San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-26

been. l am deciding now-today-to
build Well like our departed friends
of the old huts here. /. too, have a
leap to make. Help me to make it,
Miss Harmon"
The smile that curled his lips was
tender, but the look in his blue eyes
was growing hard, like a martial
flame struggling up to light march
ing army.
Too long 1 have dallied in this
country" he went on, Il have
wronged you, and Father Hillaire and
-myself-in staying hereabouts."
Val wet her lips and listened grave
ly.
Velantrie laid aside his heavy hat
and wiped his face with a hand that
was not quite steady. The lines of
his features seemed to sink deeper
in. as if he stood to his task with an
effort.
Il am a man forsworn to blood"
he said presently, "a man whom all
the Border knows. / am a thief and
a bandit / have raided and pillaged
for four years now, and my hand has
been against the wealthy. ] have a
band of men who swear by me, hard
characters all, and they follow me for
the shares | give them of my ill-gotten
gains. / hate them all to man, al.
most, but / must have them"
He paused and looked hard in the
girls eyes. They were steady as har,
Dor lights. though the biood was slow
ly draining from her cheeks.
rs that enough" he asked bru-
tally.
No said Val Harmon, piteously,
her fingers gripping the brim of her
hat. 1T is not enough"
Then by Heaven" cried Velan.
trie ,leaping to his feet, III tell you
the rest :"
Val rose too and faced him with
her pale lips fallen helplessly apart.
Il am on a man-hunt. forsworn to
kill on sight-and have been for four
black years-the man who killed my
father"
They stared hard at each other,
these two young creatures there in
the shade of the ancient council
house on top of the world, and they
locked with tragic eyes on the naked
depths of each others souls.
is it enough?" said Velantrie
hoarsely. will you let me go now?'
But Val shook her head and put
strong hand on his shoulder.
No" she said again. never under
Gods heaven-if you want to stay.
Do you?"
The man frowned and did not an.
swer.
She leaned near, sweetly, danger
ously near, and her dark, eyes were
the most wonderful things he had ever
behcld in all his life-sane. suffering.
honest 80 the depths. With a groan
he turned from her. covered. his face
with his hands and laid it against the
wall.
In the tense silence that. followed,
tragic, pregnant. the heat seemed TO
glimmer family from the hard earth
of the mesa and all the world about
to listen. The shoulder under the
girls gripping hand trembled as with
Il chill.
A sigh that was near a sob heavel
the mans shoulders and he straight
ened from the wall. wiping his ashen
face with a downward sweep of his
hands. When he looked at Val again
he had aged tremendously. But the
shaking of his features was DONE He
was steady as rock. Then the girl
spoke.
You have an oath to keep. A bad
word broken is better than one kept.
Will you not break this one-because
l ask you to?'
DON'T cried the man, don't ask
me that. The man was my father.
and / loved him as few sons love
their parents. Do you love John
Hannon?"
Eyes" she answered.
Gould you see him killed before
your eyes-and let the murderer go
2"
Walls hand slipped from his shoulder
and she turned frowning eyes out over
the distant plain. Far in the pale ex
panse a rider on pinto horse came
idly by the mesa.
She studied it absently while she.
turned this over in her mind. John
Hannon-big. iron-gray. handsome. If
a man should kill him-aye, she'd
be like this man before her, savage,
hard as adamant, bent on revenge.
Yes. assuredly-there was no other
way. Why. she had said she'd kill
the man who stole the Redstar. for
so slight wrong as that. Ones
father, now
Il see," she said at last slowly, 81
understand
And when I've done the thing,