The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-08-30

IL tnut DNnult Teuily meuHS 10 squire
us, why did he send us away In the
night, like thlsT" she asked. ~ shall
be surprised IL we are not assassinated
before morning."
"IIe must have meant It." Alaire
spoke with n conviction she did not
entirely feel. Father O'Malley aroused
the finer side of his nature"
"Perhaps," agreed the priest. "Some-
where In him there IL q fear Of God"
But Dave was skepticnl. "More like
ly n fear Of the grlngo government"
said he. "Longorio Is n fourlusher.
When he realized he wns licked he
tried to save his face by u grnndstand
plny. He didn't want to let us CO."
'Then what Is to prevent him from
well, from having us followed?"
Alaire inquired.
Nothing" Dave told her.
As they climbed the bank and rode
onward into the night she said: mo
matter what happens. dear. ! shall be
happy. for Mt last one of my dreams
has come true" He reached out and
patted her. you've no idea what n
''Nuiu 4 "uN hiti you hiii isut tile
moment I saw you all my fears van
ished. I was like a lost child who sud
denly sees Its father; In your arms |
felt perfectly safe. for the first time In
all my life. ! think. IL couldn't bear
to 70 on without you, after this"
Dave found nothing to say: they
rode along side by side for II time in
| a. .rrant shnt rnatairnl NO
speech. Then AlaiSe asked:
Dear. have you considered how we
are going to explain our marriagei.'
won't the circumstances explain
III"
perhaps. And yet II seems ages
since / learned-what happened to Ed.
but In reality it's only u few hours.
Won't people talkT"
Dave caught Mt the suggestion. Il
see. Then let's keep 1t secret for the
present."
With a little reckless laugh she m
fessed, "l-I'm afraid I'll find II Diff
cult to be conventional"
my wifi" he cried In sharp agony.
Leaning far out, he encircled her with
his arm; then. half lifting her from
her saddle, ne crushed his lips to hers.
1t vas his first display Of emotion since
Father O'Malley had united them.
There were few villages along the
road they followed, and because Of the
lateness of the hour al were dark,
hence the party passed through with
out exciting attention except from an
occasional wakeful dog. But as morn
Ing came and the east began to glow
Dave told the priest:
"Wc've got to hide out during the
day or We'll get into trouble. Besides,
these women must be getting hungry"
81 fear there Is something feminine
about me-" confessed the little man.
"Tm furnished, too"
At the next rancho they came to they
applied for shelter, but We're denied ;
In fact. the owner cursed them so
roundly for being Americans that they
were glad to ride onward. A mile or
two farther along they met n cart the
driver OF which refused to answer
their greetings. AS they passed out OF
his sight they saw that ne had halted
his lean oxen and was staring after
then curiously. Later, when the sun
was well up and the world had fully
awakened, they deserted n mounted
man, evidently II cowboy, riding
through the chapnrral. He saw them,
too, and came toward the road, but
after n brief scrutiny he whirled his
. horse and galloped of through the cac-
:, tus, shouting something over his shout
: der.
! .'This won't do" O'Malley declared,
uneasily. ~ don't like the actions OF
= these people. Let me appeal TO the
q next person we meet. ! can't believe
8 they all hate u.s."
. Soon they came to n rise In the road
a and from the crest Of this elevation be
g held ahead OF them n small village OF
white houses shining from The shelter
of n grove. The %rancheria was perhaps
g two miles away, and gnlloplng toward
o 1t was the vaquero who had challenged
d them.
v THAT'S the Rio Negro crossing
O Dave announced. Then spying a little
house squatting a short distance bach
from the, road, he said: "We'd better
try yonder. If they turn us down vel
have to take to the brush"
O'Malley agreed. "Yes, and we hay'
no time to lose. That horseman IL go
ing to rouse the town. I'm afrait
we're-in for It,"
Dave nodded silently.
Il Leaving the beaten path, the refu
O gees threaded their way through cac
d tus and sage to n gate. entering whicl
they approached the straw-thatche'
n jacal they had seen. A naked boy bah!
watched them draw near. then scuttle'
for shelter, piping an alarm. A maj
d appeared from somewhere, mt sight o
whom the priest rode forward with
T pleasant greeting. But the fellow wa
~unfriendly. His wife, too, emerged iron
n the dwelling and Joined her husband Il
warning Father o'Malley away.
H