American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-08-31

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tree and boulder on the way-even
that slow-plodding ox-cart with it's
heavy wooden wheels, primitively
spokeless, and its Mexican driver with
his goad trudging beside the yoked
beasts, was like a brightly colored IL
Illustration 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.
mo" 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.
"rll show you in a minute" Patria
answered.
And presently, as the car topped a
long, slow upgrade, gaining an emil
hence that overlooked much of that
rolling countryside, she pointed out a
bridge that spanned a gulley off to the
right.
"That's the boundary line" she said;
that arroyo; beyond the bridge is
Mexico"
"Is there much of that sort of thing
going on hereabouts ?"-Parr turned
to Pillsbury-"gun running, 1 mean?"
81 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 a slender anC
E dignifed young woman whose serene
I pOise did not in the least detract from
? her ability to ride harder and fastel
and shoot s~traighter than any nan OF
woman within two days journey O
: the Claiming ranch.
Sister of Bud Morgan, now foreman
: of the Claiming cowpunchers-an up
standing youngster of hve-and-twent,
a -Bess lived with her mother ant
brother some twenty miles from tn
hacienda. She had ridden over TO weI
J. come an old rival for the affections o
r Rodman Pillsbury.
e Their ancient enmity thawed to tn
# warmth of a spontaneous kiss and TN
d relief, im~perceptible to any but al
other woman, with which Bess r.
d ceived the Jews of Patria's betroth'
to Donald, provided even more con
a forting reinsurance to Patria in r
spect to the affections of Rodman.
le ACROSS THE BORDER.
RI While the hacienda slept in peac
10 that primitive Oxcart pursued labor
i'd ously its patient, creaking way aero.
re the bridged arroyo and the desc
W country beyond toward a far-fung lin
of mountains which doomed again
". the horizon in serrated array like Il
ch frozen profile of a stormy sea.
it. Distancing the Oxcart as fast
dy willing hoofs could run a horsemi
wv who. leaving the station aimless
sr- shortly after the departure of Patrii
of marty for the hacienda, had spur
We his steed to its swiftest pace as so
as he felt secure from observation
rived in the early evening at a strf
Cling row of adobe huts which hgur
he as the nearest Mexican village.
mt Twilight was still bright when
an dropped from his tagged animal a
ad, sought one of the dwellings viii
M wore a slightly less unkempt appe
ire ance than its fellows.
In the doorway of this hut sol
no what contemptuOusly watching
ich ~evolutions of a squad of listless Me
can infantry in the village plaza, st'
ore a gentleman in the field uniform
ten n n officer Of the japanese army.
eel Hearing the thud of hurried fC
ion steps in the deep dust of the str'
nts the japanese turned toward the
6t- preaching horse an expectant eye
Mt "Well. Gomez?" he said in SPANS
the "Excellency, I have to report
ked the Claiming girl, with Captain I
tive and a small company Of friends
OFT. rived from the East this afternoon
vas, The japanese nodded gently. M
of thanks" he said in an indifrer
voice. "You will be duly rewarded
pal your vigilance. Goodnight