Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-20
CHAPTER NNIx-Continu,d


Garcia. who had been standing In his
stirrups scanning the long nat road ahead,
spoke sharply "CarRmba Here come
those very soldiers now See"
Far away but evidently approaching AZ
smart gaU was q body ot mounted men
After one look at them Dave cried;
Into the brush quick y" lie hurried his
companions ahead VI him and when they
had gone perhaps a hundred yards from the
road he took Iuau's Winchester. saying
Ride ~ little way further and wait
I'm going back " you hear me shoot
break Tor the river Ride hard aud Keep
under cover a. much rs possible" Before
they could demonstrate he had wheeled
Montrosa and was gone
This was luck he told himself Ten
miles more and they would have been safe.
FOR the Rio Graude is not u dtiiCult river
either to ford or to swim lie dismounted
and made his way on foot 20 y point where
he could command view but he had
barely established himself when he found
AlRire at his side
Go back" he told her Hut she would
not. snd 80 they waited together
There were perhaps dozen men IN the
approaching squad. and Dave saw that
they were heavily accoutered They rode
fast too, and at their head gsllOped a
large man under wide e-brlmmed felt hat
II soon became evident that tho soldiers
were not uniformed Therefore, Dave reR-
soned, they were not Foderals. but more
probably some rebel scouting band from
the south and yet. lie rubbed his eyes
and stared again
Dave pressed forward eagerly, lncredu-
lously the next instant he had broken cover
with shout Alaire was at his side clap
ping her hands and laughing with excite
meut
The cavalcade halted; the big man
tumbled from his saddle and came strad-
ding through the high grass. waVtnE his
hat and yelling.
Blaze You old scoundrel," Dave cried.
and seized one OF the ranchmans palms
while Alaire shook the other
Say! Were right glad to see yuu.all'
Jones eNcla We reckuned you might
he havIn II sort ot uupleesantness with
Longoro. So We organized up and came to
get you"
In the midst Of the tumut Benlto Inquired
for his wife. and Dave relieved his anxiety
by calling Dolores and Father uMalleN.
Then IN answer to the questions showered
upon him. he swiftly sketched the story OF
Alaires rescue aud their hight from La
Feria.
When he had finished Blaze Jones drew
deep breath. We're mighty glad you got
Out safe, but you've kicked the legs from
under one of my pet ambitions. sure had
planned to nail l.ongOriO's hide ON my barn
door. Yes and you've taken the bread out
Of the mouths Of the space writer's and sob
sisters from here TO HudsOn's BAY. Miz
in the country. aud. believe me, IT'S tho
worst atrocIty of the war"
war 90 Father O'Malley had Joined the
group now, and he asked, "liHs war been
declared
Not yet but we've got hopes" TO
Alaira Blaze explained: "Ellswurth's In
Washington wavin' the stars and stripes
and singtn battle hymns but reckon the
government figures that the original Of
those newspaper pictures would be safe
anywhere Well. we've got our own IDEAS
In JOnesvile 40 some Of us assembled our
selves and declared war on our own hook.
These gentlemen" Blaze waved his hand
proudly at his neighbors constitute the
Jonesvils Guards the finest body OF Amer
lean men that has invaded Mexican soil
Eiuce me and Dave went after Ricardo
Guzmans remains blamed n Amt sorry
YOU sIdetracksd our expedition"
II was evident, from the words Of the
others. that the Jonesvlle Guards were in
deed quite az needless OF International COM
plcatiU as was their commander one
and all were highly lnCensed at LongOrtO's
perhdy. and, had Alaire suggested such II
thing. 1t was patent that they would have
ridden on to La Feria aud exacted 4 rrcN-
oning from him.
such proof of friendship affected her
deeply. and II Was not until they were all
under way back toward Romero that she
felt she had made her appreciation fully
known Wheh bhe feHecteu thAt lhese men
were some OF the very neghbors whom she
had stunned and slghted, and whose hon
est interest she had so habitually misCon-
strued all these years, Il seemed very
strange that they should feel the least cOn-
cern over her. II gave her new appre-
citation Of their chivslry and their worth
It filled her with humble desire to know
them better and to strengthen herself In
their regard. Then, too, the esteem In
which they held Dave-her husband-grat-
fled her intensely II made no more diff |
ference to them than to her that he was a
poor man a man without authority or posi-
ton: they evidently saw and loved in him
the qualities which she saw and loved. And
that was as IL should be.
They were gentle and considerate men,
too, as she discovered when they told her,
bit by bit, what had happened during her |
absence, She learned much to her relief |
that Ed's funeral had been held. and that |
all tho distressing details OF tho inquiry had |
been attended 10. Jose Sanchez, It Rp-