The Ordway new era., 1917-11-16

that before we effect her rescue.
"And you will send after her"
"As soon as It's dark enough for our
men to move without being seen-the
strongest force we can spare, and the
best mounted. For the present, how
ever, we must keep this quiet; If the
boys get so much as hint of what's
happened, therell be no holding them.
Not soul must know"
The gravel of the patio walk
crunched beneath a firm and alert
tread. Parr looked up.
Except Rodman." he amended, rec
oCnizing the newcomer. Him we must
tell, of course; and If anything does
| leak out before we're ready, he can
control the boys If anybody can"
Throughout this conversation Bud
had neither moved nor made sign to
signify that he understood the subject
of discussion. And when, some ten
minutes later. Donald and Rodman
| tried to rouse him, he stirred to the
touch of their hands only to lift up
face from which every trace of intelli-
gible expression had been erased; its
eyes were blank; its firm lines were
relaxed; its mouth gaped like ere
| tins. The kindly words they spoke to
him had no effect upon a mind un-
hinged by the anguish it had suffered.
| Gently, then. the two men lifted him
! and, one on either side. holding his
arms over their shoulders. led him
away to d bedchamber, undressed him,
bandaged his wounds, and put him to
bed.
Leaving Patria to watch by his bed
side Tor time. Donald and Pillsbury
returned to the library to plan the
rescue.
An hour later Patria in panic found
them there with the news that she had
left Buds side for few moments,
thinking him sound asleep, only to find
the room empty on her return. In an
amazingly short time the man had
wakened. dressed and made his es-
cape.
Their search for him ended half
mile from the house, at the corral
where number of the cow-punchers
had been amusing themselves by try
ing to tame half score of unbroken
bronchos. Bud had found his way
thither and was babbling out frag-
ments of his story to a circle of sym
pathetic but bewildered friends.
If 1t was too late to stop him, Rod
mans influence with his employees
proved to be all that Donald had as
serted it was.
In earliest dark of night, then, a
picked force of forty-elght cow-punch-
ers. led by Rodman himself, rode
quietly by twos and threes. rendez-
voused at an agreed place, crossed the
border in its most Isolated secretion,
and vanished silently into the black
mystery of Mexico.
AIR LANES.
There was little sleep for Patria
that night. Visions of the fate Of
women kidnapped across the border,
memories of tales she had heard since
| her arrival at the ranch. haunted her
| In the cool blue twilight of dawn
she was up and dressing herself in her
! awaiting clothes.
She went down to the patio to find
Donald there, watching for the day,
awaiting the word it must bring them,
with a face drawn and haggard with
| sleeplesSness.
Together they breakfasted poorly,
choking down few mouthfuls of food
and some coffee, then motored out
through the still hush of the newborn
day to the aviation field.
Early though they were. they did not
forestalI the men of Patria's flying
corps. Already two machines were in
the air, aglow with the young sun
light, rising like petals of gold wind
swept through the blue. Six more
were preparing to rise. The remain
ing eight biplanes of the air squadron
were still nested in their hangers.
Her impatience would not let Pa
tria wait for the reports of those wht
were already climbing the skies, in
specting the countryside south Of tn,
border.
Ordering out her own biplane-th,
machine, that Is, in which she ha,
gained all her practice and experience
as an aviatrice-she took the pilot
seat and, refusing to permit Donald o
anyone else to accompany hel
grasped the controls and shot hom
the switch which operated the sell
starter.
Winging up in a long slant, the b
plane gained the thousand-foot leve
then began to move southwark in wide
: curved sweeps.
: There was little air astir-just
5 gentle and steady breeze from th
= west. Aerial navigation offered n
3 problems to distract Patria's attentio
: from the landscape beneath II. He
keen, youthful eyes. sharpened BY .,
licitude, inspected It closely. rnissin
no salient feature. Her gaze trace
1 every highroad and tortuous b,