The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-10-17
CHAPTER xi--contInued.


Dempton's pale lips opened, but no
words came forth. A little SILVER ran
through him.
sswe have learned everything, Demp-
con-" stairway went on In his whis-
perIng voice gwen TO the hiding
place. There Is the door" He point
ID to the panel with the thumb-print
anon II. II think that we can send
You to the penitentlary for long time
kith very little trouble. VIII you talk
BOW, Demptonf"
Dempton hesItated. denial upon his
Aps growing fear In his eyes.
"what do you want TO know" he
asked 10 shaking whisper. 'I-- oh,
my Godi This has gone further al
ready"
II want to know how many men are
wlth Tore IN this thingf"
eThere--therc IL Juarez- and--and
--p
Don't be fool as well as cow
ard. Demptoni" muttered Stairway.
''You are such petty little thief that
nobody is going TO want to prosecute
you II you help US now. There Is
Torre and Juarez and you. Who
eIse7"
Ell don't know" Dempton licked
Ais dry lips and swayed between Vidal
and Mendoz as though he were going
10 fall "Oh was fool"
Granted. But tell what you know
while you have the chance. How
muny2H
seven, / think" chartered Demp-
ton. "seven besides Tore and Juarez.
Five inside. two outside with the
horses.r
a0utside?" queried Stairway.
"Yes. TO ride away. leading extra
horses, so that II would sound like a
number Of riders were racing for the
border. To leave the trail which you
followed SOUTH The other Ave TO do
the work insider
"And De Ia Guerra was never to be
taken from the house2"
"No. II seemed safer this way"
sThere was every hazard In it,"
simply because you happened to
be at the rancho" returned Dempton
with d little flash OF bitterness. HAD
there been only the scnorita, 1t would
have been easy to have worked ON her
hove for her grandfather"
Sand Torref'
"Killed man a month ago In San
Antonio--ls running away from the
gallows. With the money he expected
70 make from this he could buy the
silence OF the one man who can iden-
tify him as the murderer. 1t was his
only chance
"Juarez?"
lis actually a rebel captain. Tore
was to give him his share. Then Tore
was to have commission In the rebe
army. He looked to distinguished IA
vors when the rebels fought their way
into power. Now"
"Now what7'
snow, II he goes into Mexico this
rebels win shoot him as traitor
That was another chance he was TAX
ing, He was to give five thousand dol
mrs to the cause. For that they lei
him have Juarez and the other men
He was to give his life II he lied Il
them, IL he tricked them or--lf h,
failed. He could never get across til,
border without their spies finding
him.
Then Gaucho returned with wor,
that everything was ready. Vidal, a
Stanway's command, bound DemptoI
securely once more, hand and foot, anC
tossed him to the bed as one Nigh
toss a sack Of wheat. The men ha'
kicked or their shoes and boots, ant
stood eager and expectant.
Stairway, his revolver In his RICH
hand. pressed with the left thumb upol
the spot In the panellng where anothe
thumb had pressed,
There was a little click, and the pan
FL slid back into the wall, showing
narrow doorway, narrow passagewa,
beyond. There were candles burning
there, their steady flames casting
clear. yellow light.
Each man keep three feet behln
the man In front Of him." whispers
Stairway. eve must have room
Vidal. Gaucho, come just behind me-"
He stepped through the door int
the two-foot wide hallway which ra
along inside the WALL its trend cas-
ward and downward. There were n
steps. but the slant led quickly unde
the foundations Of the great adoh
building
Stairway passed the first candle 81
into a niche In the rough wood wal
Already he felt that he must be belo
the level of the floor when he came I
the second candle. Here the fan
was less steady. little breath Of a
playing with 1t.
He turned a corner, the hallwa
opened up suddenly into a sma
rough-walled room some eight or t
feet square.
Across the room was heavy barre
door; In the center of the floor was
couch, and ON the couch a man WI