Vernon Parish Democrat., 1921-06-09
CHAPTER xvI-continued.

Ricardo promised.
From the cathedral" Webster add
ed. sand take a picture Of it for
his people. He told me about them.
I want them to think he amounted to
something, after all. And when you
get this two-bysfour republic of yours
going again, Rick, you might have
your congress award Don Juan a
thousand dollars orc for capturing Sar-
rOs. Then we can send the money to
his old folks"
'But he didn't capture Sarros,"
Ricardo protested. "The man escaped
when the guards cut their way
through"
she didn't. That was a ruse while
he beat 1t out the gate where you
found me. saw Don Juan knock him
cold with the butt of his rifle after
I'd brought down his horse"
"I1o you think he's there yeti"
"He may be-provided all this didn't
happen the day before yesterday. If
] wanted him, I'd go down and look
Cor him. Rick"
'rn go right away. Jack"
OuO LuluulGf luGuss OSuu a man
around to that little back street where
they have the wounded-it's couple
of blocks away from hereto tell
Mother jerks and the young lady
with her I'll not be back"
They're both outside now. They
must have gone looking for you, be-
cause they found you and Don Juan
first and then told me about it"
'Who told your"
@'Mother Jenks."
"Ohl Well. run aIong and get your
man."
Ricardo departed on the run, tax
lng the sentry at the door with him
and in his haste giving no thought
TO Mother jerks and her companion
waiting for the doctors verdict. In
the palace grounds he gathered two
more men and bade them follow him !;
reading by twenty yards, he emerged
at the gate and paused to look around
him.
Some hundred feet down the street
from the palace gate Sarros' bay
charger lay dead. When Webster's
bullet brought the poor beast down,
his rider had fallen clear of him, only
to fall a victim to the ferocity Of Don
Juan Cafetero. Later, as Sarros lay
stunned and bleeding beside his mount,
the stricken animal In its -death-strug-
gle had half risen, only to fall again,
this time on the extended left leg Of
his late master; consequently when
Sarros recovered consciousness follow
ang the thoughtful attentions of his
assailant, 1t was to discover himself a
hopeless prisoner. TIE heavy carcass
of his horse pinneC his foot and part
of his leg to the ground, rendering
him as helpless and desperate as a
trapped animal.
For several minutes now he had
been striving frantically to release
himself; with his sound right leg
pressed against the animals back
bone he tried to gain sufficient pur-
chase to withdraw his left leg from
the carcass.
AS Ricardo caught sight of Sarros
he instinctively realized that this was
his mortal enemy; mOtioning his men
to stand back, he approached the
struggling man on tiptoe and thought
fully possessed himself of the dicta>
tors PISTOL which lay in back Of him,
>Out not out Of reach. Just as he did
so, Sarros, apparently convinced Of the
futility Of his efforts to free himself,
surrendered to fate and commenced
rather pitifully to weep with rage
and despair.
Ricardo watched him for few sec
onds, for there was just sufficient OF
the blood of his Castilian ancestors
still in his veins to render this sorry
spectacle rather an enjoyable one to
him. Besides, he was 80 per cent
Iberian, a race which can hate quite
as thoroughly as it can love, and
Tor a time Ricardo even nourished the
thought of still further indulging his
thirst for revenge by pretending to
aid SarrOs In his escaped Presently
however, he put the ungenerous
thought from him; seizing the dead
horse by the tail, he dragged the car.
cass off his enemy's leg, and while
Sarros sat up, tailor-fashion, and com
menced to rub the circulation back
Into the bruised member, Ricardo
seated himself on the rump of the
dead horse and appraised his prisoner
critically.
Sarros glanced up, remembered his
manners and very heartily and grace
fully thanked his deliverer.
1T is not matter for which thanks
are due me- Sarros," Ricardo replied
coldly. II am Ricardo Luiz Ruey
and have come back to Sobrante t
pay my fathers debt to you You
win remember having forced the obli
cation upon me in the cemetery some
ffteen years ago."
For perhaps ten horrifed seconds
Sarros stared at Ricardo; then thu
dark blood In him came to his defense
hiB tense pose relaxed; the frigh
and despair left his swarthy cOunte