The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-06-13

view of the country. But his young
blood clamored for action too, and
soon he was mounted and gone.
The fighting was not at the Ameri-
can town, but down the valley by Old
Fortuna, and as Hooker galloped on
toward the sound Of the firing he no
ticed that it was on the move. Al
ready the cowardly rebels were re-
treating-the volunteers from Fortuna
were hurrying to get closer to them.
the rurales were riding to flank them;
and when Bud jumped his horse up
the last hill and looked down into the
broad. cultivated valley he saw the
dust of their flight.
Down the fenced trail that led to the
lower country the mounted insurrectos
were squirting in a rout; across the
newly plowed field, of Aragon the men
on foot were making a short cut for the
hills; and all about them, like leaping
grasshoppers, sprang up puffs of dust.
Now they plunged into the willow
brush along the river, where it swung
in against the ridge; and as their pur-
suers broke into the open they halted
and returned the fire. The bullets
struck up the dust like hailstones in
front Of the oncoming irregulars, a
man or two in the lead went down,
and they faltered. Then, as frantically
as the rebels, they turned and ran for
cover.
While defenders and invaders shot
back and forth across the broad field,
Bud put spurs to his horse and rode
closer, and when he came out on an
other hilltop he was just in time to see
the rurales come pelting in from the
west and take the revoltosos on the
flank. There was great deal Of long
distance firing then, while the rebels
slowly retreated, and finally, with a
last defiant volley, the defenders
turned back from their pursuit and
marched triumphantly to Old Fortuna
There, amid numerous vivas, Don
Cipriano rolled out a cask of mescal
and, after fiery speech, invited the
victors to help themselves. So they
fell to drinking and carousing, and the
one defender who had been wounded
was bandaged and made much of,
while great crowd from the upper
town looked on in awe and admiration.
At last Manuel del Rey and his
rurales returned from harassing the
en- my and with several wounded pris-
oners in their midst, the valor-drunk
Mexicans formed riotous procession
and went marching back to town.
Every horse and mule was carrying
double, guns were being dropped,
broad hats knocked off. and ever, as
they marched, they shouted:
Viva Madero! Viva MEXICO! Muerte
a los revoltosos"
1t was an edifiying spectacle to an
American, and with the rest Bud
tagged along to the plaza, where they
had speeches and cheers galore and
more mescal at the company's cantina.
But in the midst Of it. while he sat
laughing on his horse by the hotel,
Bud felt gravel strike his broad
hat from above and, looking furtively
up, he beheld Gracia Aragon smiling
down at him from the balcony.
She beckoned him with swift
movement and gazed out over the as
semblage again, and after a few mo-
ments Of deliberation Hooker tied his
horse and wandered into the hotel
A Jingle of excitement went over
him as he tramped up to the ladies'
parlor, for he had never met Gracia
face to face. But he disguised his
qualms by assuming a masklike grim
ness of countenance and, when the
glorious Gracia glided out of her room
to meet him, he only blinked and stood
pat.
A long experience as a poker player
was all that saved him from betrayal,
for there was something in her very
presence which made his heart leap
and bound But he only gazed at her
somberly, without even so much as
raising his hat.
Back In Texas, in his social world,
1t was considered almost unmanly to
thus salute the ladies. So he stood
there, his big sombrero pulled down
over his mop of light hair, gazing at
her without a blink.
Perhaps it was not altogether as
friendly a scrutiny of her charming
features as Gracia expected, for he
remembered what she had done to his
pardner; but If she sensed such a rare
thing as disapproval from a young
man, she was too excited to show it.
Her lips trembled, and she looked back
furtively, meanwhile drawing him into
an alcove by the slightest twitch of
his sleeve.
Don't talk too loud" she whis-
pered. MY mother is listening from
the room-but for the love of God. tell
me, where is Phil?"
81 don't know" answered Bud, try
ing to lower his big voice to boudoir
softnesS; "he joined the rurales and
was ordered north-thats all know. 4"
Eyes, yes. to be sure; but haven't
you heard from him."
She seemed to be all imnatiennn 10