Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-07-28

expectin' is Mexican, and day befor
yesterday he killed man over in jim
Wells county. They got me by 'phon,
at Hebbronville and told me he'd left
He's headin' for the border, and he,
due here about shutdown, now that Ar
royo Grande's dry. / was amin tt
let you ride his horse"
"Then-yOu're an officer?'
"Yes'm. Ranger. SO you see cam
help you to get home till my mar
comes. Do you live around here?
The speaker looked up inquiringly, an(
after an instants hesitation the WON
an said quietly:
II am Mrs. Austin" She was CRATE
full for the gloom that hid her face. 81
rode out this way to examine a tract
of grazing land"
1t seemed fully minute before the
Ranger answered; then he said, in q
casual tone, II reckon Las Palmas is
quite a ranch, ma'am."
Yes. But we need more pasture"
Il know your La Feria ranch, too. l
was with General Castro when we had
that fight near there"
You were a Maderlstap"
"Yes'm. Machine-gun man. That's q
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 Feria."
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 favorable spot upon
which to spread 1t. Then he helped
Mrs. Austin to her feet-her muscles
had stlffened until she could barely
stand-after which he fetched his sad
die for pillow. He made no apollo
giles 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
making no attempt to hide
his expression of wonderment until, |
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 l tame him."
THANK you. I'm used to the OPEN"
He nodded as If he well knew that
she was; then, shaking out his sllcker,
turned away.
AS he lay staring up through the
horny mesquite branches that rooted
him inadequately from the dew, he
narveled nightly. A bright, steady
BURNING star peeped through the leaves
It him, and as he watched it he remem-
'ered that this red-haired woman with '
he still, white face was known far and
vide through the lower valley as 1.-THE [
zone STAR" Well, he unused, the name /
tied her; she was, If reports were t
rue, quite as mysterious, quite as cold {
nd fixed and unapproachable, as the |
tile implied. knowledge of her iden- =
ty had come as a shock, for Law '
new something of her history, and to /
nd her suing for his protection was t
ute thrilling. Tales of her pale O
eauty were common and not tame, v
ut she was all and more than she Il
nd been described. c
She had not been too proud and cold h
let him help her. In her fatigue
lie had allowed him to lift her and a
make her more comfortable. Hot n
yainst his palms-palms unaccus- n
med to the touch of womans flesh S
he felt the contact Of her naked feet, s
at the moment when he had placed n
lem in the cooling water Her feeble t
sistance had only called attention to G
ar sex-to the slim whiteness of her S
lkles beneath her short riding skirt. n
Following his first amazement at be- c
)lding her had come a fantastic ex- n
anation of her presence-for mo- Il
ent or two it had seemed as If the
ties had taken heed of his yearnings t,
I'd had sent her to him out of the u
isk-wild fancies, like these, bother a
en- who are much alone. g