The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-08-04

spOkeless, and its Mexican driver with |
his goad trudging beside the yoked
beasts, was like brightly colored IL
lustratiOn from the Book of Yester-
day.
They, at least, don't change" she
said to ROdman, nodding toward the
cart with its load of straw.
"NO," he agreed with a thoughtful
frown; 'the only thing that resigns the
GreaSer to the march of civilization is
an opportunity TO do murder with a
modern magazine rifle or run guns and
ammunition across the border in a six
cylinder machine.'
"Where is the border-I mean, the
boundary line?" Parr inquired.
I'll show you in a minute" Patria
answered.
And presently, as the car topped
long, slow upgrade, gaining an emf
hence that overlooked much of that
rolling countryside, she pointed out a
bridge that spanned gulley off TO the
right.
|
shat arroyo; beyond the bridge is
Mexico"
"Is there much of that sort of thing
going on hereabOuts?"-Parr turned
to Pillsbury-"gun running, l mean?'
II hardly think so. Things have
been very quiet in this neck of the
woods. It's to the southeast, along the
Rio Grande, that the most of the trou-
BILE has occurred, to date.
Three miles beyond the point where
the road forked, one arm running down
to the bridge at the border, the car
drew up in front of the Claiming ha-
cienda, a century-old structure built
upon rambling lines of Spanish archi-
lecture.
With a cry of delight Patria felt her
self folded in the aged arms of Rod
mans mother-a slight and delicate
little woman who had for many years
been a second mother to Patria, the or
phaned, only when the little girl went
East to complete her education yield
ing place to Mrs. Wrenn in Patria's af-
, fections.
And Mrs. Pillsbury proved not to
have changed in the least!
| Then there was Bess Morgan wait
ing to greet her-a tow-headed little
imp ten years ago, today slender and
I dignified young woman whose serene
poise did not in the least detract from
? her ability to ride harder and faster
, and shoot straighter than any man or
7 woman within two days journey of
5 the Claiming ranch.
: Sister of Bud Morgan, now foreman
+ Of the Claiming cowpunehers-an up
|, standing youngster of five-and-twenty
q l-Bess lived with Der mother and
brother some twenty miles from the
hacienda. She had ridden over to well
; come an old rival for the affections OF
r Rodman Pillsbury.
e Their ancient enmity thawed to the
( warmth of a spontaneous kiss; and the
] relief, imperceptible to any but an.
other woman, with which Bess re.
] ceived the news of Patria's betrothal
to Donald, provided even more com
4 forting reinsurance to Patria in re
spect to the affections of Rodman.
2 ACROSS THE BORDER.
While the hacienda slept in peace
D that primitive oxcart pursued labOri
i ously its patient, creaking way acros:
E the bridged arroyo and the deser
country beyond toward a far-iung line
/ 90 tofn x.-hi N
the horizon in serrated array like th'
frozen profile of stormy sea.
Distancing the oxcart as fast a:
: willing hoofs could run, horsemar
' who, leaving the station aimlessl!
: shortly after the departure of Patriai
party for the hacienda, had spurret
, his steed to its swiftest pace as sOor
as he felt secure from observation, ar
! rived in the early evening at strag
Cling row Of adobe huts which figuret
, as the nearest Mexican village.
Twilight was still bright when h
! dropped from his tagged animal. ant
, sought one of the dwellings which
wore slightly less unkempt appear
, ance than its fellows.
In the doorway of this hut, some
, what contemptuously watching thu
i evolutions of a squad of listless Mexi
can infantry in the village plaza, STOOD
, a gentleman in the field uniform o
i an officer of the japanese army.
: Hearing the thud Of hurried foot
/ steps in the deep dust of the street
; the japanese turned toward the ap
: preaching horse an expectant eye
/ "Well, Gomez?" he said in Spanish.
, "Excellency, l have to report tina
the Claiming girl, with Captain Par
: and a small company of friends ar
rived from the East this afternoon"
, The japanese nodded gently. MANY
thanks" he said in an Indifferent
voice. "You will be duly rewarded fol
: your vigilance. Goodnight"
AS the Mexican disappeared in thu
] gathering darkness. the japanese
r smote his palms together smartly.
In response a wiry little japanese
: of vicious gesture. in the uniform Of
/ an orderly, came out of the hut anC
: paused at attention.
bicycles, and to follow the example Of