Nogales international., 1934-01-06

Ruth felt that the only dennlte
result of consulting a lawyer would
be to put Snavely in a fury. After
all, lawyer couldn't change any
thing; she had her interest in the
ranch and Snavely his. She sup
posed that Snavely thought himself
to have once been cheated by the law
and that to him it represented civ
;lization in much the same way that
barbed wire did.
Snavely had left for Palo Verde
Immediately after breakfast, in
search of Mexicans. Now Ruth and
Ann were catching their horses
while David watched from the top
of the corral gate.
Before he left. Snavely had or
dered Ann to ride the south pasture
and Ruth had quietly determined to
go along. The south pasture con-
tanned the only water-hlled pond
and consequently all of the cattle,
except those which watered at the
corral troughs on the home ranch.
Ruth wanted to see if the feed in
the south pasture was as nearly
gone as Snavely had said.
The little party had reached the
inclined road which led down into
the gulch when Ruth spurred Bris-
ket to the side of the big roam. She
pointed to the trail which led along
the southern bank of the gulch.
Don't we want to go this way,
Ann"
Ann shook her head. "You-a1l kin
go 'round-I got to 60 through. This
here's the naturalist way to 60"
Ruth hesitated, then followed Ann.
She did not know whether CT not she
was afraid to pass the brown towlde,
which squatted SO nakedly in the bar
ren sand She supposed she would
scream ii she heard-anything.
As they reached the floor Of the gulch
the roots Of her hair began to tingle
Ahead, Ann was sitting very straight
in her saddle, The horses fplodded
slowly through the sand, yet they
seemed TO approach the bowlder with
incredible speed. Ruths hand gripped
her. saddle horn, her shoulders were
hunched as though expecting blow.
All about was the bright, hot silence
of the morning. stiffness somehow
more terrifying than the shadow-6lled
evening when she had first come
through the gulch. Ann was passing
the bowlder; Ruth could see the first
slight relaxing of the great body; then
it suddenly grew tense, and Ann
reined her horse TO dead stop. Ruth
and David also stopped Ann re-
manned tnotionless, her head set rig
idly. Ruth held her breath and lis
tened. She heard nothing. She al
lowed Brisket to take few steps
nearer the roam, then stopped him
She could hear something now, low
whispering cultural voice, so faint that
she could almost imagine she heard
nothing. For perhaps a minute she
listened, before Ann nodded as though
in reply and urged her horse forward.
Ruth heard nothing as she passed the
rock, except perhaps a dry rustling
as of brushed leaves, but of course
there were no leaves, only sand, empty
sand and the banded walls of the gulch
far to the right and left.
When they were out of the gulch
and had turned southwark, Ruth spoke
to Ann. did it-speak in SPANISH"
apache" -
That was all Ruth could bring her
self to ask and the only word Ann had
ever said about the voice. During the
whole of the ride Ann made no COM
ment. Even when they were return
ing, and Ruth remarked that the quick
growing pillows of clouds above the
western mountains might mean rain,
the Indian woman had only nodded.
The mother and son rode around the
gulch, but the giantess went through.
Ruth and David had been in the old
adobe for some time when Ann passed
and entered the ranch house. Al
though it was hardly mid-afternoon
the sun had already set behind the
black mountain range of. clouds. A
cold wind blew, slowly gaining in
strength, driving swirls of dust which
few like frightened shapes before it.
Ann entered the kitchen and made
the fire. She put on kettle of water
and a pot. From time to time as she
mixed dough for the tortillas, she
licked her lips. She had made six
Jumps and had begun to fatten the FIRST
by slapping it in her huge hands when
she threw down the dough with a
frenzied gesture and almost ran into
Snavely's room. She did not pause but
took hold of the nearest corner of the
old carpet and flung it violently back.
On her knees, she peered closely at
the cracks in the floor, testing the