Evening star., 1924-10-05

a Tar niche OF the hills little
tree of smoke sprouted and grew.
1T comes" marveled Ell Cal
man. 'Of truth it comes"
He could understand how Vas
ouez the shoemaker had known that
the train would pass this very spot
for here ran the iron rails that mark
ed its trail through the hills; but
how had Nasquez known that it
would come in this very hour of the
afternoon? So huge and powerful
thing-why should il stop merely be-
cause they had torn up few OF
those little rails? Would it not see
the rails beyond the gap and rush
on. leaving them foolish and help
less i'll the bushes?
It. csme, this train, 1t grew; it was
bigger. fercer than he had thought.
The train topped the pass. Then
with a wild shrek and a thunderous
banging of its members it stopped!
FL Caiman rose with an eXultant
roar. Nov, little ones, now
He moved forward to carry out the
planned robbery. and he did not sec
how prudently NasqueZ and his fell
lows kept their shelter in the bushes.
He saw. indeed, the windows of one
car bristling with gun barrels; but he
saw, too, the frightened faces of peo-
pic waiting to be robbed.
The next minute he saw something
else. The train was moving again
backward. Nobody had told him that
the thing could move backward.
He huddled himself forward to stop
it. Help me-" he beloved furiouSly.
''It escapes.
Through the mad snorting of the
monster came sound as of the clap
ping OF many hands. Something
Smote him in the arm. in the side of
his brawny neck. and all sound all
struggle. all things ceased.
TT was night, the stars were shin
Il ing, and FL Caiman was very cold.
A light something f1uttered across
his face, a soft weight squirmed on
his broad chest. A faint wailins
could be heard.
"Eh?" said I'll Caiman stupidity.
what does thou here?'
1t was certainly unreasonable that
a baby should be here in these lonely
hills. A very fat, very white baby.
not like the skinny. brown infants
that Ell Caiman knew. The wailing
ceased. All. Now he was dead-he was
dead and this was a cherub come to
guide him to heaven.
He knew, somehow. that the cherub
was beating on his face. but he felt
thread of worry held him to earth,
an endless doleful whimper a hope
less little animal sound.
Itch Tch.' said FL Caiman. thickly.
Angels do not weep Stop it
The whimpering stopped. But it
was followed by small cooling sounds,
somehow commanding him, and the
little cold hands pattered ceaselessly
at his face. No puedo,' groaned Fl
v Cainlan. II cannot
Dimly, through the sick burning in
his throat and chest. he was aware of
shame. Cannot. Was he not FL Cal
man, the strong one? He rose.
Water, He was very sick. He must
have water.
The whimpering burst into an in
dignant howl. You are not an
angel; you are a small devil he
Erowled. His left arm was useless,
dead; with his right he caught up
the nuisance and staggered away to
where he had left his horse.
The horse was gone. After a mo-
ment OF stupid uncertainty he labor
ed on
He found water in a deep barranca,
where tall cliffs shut in the sky. He
sprawled heavily on his stomach and
drank He heard the baby crying:
ne scooped up water in a wide. dirty
paw and held it to that wide-open
mouth.
Drink, devil. There is no more
water this side of the Rio Verde.
At risk of drowning the devil he
perSevered. Groaning, he struggled
up. 1t was very heavy for so small
a devil, very awkward to handle with
one arm. He knew it made itself
heavy to test his strength
Thou thinkest that 1 cannot" he
muttered through set teeth, but
can. What I will l can. 1 am Ell
Caiman. Hast heard of me, devil?
I am the strong one
X x x
LIE came to the swift ford, cursing
IL the chill current that dragged
at his legs, the rock that shifted
treacherously under his feet, the
small devil who knew he had only
one good arm. He bent his will to
the task Of mounting the sheer, twist
ing trail, met the thin, icy air that
seeped down from the high mesa, SO
that, though he was all afire within.
he felt his muscles jerking with the
impact of the cold.
1t was unfair. 1t was an inhuman
test. Laboriously he evolved cum
ming thought; the devil was only