The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-01-21

He stiffened suddenly and a squirt
OF tears came from her eyes. Louder
grew the shouts, the voices. The air
was alive with long, darting flames.
Loubeque's hive was swarming.
She leaped into the saddle once more
and dug her heels into the horses
sides. Through the night she rode
with the ripple Of the wishing wel in
her ears.
Behind her, Lucille could hear the
pursuit. Not a second could she spare
for thought Of regret.
Times, above the ringing of her
horses hoOfs, she would hear the
shouts of those behind her. Now and
then message of lead would whine
its dreadful tale into her ears, but all
these We're growing fainter, less dis
tinct with every leap of the animal she
! bestrode.
| Hours, it seemed, she rode, with nev-
er the slightest slackening of the mad
| pace to which she originally set her
| mount. He was lathered with foam,
but she had no pity on him. Her brain
was fiercely chaotic, wild with the
bloody memories Of the night.
From now on she had every advan-
tage. She was free and she knew
where the stolen papers and documents
were secreted in the mysterious house
OF 1neXplicable disappearing rooms and
stairs. She had the diary of Hugo
LouDeque In her possession, and she
had the ruby necklace which was
equivalent to vast wealth. She had
the outward seeming Of guilelessness.
was girlish and delightfully."- effeminate.
out she knew the power of the claws
she mad, and her eyes rested fondly on
the revolver which she found in a hol-
ster attached to the Mexican's saddle.
even as she urged her horse to greater
speed
Across the trackless plain she rode
with only the moon and stars looking
down upon her, wild, eerie figure
OF bareheaded girl. Behind the pur
suit had died away and before there
was nothing save a slender ribbon of
water that the moon buried its face in
contentedly
She heard voices, low pitched. vet
carrying far in the silence of the night.
Instantly she drew rein and flung her
W.
Creeping cautiously to a slight rise.
she looked down upon an adobe shack.
before which d little squad of bare
footed Mexicans loafed idly, their
brown hands laZily supporting old
fashioned Springfield rifles, such as she
recalled the soldiers Of Uncle Sam to
have carried in the old days.
From where she watched she sud
denly noticed a stir among the men.
From the Interior of the shack stcp- |
PED gaudily dressed little Mexican. |
evidently an officer from the awkward |
statutes accorded him by the tatterde-
nations gathered before the house |
+ or some reason she could not ana |
lyze' Lucille listened eagerly. her
pfeath coming in quick. eager gasps |
as she overheard their daring plot to
cross the river and stampede the cor
raj OF an American ranchman. A lit
tie cry of delight came from her liDs
as she heard their illusions to the
United States cavalry they must sift
through before hoping for success
def eyes We're glittering with OK
element when she stole cautiously TO
the adobe shack, peering inside slowly
ana carefully before entering. She
knew all their plans. and her blood
Was boiling: but she also knew from
what they had said that they, too.
would be on the lookout for any unset
to the we'll laid plot
From q chest in the corner. which
she hurriedly overhaued. she drew
similar suit to the one the little lead
er had worn. 1t would just about Gt
her, and she must take no chances of
trying to cross the Rio Grande attircd
as she was.
Swiftly she changed. for every mo-
hieht no" was precious to others as
well as to herself. Daughter of Gen
efal Sumpter Love, she was afire with
rage at the way the MeXicans had
spoken Of the border patrol of her
country. the presumption Of the plan
she had heard outlined. The CANDY
costume fitted her beautifully, and the
Ofoad straw sonbrero, with its weight
Oh silver cording and tassels. made If
easy for her feminine features TO no
even as it concealed
her long hair.
$50 WIN ItCtScal with npTSplf |
when again she mounted her horse
me beast had been ready to drop in
MS tracks any moment. and she had
killed two birds with one stone while
changing her costume. Cautiously TO-
ward the glittering ribbon of river she
RODE her eyes always alert for any
sign OF the Mexican foraging party.
The horse hesitated at the ban,, of
the stream. but Lucille boldly urged
him forward
"Hurrah. We're across!' she s,id
% herself, as, dripping and disheyeled
'he stood upon the fright side of tha
Rlo.' Up and down the bank she
ooked for signs of the border patrol
out none was in sight. But in the dis
ance she could make out a tinv snac,,
The chances were it was one of tha
Mexlcans. But something must be
lone if the ranchman was to ha s,pad
rom the plot she had overheard
flercely she urged her mount toward
he speck in the distance until her
leart sank as she recognized the man
or one OF the plotters
Hours it seemed to her she pursued
he Sinking figure until it Joined with
Wo others. Gradually, after a few
~