The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-07-20

With a strangled cry Sonya threw
her arms around him.
"Why? Why?" she pleaded. "Why
will you not stay here and go forward
with me, into life? Don't you love
mep"
Love you? My Cd; It's because
I love you. adore you, worship you.
that I'm taking myself out Of your
life before it is too late. don't want
to see you"
"See me what?"
Nothing. Let's go. Let's go now"
He turned I'm d'Oro sharply and
headed for the down trail. Darkness
following close. Sonya sat rigidly in
her saddle, her throat swelled pain
fully with the dark realization that
her dream of love was done for, that
this man whom she had come to love
so helplessly was riding out Of her
life. She could not speak.
At the mesa's foot they set out
across the levels which were once
more darkening into a starlit night in
dreary silence. And before they had
said another word, before they could
say that last farewell which comforts
the heart bereayed, fate was upon
them.
Out of the shadows of clump of
| juniper four men suddenly rode across
| their way. Four men on good horses,
| clad In dark garments, their wide hats
| pulled low over their dark faces, guns
| frankly showing at their thighs. And
at their head rode that huge figure
Of man which had doomed on the
dance floor that enchanted night and
called Starr Stone as a master calls
his dog.
He sat now and looked at him with
black eyes burning in the gathering
| darkness.
"Hombre," he said again as he had
said before, three times in as many
days have l sent for you, and you did
not come. This is the reason"
He nodded toward Sonya.
"Yes!" cried the girl like shot,
though her voice shook. yes! L
| and better one. l first, and the car
ing for those who died, second. am
| doctor, and there has been great
sickness among my people, the In
| dams. This man has stood with me
shoulder to shoulder in a fine thing.
Together we have saved many lives.
That's why he stayed" There was a
note Of defiance in the trembling voice.
| "Oh, so that ees why, senorita?" the
stranger said, changing from the Span
ish to broken English, "why he dis
obeys hees h'orders? For you, eh, an
for thees dirty Navvys? Well, he goes
now, an don't you forget 1t! An re-
member, Senorita Savarin, that if he
comes to you, ever again, that will
happen to you an yours which will be
a price. A fair price for thees insult
to me, in that you keep my best lieu
tenant from hees work. Adios, senorita.
Do not forget"
He raised his sombrero with gal
liant gesture and whirled his horse
away. And this time Starr Stone,
following, looked long in Sonya's white
face with eyes in which all the trag-
edy Of life lay stark and awful. Then
he was gone, and only the soft sound
of Looping horses in sand came back to
| her.
| Until the dim shapes were lost in
| the night the girl sat still, listening,
] her mouth open, her hands on her
rein cold and nerveless.
That which threatened had struck
at last.
And presently she dropped forward
| with her face in Darkness name and
fell to such weeping as only heart
cleaved to the quick can know.
When she rode into the patio at
home an hour later man came swift
ly from the lighted doorway, his hands
reaching up for hers, his face glow
ing with joy.
"Sonya! Dear hearth" he cried,
and,
"Rod" said Sonya before she crum-
pied and slid limp into his reaching
| arms.
"She's fainted!" he cried. "Lila-
Serge-quick p
He carried her to the door and in,
laying her down on the living room
couch, and Lila was at his side in
flash.
sect me some water" she said.
But Sonya, strong creature that she
was, did not need 1t. Her senses,
Keeling from grief and fear and the
sudden sight Of Rodney Blake. who
was the last man she wanted to see In
her present trouble, righted them
selves swiftly. She moved, opened her
eyes, sat up bit unsteadily.
"Why, what silly thing!" she said
TREMENDOUSLY. "And Rod-how in the
world"
STEADY. DEAR" said Rod. II just
dropped in-by plane and car-from
New -Williams-got a man to
bring me over. Us rather. Have a
friend with me. But don't talk now.
Lie down again."