Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-11-19

horse and brought it to Neal.
"a woman's saddle" said Neal. His
heart was in his throat Look" He
drew from the pommel an object that
had caught there-one of q pair of
womans gloves.
"Annettes,' he cried, something
has happened"
Forward, double quick" command
ed the lieutenant. We'll see."
At the hotel they found Mrs Har-
din and Joe, gazing anxiously off to-
ward the mission. Neal caught his
mother by the arm.
Annette" he cried, I'VE caught her
horse. Where Is she?"
They told the story of her starting
out.
mot moment to lose," exclaimed
Neal, come on boys-hurry all you
can"
Meantime at the mission, Herman
deZ and Inez-with full confidence in
Ponto's ability to delay the advent of
Annette-had once more presented
themselves before Brother Anselmo.
I'VE have been patient. father"
said Hernandez, and we trust that
prayer-and sleep-have given you
wisdom and enlightenment. and salts
fed you of the justice of our claim"
"Ah, you speak truth, son. said
Brother Anselmo. He rose and left
the room, returning Immediately with
the iron box containing the documents
in question. He set it down upon the
table"
There was a hubbub outside In the
courtyard. In the midst of it q dCoI
was thrust open, and the Brute strobe
in, carrying Annette in his arms-An.
nette, still only semiconscicus-stil
suffering from the shock of that writh-
ing figure at the bottom of the jaguar
trap back there in the desert. Some
instinct had led the Brute back to his
master. He laid the figure of Annette
upon the table with the air of one who
has done his duty we'll.
s. Brothers," cried Brother Anselmo,
seeing Annette's plight, "quick-re'
storatives-succor for this young girl
Hernandez took advantage of the
onfusion-though he himself was con.
fused beyond all peradventure. Lis.
ten," he said to Inez, leave her with
the Brute-go at once. I'll do the
rest
7 Unnoticed, Inez and the Brute
obeyed. They left the room, hurried
across the courtyard and disappeared.
Hernandez watched them go. His
GOODNESS returned Swiftly, with one
bound, he was upon Brother Anselmo
and had seized the iron box in his iron
grasp.
In an instant he was across the
room.
But Brother Anselmo had done
something more than pray and sleep
IN his quiet existence. He was an &C.
tive, well trained individual. With a
loud cry he leaped across the inter
vening space, and bounded upon the
shoulders of Hernandez.
Help, help, brothers." he command.
ed.
There was help aplenty. Hernandez
fought like a madman, but the broth
ers clung to him like leeches. Slowly
however, he worked his way toward
the nearest exit-and then with a
mighty wrench, he threw off all his as
sailants including Brother Anselmo
and darted, with a mighty leap out
through the doorway.
He bounded into the arms of Neal
Hardin and his squad.
Neal saw at a glance what had hap
pened. He seized Hernandez wrist
the wrist of the hand and arm that
held the iron box, and twisted it sud.
denly, painfully. Hernandez dropped
the box-but jerked away from Neal,
sprang to window and disappeared.
Behind him he heard the steady
plup-plup of many footsteps the
steady lope of marines that eats up
the long miles in less time than it
takes to tell it.
Damn them," said Hernandez, "Tll
beat them to it yet"
Behind him the footsteps stopped.
There was a report-a ping. Herman
dez had reached the edge of the green
oasis. He screamed with pain. 1t
was as though a red hot iron had
scared him. He had been hit in the
arm.
Damn you," he screamed in pain,
I'll beat you to it, yet"
With almost unseeing eyes he tore
across the small green space-and
then he stumbled, and slid, slid, slid
into what seemed bottomless pit.
He Just escaped a stake-a bloody
one. And he fell-Or rather slumped-
upon something soft and yielding
With another oath he rose to his feet
and peered about him. Then he drew
back in terror.
There lay Ponto-his mate-dead,
distorted.
Y Hernandez screamed in terror-he
was only human. This thing was hor.
rible. A shadow startled him. He
looked upward. The Brute was peering
down-he was doing more-he slowly
slid down into the pit and caught Her
nandez in his grasp Then, somehow.
using his broad shoulders and his
arms and knees he worked his way
back again to terra hrma, and drew
HernandeS-groaning with the pain of
his wound-up after him. Then with
the nimbleness of a deer, the Brute
after singing Hernandez upon his