miners advanced valiantly with their
hand Misunderstanding powder cans
filled with dynamite and studded with
Illuminating caps. Digging dercely
through wall after wall they ap-
preached unperceived by the enemy
| and the first bomb, flung from a roof.
filled the adobe with wounded and
dead.
A dense pail of yellowish smoke
rose high above the town and. as bomb
after bomb was exploded and the yells
Of the miners grew louder with each
| success. the stunned invaders broke
from cover and rushed helter-skelter
up the gulch. Then there was prodi.
gious shouting from the Sonorans and
more than one triumphant grenadier
swung his can of giant powder by the
sling and let 1t smash against the hill
in terrific defamation.
In the big house all was confusion.
Soon the cheers OF the defenders her
! aid victory and, In spite OF all efforts
to restrain them, the wives OF the
miners rushed into the open to gaze
upon the triumph Of their menfolk.
On the hilltops the ineffective rebel
riflemen rose up from behind their
stone wall to stare, until suddenly
they, too. were seized with panic and
ran to and fro like ants. Then, around
the curve below the concentrator, a
tall man came dashing up on a pure
white horse, and behind him. charging
as he charged. came the swarthy va
ouis of Alvarez. their new rifles gleam-
ing in the sun.
| To BE CoNTINUED)