The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-03

lily. PARIS voice hailed her in amused
expOstulation before she gained thu
passageway.
"Here, now! What's all thls7'
ooh, dear!" she complained. ut.
just my luck!"
"Why, what's the matte-2"
II did so want to go riding all by
myself-this once! And, Of course
you had to be up and about and spoil
everything!"
"Bless your hearth" he said. "I'm
not going to ruin your day the very
first thing. Far be it from me to butt
in where angels fear-where one angel
does not fear to tread" he corrected,
laughing. Besides, I only got UP SO
early in the hope Of being permitted
to smoke at least one pipe in peace.
Cut along with you-and mind you're
not late for breakfast"
With this she turned and scurried
out of the patio; and Donald filled and
lighted his pipe, smiling tenderly to
himself as he heard the drumming Of
her horses hoofs die out in the dis
lance.
Something like quarter of an hour
later heavy and confused roll Of
hoofs reused him from tie idlest and
pleasantest of daydreaEs. Knocking
out his pipe against the sill OF the pa
ito Well, he sauntered curiously
through the passageway-and saw
that which startled him ont Of his
false feeling of security in the twink
ling of an eyelash.
A small squad of the border patrol
was bearing down upon the hacienda
at dead run, desperate haste and
anxious purpose written plainly on the
face of each man.
Refining in and disnounting in the
same breath, the officer commanding
the patrol turned and waved half of
his men away.
Get on!' he cried. "Reuse the boys
in the hunkhonse-get every man on
the place under arms, and send him
here in a hurry!"
whats up?" Donald asked quietly.
"Devil's loose-or I'm FL wrong"
the officer told him. ''We've just sight
ed half a hundred or more 'Greasers'
headed this way. They crossed the
border blythe bridge over The arroyo.
God knows what they mean, but if it
isn't mischief, don't know the signs.
Get your people together and shut
the hOuse-~p tight before"
He could not finish for the sudden
ness of that onslaught which, with no
more warning, swept down upon the
devoted hacienda with the fury Of a
black squall out of blue sky.
In mid-speech the officer broke of
and ducked into the passageway as
che Edhguard Of the raiders appeared
on the crest Of the nearest rise and
incontinently opened fire on the group
at the entrance to the patio.
His men followed him without an
ipstant's hesitation, leaving their
mounts to run free; and then Donald,
obliged to concede the impossibility Of
facing that charge in the hope of
breaking through and satisfying his
frantic solicitude for Patria. was
driven into the patio by a veritable
hail of bullets.
Stout wooden doors, strapped heav-
lily with iron, closed the inside end of
the passage; and these. were hastily
barred by the troopers, while Donald
ran to find himself a weapon and the
wakened to ind itself be-
sieged.
Following the disappearance Of DON
aid there was a brief luli, during
which no shots were fred by the raid
ers.
Then, as Donald ran out from his
room to the gallery, a rifle in hand, a
frightful defamation rocked the hacien-
do on its foundations and the dyna-
mited gates Of the pado were blown
In, hopelessly shattered and splintered.
A cloud Of smoke uomentarfly filed
the passage; as the draught drew It
outward, bullets began to rain inward.
The defenders were driven to cover
behind the well and other coigns Of
shelter, whence they responded with
An intellectual fire; haH q dozen Mex
lcans fell, but the momentum Of their
charge carried two score into the
courtyard uninjured, and firing fast.
Immediately the defense of the ha-
cienda resolved itself into series Of
encounters. Parr, crouch
ing behind the well sill, had two troop
ers shot down at his side before he was
enveloped in rush, borne bodily from
his feet, disarmed and man-kandled.
Fighting as he had never fought be-
fore, he struggled clear for an instant
flung off the raiders who chung to
him like wolves to the tanks Of a stag,
and found his feet again, half his cloth
ing ripped from his body, his hands
empty.
In that abbreviated breathing spell
he saw the patio as a panorama of in
ferno, a pit Of smoke and flame where
In men weltered and writhed like rep
tiles In . furnace. High above him
be caught q glimps Of Bess Morgan,
hoforo hop hndchoynhov dn<,s.