The Snowflake herald., 1917-10-12
CHAPTER XIX.
The Water-cure.


the inner door.
Jose Sanchez met him with a shout
the shock of their collision overbOre
the lighter man, and the two went
down together, arms and legs inter-
twined. The hOrse-breaker fired his
sion inside those four walls-but he
was pOwerless against his antagonists
strength and ferOcity. 1t required but
q moment for Law to master him, to
wrench the weapon from his grasp, and
then, with the aid of Jose's silk neck
scarf, to bind his wrists tightly.
From the front of the little house
came the crash of a door violently
slammed as Rosa profted by the diver
sion to save herself.
When finally Jose stood, painting and
snarling, his back to the wall, Dave re-
garded him with a sinister contraction
of the lips that was almost a grin.
"Well," he said, drawing a deep
breath, II see you didn't go to the east
pasture this morning"
"What do you want Of me-" Jose
managed to gasp.
There was a somewhat prolonged
silence, during which Dave continued
to stare at his prisoner with that same
disquieting expression. "Why did you
kill Don EduardO?" he asked.
"I? Bahl Who says 1 killed him?"
Jose glared defiance. "Why are you
looking at me? Come! Take me to
Jail, if you think that will do any
good"
''It's lucky rode to Las Palmas this
morning. In another hour you would
have been across the Rio Grande-
with Rosa and all her fine clothes, Ell?
Now you will be hanged. Well, that is
how fortune goes"
The hOrse-breaker tossed his head
and shrugged with brave assumption
of Indifference; he laughed shortly.
"You can prove nothing"
EYES," continued Dave, "and Rosa
will go to prison, too. Now-suppose
1 should let you go? Would you help
me-? In ten minutes you could be safe"
He inclined his head toward the
muddy, silent river outside. "Would
you be willing to help me?"
Jose's brows lifted. "What's this
you are saying?" he inquired, eagerly.
81 would only ask you a few ques-
tions."
"What questions?"
"Where is Sonora Austin?"
Jose's face became blank. ST don't
know"
"Oh yes, you do. She started for La
Feria. But-did she get there? Or did
LongoriO have other plans for herP
You'd better tell me the truth, for
your general can't help you nOw." Dave
did his best to read the Mexican's ex-
preston, but failed. "SenOr Eds death
means nothing to me-" he went on,
"but I must know where his wife is,
and I'm willing to pay, with your lib
erty." In spite of himself his anxiety
was plain.
Jose exclaimed: "HO! l under
stand. He was in your way and you're
glad to be rid of him. Well, we have
no business fighting with each other"
"Will ySu tell me-?"
"Tll tell you nothing, for 1 know
nothing"
Come! / must know"
Jose laughed insolently.
Laws face became black with sud-
den fury. His teeth barred themselves.
He took step forward, crying:
"By heaven You will tell mel"
Selling his prisoner by the throat, he
pinned him to the wall; then with his
free hand he cooked Longorios re-
vOlver and thrust it's muzzle against
JOse's body. '"Tell me!' he repeated.
His cOuntenance was so distorted, his
expression so maniacal, that Jose felt
his hour had come. The latter, being
in all ways Mexican, did not struggle;
instead, he squared his shoulders and,
staring fcarlessly into the face above
him, cried:
"ShOot"
For moment the two men remained
so; then Dave seemed to regain control
of himself and the murder light flick
cred out of his eyes. He flung his pris-
oner aside and cast the revolver into
a corner of the room.
Jose picked himself up, cursing his
captor elOquently. "You gringos don't
know how to die" he said. Death?
Pah! We must die some time. And
supposing l do know something about
the sonora, do you think you can force
me to speak? Torture wouldn't open
my lips"
Law did not trust himself to reply:
and the hOrse-breaker went on with
growing defiance:
Il am innocent of any crime; there
fore l am brave. But yOu-the blood
of innocent men means nothing to you
-Panfilo's murder proves that-so
complete your work. Make an end of
me-"
'Be still p' Dave commanded, thickly.