Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-07-04
COPYRIGHT pouslEp DAY. poaAN Eco Inc.

talk behind me. do they? They men,
ton that which Is never to be men,
tlonedl ! shall deal with you-and
you, senora-later. Now bring me
Ounce"
AT that Sonya felt the world 60
round for n terrible second. She
clutched the chair back tightly.
And from somewhere at the right
there came the sound Of marching
feet, the swift step Of men obeying
a master. Through the dappled
shade cast by the poplar trees five
figures moved into her line of vision.
four who walked abreast In twos
and In their midst a ffth-Starr
Stone as she had seer him last. in
cowboy boots and dungarees belted
at his lean hips. a faded denim
shirt.
He was haggard and his eyes were
large In his tanned face, and his
arms were bound behind him. He
was a prisoner with all a prisoners
indignities heaped upon him, but
bis tall form was erect, his blue
eyes dark with the spreading pupils.
he strobe toward the table with his
gaze on Diablo's face and saw no
other In the silent mass.
"Senor." he said.
"Senor," said I'll Captain, and the
smile was gone from his face. II
was black with fury.
For five years, Ounce, you have
been with me-my best and ablest
man. You have done my bidding
quickly. You have led my raids. You
have put Observation-Disclosures
through Its secret ways. I have
called and you have come, always.
Always until lately. Lately you have
come on laggard feet. You have
held back at my orders. You have
d~isobeyed me. And | have now the
reason That reason Is a woman.
A woman whom you have set be-
fore I'll Captain Diablo. Whose word
has been more to you than my
word. Who. through your instruction
doubtless. has come upon the key
OF my activities. Who has caught
Quatro with the goods In his own
store. Who holds Diablo and all
his future In the hollow of her hand.
Or would 10 hold him had 1t not
been for Quatro's swift action In
the matter. Senor-behold the
woman"
He had half risen again, leaning
with one broad hand on the table.
With the other he pointed dramat.
ically to Sonya. And like a fash
Starr Stone whirled and saw her.
1t was the first inkling he had had
that she was not SAFE In her own
country, and her own pursuits, and
the shock of 1t drained his face to
a CHASTITY pallor.
"Sonyal" his lips formed sound
lessly.
"Yes," said the girl dehantly.
they took me from my horse two
nights ago--kidnaped me-by air.
plane-and brought me here because
| stumbled on the fact that Parks
Is their agent In the smuggling of
narcotics across the line. They think
you told me-that you and l have
planned to double-cross this wicked
bandit here-this beast who says
I'm lyingl"
She waved d hand at El Captain,
nodded her black head toward him.
"Ahl A beast, am /? Ell Captain
Diablo a beast?"
"Yes, senor-and worse" said
Sonya Savarin. "You may kill me-
as / do not doubt you will-but I am
an American, and l do not bend to
you either In body or soul We are
both Americans"
"Oh, Americansl And Americans
do not do~uble-cross?"
mo, senor."
swell. we shall see. Q~uInce-at-
tention- What do you say for your
self?"
The tall man standing In the mot
tied shade looked long In his mas
ter's face. What years Of wrongdo-
Ing. of obedience, Of fear, were In
that look only they two might say.
For a long time 1t held between the
wild blue eyes, the deadly black
ones.
Then Starr Stone turned to Sonya.
"A misstep In my early youth-it
doesn't matter now what II was
put me In the power OF El Captain
Diablo. For my freedoms sake I
cast In my lot with him. For my
life's sake I could never leave him
afterward- l have raided, burned,
and pillaged. but I have never
killed a man nor harmed a woman
or q child. | have been his brains
In smuggling. his ablest lieutenant
as he says. But now I'm through.
with death as my sure reward
for what I'm saying. | say here and
now. before these witnesses. that |
am done forever. Done With all
wrong and all evil That the leopard
changes bis spots al last For the
love of you In my soul am made