The Raymer enterprise., 1923-08-23
A Romance
By Zane Grey
Copyrigh, by Harper and Brothers

- 'est "N'NASpbNAtS. taihN q
slight rattling Of stones In the rear.
She turned to see Helen sliding down
a bank with perplexed and troubled
cowboy. Ambrose sternly and hero
ically prepared to carry her back to
the others. He laid hold OF her. In
fury, with eyes blazlug. Helen whis-
pered:
LET 90 Of me! Majesty, what does
this fool mean"
Madeline laughed. She knew Helen.
and had marked the whisper, when or.
dinarIly Helen would have spoken I'm
periously. and not low. Madeline ex.
planned to her the exigency Of the sit
uation. Il might run. but I'll never
scream" sa!d Helen. With that Ain.
brose had to be content to let her stay.
However. he found her a place some
what farther back from MadelIne's po-
sition. where he said there was less
danger Of her being seen. Then be
sternly bound her to silence, tarried .
moment to comfort Christine, his vie,
acting as maid to the ladies, and re-
turned to where Madeline lay con-
cealed. He had been there scarcely q
moment when he whispered:
II hear hosses. The guerrillas are
comm"
Madeline's hiding place vas well
protected from possible discovery from
below. She could peep over a kind Of
parapet, through an opening In the
tips Of the pines that reached up 10
the cliff. and obtain commanding view
Of the camp circle and Its immediate
surroundings. She could not. however,
see far either to night or left OF the
camp. owing to the obstructing foliage.
Presently the sound Of horses hoofs
quickened the beat of her pulse and
caused her to turn keener gaze upon
the cowboys below.
Although she had some inklIng OF
the course Stewart and his men were
to pursue. she was not by any means
prepared for the Indifference she saw.
Frank was asleep, or pretended to be.
Three cowboys were lazlly and uncon.
cernedly attending to campfire duties.
such as baking biscuits, watching the
ovens. and washing tins and pots. The
elaborate set Of aluminium plates. cups,
etc. together with the other camp fix.
lures that had done service for Made
lines party. had disappeared. Nick
Steele sat with his hack to a log, smok-
ing his pipe. Another cowboy had just
brought the horses closer into camp,
where they stood waiting to be sad.
died. Nsls appeared to be fusslng over
n pack. Stewart was rolling Gig
arctic. Monty had apparently nothing
to do for the present except whistle,
which he was doing much more loudly
than melodiously. The whole ensem-
Bile gave an impression Of careless In.
difference.
The sound Of horses hoofs grew
louder and slowed Its beat. One Of the
cowboys pointed down the trail. toward
which several Of his comrades turned
their head for moment, then went
on with their occupations.
Presently shaggy. dusty horse
bearing lean, ragged. dark rider rode
into the camp and halted. Another
followed, and another. Horses with
Mexican riders came In single fle and
stopped behind the leader.
"Buenos dlas. senor," tremendously
said the foremost guerrilla.
By stralning her ears Madeline
heard that voice. and she recognized
II as belonging to Don Carlos. Stewart
answered the greeting In Spanish, and,
waving his hand toward the campfire,
added In English. Get down and eat"
The guerrlllas were anything but
slow In complying. They crowded to
the fire, then spread In a little cIrcle
and sIuntted upon the ground. laying
their weapons beside them. The COW.
boys were not cordial In their receI.
tlon of this visit, but they were hos.
pltable The law Of the desert had
always been to give food and drink 10
wnyfaring men, whether lost or hunted
or hunting
They appear to be friendly enough"
whispered Madeline. Ambrose, tell
me-eXplain to me-the real thing"
Sure. Gene thinks they're after
you ludIes-to carry you of. But
Gene oh. Genes some bighfalutln
In his Ideas lately. Most of us boys
think the guerrlllas are out to rob
that's all"
Whatever might have been the Sc
cret motive of Don Carlos and his men,
they did not allow 1t to interfere with
a hearty appreciation Of a generous
amount OF food. Then, as each and
every one began to roll and smoke the
Inevitable cigarette Of the Mexican.
there was a subtle change In manner
They smoked and looked about the
camp. of into the woods, up at the
crags, and back at the leisurely COW.
boys. They had the air Of men waiting
for something.
"Senor," began Don Carlos. address.
Ing Stewart. As he spoke he swept
his sombrero To indicate tho camp
circle.
Madeline could not distinguish his
words, but his gesture plainly indl.
Gated a question In regard to the rest