Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-06-06
HEART OF THE SUNSET
By Rex Beach

Copyright BY Harper q Brothers

royo Grande's dry. was amin to
let you ride his horse"
'Then-you're an officer?"
"Yes'm. Ranger. So you see l can't
help you to get home till my man
comes. Do you live around here"
The speaker looked up inquiringly. and
after an instant's hesitation the wom-
an said quietly:
81 am Mrs. Austin" She was CRATE
full for the gloom that hid her face. Il
rode out this way to examine a tract
Of grazing land"
/ 1t seemed fully a minute before the
Ranger answered; then he said, in a
casual tone, 81 reckon Las Palmas Is
quite a ranch, maam."
Eyes. But we need more pasture"
II know your La Feria ranch, too. l
was with General Castro when we had
that fight near there"
"You were a Maderista?"
"Yes'm. Machine-gun man. That's a
fine country over there. Seems like
the Almighty got mixed and put the
Mexicans on the wrong side OF the
Rio Grande. But reckon you haven't
seen much of La Feria since the last
revolution broke out"
mo. We have tried to remain neu-
trail, but" Again she hesitated. "Mr.
Austin has enemies. Fortunately both
sides have spared La Ferin."
Law shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Oh, well, the revolution isn't over
"A ranch in Mexico is my idea Of bad
investment" He rose and, taking his
blanket, sought a favorable spot upon
which to spread 1t. Then he helped
Mrs. Austin to her feet-her muscles
had stiffened until she could barely
stand-after which he fetched his sad
die for a pillow. He made no apollo
gies for his meager hospitality, nor did
his guest expect any.
When he had staked out his horse
for the night he returned to find the
woman rolled snugly in her covering.
as in cocoon. The dying embers flick
cred into flame and lit her hair redly.
She had laid off her felt hat, and one
loOsened braid lay over her hard pill
low. Thinking her asleep, Law stood
motionless. making no attempt to hide
his expression of wonderment until,
Unexpectedly. she spoke.
"What will you do with me when
your Mexican comes?" she said.
"Well, ma'am. I reckon I'll hide you
out in the brush till tame him."
'"rhank you. I'm used to the Open"
He nodded as IL he well knew that
she was; then, shaking out his slicker.
turned away.
AS he. lay staring up through the
thorny mesquite branches that rooted
him inadequately from the dew, he
marveled nightly. A bright, steady
burning star peeped through the leaves
at him. and as he watched it he remem-
bered that this red-haired woman with
the still, white face was known far and
wide through the lower valley as "The
Lone Star" Well, he unused, the name
fitted her; she was, If reports were
true, quite as mysterious, quite as cold
and fixed and unapproachable as the
title implied. Knowledge of her iden-
tity had come as shock, for Law
knew something of her history, and to
find her suing for his protection was
quite thrilling. Tales Of her pale |
beauty were common and not tame,
but she was all and more than she |
had been described
She had not been too proud and cold
to let him help her. In her fatigue |
she had allowed him to lift her and |
to make her more comfortable. Hot |
against his palms-palms unaccus-
toned to the touch Of woman's flesh |
he felt the contact Of her naked feet,
as at the moment when he had placed
them in the cooling water. Her feeble
resistance had only called attention to
her sex-to the slim whiteness of her
ankles beneath her short riding skirt.
Following his first amazement at be-
holding her had come a fantastic ex-
PLANTATION Of her presence-for q mo-
ment or two 1t had seemed as If the
fates had taken heed of his yearnings
and had sent her to him out Of the
dusk-wild fancies, like these, bother
men who are much alone.