The Elbert County tribune., 1917-08-31
room, bathing. and dressing in her rid

room, bathing, and dressing in her rid
ing clothes.
While she dressed she saw one Of
the cowpunchers pass beneath her win
dow, and called down to him softly,
begging him to saddle a horse for her
and fetch 1t to the entrance to the
patio, without '1etting on"p to any
body.
He promised cheerfully. and went
his way, and had the animal waiting
for her when at length, fully attired,
she descended to the patio and crept
furtively toward the arched passage
that opened on the out-of-doors.
But she was not to get away so cas-
lily. PARIS voice hailed her in amused
expostulatlon before she gained the
passageway.
''Here, nowl What's all this?'
"Oh, dearl" she complained. tits
just my luck"
"Why, what's the matterT'
81 did so want to go riding all by
myself-this onceI And, of course,
you had to be up and about and spoil
everythingI"
''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, 1 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"
|
out of the patio; and Donald filed and
lighted his pipe, smiling tenderly to
himself as he heard the drumming of
her horses hoofs die out In the dis
tance.
Something like quarter Of an hour
later a heavy and confused roll of
hoofs reused him from the idlest and
pleasantest of daydreams. Knocking
out his pipe against the sill of the pa
ito well, he sauntered curiously
through the passageway-and saw
that which startled him out 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 a dead run, desperate haste and
anxious purpose written plainly on the
face of each man.
Refining in and dismounting in the
same breath, the officer commanding
the patrol turned and waved half of
his men away.
"Get onP' he cried. Grouse the boys
in the bunkhouse-get every man on
the place under arms, and send him
here in a hurry'
whats up?" Donald asked quietly.
Devils loose-or I'm in wrong"
the officer told him. "Weve just sight
ed half hundred or more 'Greasers'
headed this way. They crossed the
border by the 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 up 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
black squall out of a blue sky.
In mid-speech the officer broke off
and ducked into the passageway as
the vanguard 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
instant'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 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 weapon and the
household wakened to find itself be-
sieged.
Following the disappearance of Dom
aid there was a brief lull, during
which no shots We're fired by the raid
erS.
Then, as Donald ran out from his
room to the gallery, a rifle in hand, a
frightful detonation rocked the hacien-
da on its foundations and the dyna-
mited gates of the patio were blown
in, hopelessly shattered and splintered.
A cloud of smoke momentarily 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; half dozen Mex
leans fell, but the momentum of their
charge carried two score into the