Nogales international., 1934-03-24
NOW CO ON WITH THE STORY

Ruth entered the gully which ran
eastward a few yards south OF the
house, and followed it. At last she
stopped beneath an ash tree which had
a low branch. With the pairing knife
she cut the potato in half and made
numerous little cuts in the white sur
face. Into this surface she rubbed a
pinch of powder from the liver fever
box. She placed the piece OF potato
on the branch Of the tree and, walking
short distance away, seated herself
in the shade to wait, her eyes on the
potato.
She waited more than an hour and
was about to give up when little gray
bird flew down from the top of the
ash tree and alighted on the branch.
After a moment the bird hoped to the
potato. looked it over, and took a
speculative peck.
Ruth watched so intently that her
eyes burned. The little bird had taken
several bites when it ceased and moved
away from the potato. 1t stood upon
small twig and jerked its head as
though trying to shake something from
its mouth or throat. Then the little
wings drooped, the bird toppled, hung
by a single claw for moment, and
dropped to the ground.
Ruth buried the bird and the piece
OF potato, then walked slowly back to
the house. Her face was pale and her
knees felt uncertain. In her room
again, she unlocked her trunk, and
after screwing up her courage. tasted
the powder labeled Cyanide.
1t was common salt.
The girl shuddered. How could any
one deliberately poison cattle: But she
knew that to Snavely cattle were only
a crop. He would not have killed a
horse; but if by causing the cattle
crop to fail he could gain possession
OF the ranch, that was another matter.
Snavely had not foreseen that she
would lock both boxes in her trunk
and SO had no opportunity to rechange
the contents. Later, Ann had poi
soned" the barbecue meat with dirty
salt, and to-day the girl had killed
a bird with the ''fever medicine" Ruth
grew weak with fear; ii the man
would do such things in an effort TO
rid himself, of her, what might he not
do? :. That night when the drunken
giantess had been goaded to kill her by
the voice Ruth was certain that in
some way Snavely controlled that
voice.
She now feared him as never be-
fore; yet, she must not let him sus-
pect it. If she could only hold out this
week, Until Old Charley and VIII
came.
The next afternoon Ruth and David
rode through the arroyo north OF the
barn. When they met the old road
the girl turned toward the gulch, dis
mounted at the fence and tied the
horses.
She went first to the brown bowlder
and seated-herself. Ruth waited halt
an hour, while David played about
but SIZE heard no voice. Then, system
atically, she began to explore. She
looked into every depression, behind
every bowlder, and among the scant
piles OF driftwood and leaves in the
bed Of the gulch.
She returned to the rock and seated
herself wearily-it was hard walk
ing through the sand David sprawled
on his stomach before the rock, tick
ling the sand on the edge OF doodle
bug cone.
MAMA, what are we doingi''
"Just thinking"
Presently David asked, "Do you
hear that funny little bird?"
"Oh, Davidl" For the first time
Ruth turned her whole mind on her
son. Just then she heard the twitter OF
a bird. She had heard it off and on
for some time, but only as one hears
a sound while thinking hard upon
something else. The twitter came
again and Ruth started, then rose
quickly to her feet. There was some
thing strange about the sound of that
bird-it was too close. as though the
bird was sitting not ten feet away
perhaps even nearer. But there was
not a bird in sight. "Davidp Ruth
was suddenly excited. Get u0 on top