Emmons County record., 1919-04-24
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% inauspic ciods day for Mn. HardinS
WHIT Things had gone wronE. HsvexI
ations were piling up.! 4 TIT with Haf.
din, nthnt uOrnms,sra telagram from
Aarshall; he was feeling sore. a, Dss-
Derateiy they, needed labor. Wooster
had just reported, yenomously, It sp.
peared to Rickard'S spleen. increasing
drunkenness among the 1ndiahs. 9l5di
e Gerty's fnihes swept h. Her dress,
the blue esmull with the lace medalllons,
accented eths hue tof her eyes, and
looked odeliciouslyi cool that slaring
desert day. Her parasol,, of pongee,
was lined with, the same baby hue.
Her dainty fairness and childish af.
liability should have made an oasis In
that strenuous day. but Rickafdss d.,
integrationno OF temper was too CON.
plete. He rose ,stinly to meet hers and
his manner demanded her errand.. jt;ts
j She told 1t to- him, plaintively. Her
eyes were appealing, infantile., Would
1t be too much to nsk, would Mr..
Richard mind in the least. he must be
perfectly --frank and Stsil her they
would Be IN the way at all. but while
this hot spell lasted, could they. the
three of them. eat In the mess tent
with the men?
Surely" Rickard met 1t heartily.
She would find 1t rough, hut iE she
could stnnd 1t, yes. he thought Il 4
good idea.
And then there was nothing ifor her
to do but go. Her retreat was grace
ful. without haste. dignifled. She
smiled farewell at AacLean;f who
was watching the approach OF Innes
Hardin and Estrada. Rickard did not
see the aborted entrance of HarSlin's
sister and the young Mexican, He
was itching to be at his work.
He let out ID growl when Mrs Har-
din was out Of .earshot. m ,I,fst
"Shucks! What In Halifax do won.
en- come to "a place like this fort
There's HardinI;brings, in two, women
to cook for him. and now. please may
they all eat with the men7"
His secretary subdued a chuckle.
He was visualizing. adprocesaaonc Of
boxes Of choice Hayanas-from Bode-
eeldt, Hamlin and the rest or the
gang. he need not buy "a smoke sfor
p year.
Rickard threw himself back ia fiis
chair. 'Take2this letter, NacL Lean.. To
Marshall" Then his worry diverted
him. "Who in thunder is selling liquor
TO my 'IndiansT'Yl yTeitad sill ur
"Hold on; that letter can wait. You
get the horses up. AfacLean. and wen
ride down to- Maldonndos. s It's his
place to stop this liquor business. not
mine" GBAi iit9l< 5ffHJ o. is
A few hours later they were ,ap.
preaching the adobe walls Of Maldo.
nado. They found the gate locked. A
woman, whose beauty had faded into
q tragic whisper, q ghastly twilight Of
suggestion. came 10 their knock, and
unbarred the gate for the white
strangers. Mystery hung over the In.
closure like pail.
L Richard told his errand. Maldonado
sputtered and swore. By the mother
OF Mary the Virgin, that thing would
be stopped. he showed to the senors,
with pride. his badge. He was ru:
raie; he was there to- uphold the claw.
He had caught some of those drunken
Indians on the road. He had, brought
them here. We = &A ~ -.
Maldonado showed three men in q
locked shed. deep in drunken stupor
He thought the liquor was. 6btained
somewhere back In the sandhills. He
would find the place. But the senol
must be patient; his hands were 81
full. 1m s4s 10 ,ssiIio
Both men were glad to get away
from the place and MaldonadO. OBJ.
viously he was d brute: undoubtedly
he was liar.
II