Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-01-12

her toward the door. "Oh, Dick
Blanco Sol is-glorious !"
Gale turned to greet his friend. In
deed, it was but a haggard ghost Of
the cavalryman. Thorne looked i'll
or wounded. Gales greeting was also
a question full of fear.
Thorne's answer was a faint smile.
He seemed ready to drop from the
saddle. Gale helped Ladd hold Thorne
upon the horse until they reached the
house. Bedding came out again. His
welcome was checked as he saw the
condition of the cavalryman. Thorne
reeled into Dicks arms. But he was
able to stand and walk.
I'm not - hurt. Only weak -
starved" he said. us Mercedes
Take me to her"
She'll be we'll the minute she sees
him." averred Bedding, as he and Gale
led the cavalryman to Mercedes
room. There they left him and Gale,
at least. felt his ears ringing with the
girls broken cry of joy.
When Bedding and Gale hurried
forth again the rangers were tending
the tired horses. Upon returning to
the house Jim Lash calmly lit his
pipe, and Ladd declared that, hungry
as he was, he had to tell his story.
ashore, Beldin'," began Ladd, "that
was funny about Diablo catchin'
Blanco Sol. Funny amt the word. I
nearly laughed myself to death. Well,
I rode in Sol's tracks all the way to
Casita. Never seen a rebel or a
raider till 1 got to town. 1 went
straight to the camp of the cavalry
men. an found them just GOBLIN off
an tlressin' down their bosses after
what looked to me like n big ride.
Some soldier took me to an officers
tent. Nell was there, some white an
oil in. She just said. Laddyl
Thorne was there, too, an he was
bein' worked over by the camp doc
tor. l didn't ask no questions, be
cause l seen quiet was needed round
that tent. After satisfying myself
that Nell was all right, an Thorne
In no danger, l went out.
"Shore there was so darn many fell
lers who wanted to an tried to tell
me what'd come off, 1 thought I'd
never find out. But I got the story
piece by piece. An here's what hap
pened:
Nell rode Blanco Sol a-tearin' into
camp, an had a crowd round her in
a jiffy. She told who she was, where
she'd come from, an what she wanted.
Well, it seemed a day or so before
Nell got there the c%avalrymen had
heard word of Thorne. You see,
Thorne had left camp on leave of alb
sence some time before. In a few more
days it turned out pretty sure that for
some reason Rojas was holdin' Thorne.
"Now, it happened when this news
came Colonel Weede was in Nogales
with his staff, an the officer left in
charge didn't know how to proceed.
ROjas' camp was across the line In
Mexico, an ridin' over there was seri-
GUS business. 1t meant a whole lot
more than just scatterin' one Greaser
camp. Thorne'S Teller soldiers was
anxious to get him out of a bad fix,
but they had to wait for orders.
"When Nell found out Thorne was
bein' starved an beat in a dobe shack
no more'n two mile across the line,
she shore stirred up that cavalry
camp. Shore! She told them soldiers
Rojas was holdin' Thorne-torturin'
him to make him tell where Mercedes
was. An she begged the cavalrymen
to rescue Thorne.
"From the way it was told to me
I reckon them cavalrymen went up
In the air. Fine fiery lot of young
bloods, 1 thought, achin' for a scrap.
But the officer in charge, bein' in a
ticklish place, still held out for higher
orders.
"Then Nell broke loose. You-all
know Nell's tongue is sometimes like
a choya thorn. I'd have give some
thin to see her work up that soldier
outfit. Can't you fellers see her on
Blanco Sol with her eyes turnin'
blackT"
Ladd mopped his sweaty face with
his dusty scarf. He was beaming. He
was growing excited, hurried in his
narrative.
Fright out her Nell swore she'd
go after Thorne. If them cavalrymen
couldn't ride with a western girl to
save a brother American-let them
hang back! One Teller, under orders,
tried to stop Blanco Sol. An that
Teller invited himself to the hospital.
Then the cavalrymen went flynn for
their bosses. 1t didn't take long for
every man in that camp to get wind
of what was comm off. Shore they
musta been wild. They strung out
after Nell in a %thunderin' troop.
"Rojas and his men vamoosed with
out a shot. That amt surprisin'
There wasn't a shot fred by anybody.
The cavalrymen soon found Thorne
an hurried with him back on Uncle