The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-07-27
CHAPTER TX
--12--
The Dark Threat Falls.

hOuIey Dldhc ldu urOuSHL d lTlcuu
with him. tall, quiet man by the
name of Marston. Sonya. herself
again to all outward appearances, met
him at breakfast. His face arrested
her. A keen face. but still as arctic
ice, its eyes penetrating everything
they met.
She felt uneasy under them, as II
they could read the secret of her
heart. Rod seemed to know him well.
But she was soon so taken up with
her own problem that she had no time
to study this stranger who sat and
smoked and asked odd questions of
Serge: her problem of what and when
to tell Rod Blake, how to break her
sacred word, to ask him to release
her. Rod, who had said that no man,
no people, no country should ever take
her from him. But Mr.. Marston's
questions were very strange. Were
there any people in the country whom
he, Serge, did not know? Any stran-
gers about? Any airplanes flying off
the regular lane above the new port
at Williams?
NO" said Serge positively, "only
the regular mail planes, and they're
so far off that we only hear their
engines. Why"
"Just wondered" said John Mars
ton.
But Rodney Blake smiled and leaned
forward, tapping his cigarette ash in
his saucer.
81 may as well tell you, folks, that
you're entertaining an angel unawares
or rather, to quote the gentry he's
always after, fallen one. Mr.. Mars
ton is the governments crack man of
the secret service, whose rare talents
are enlisted only as last resort. He
is here on mission of his own.
merely accompanied him as an excuse
to be here"
He smiled and looked at Sonya.
Marston fingered his cigarette, look
ing down gravely.
For months our department in New
York has been puzzled by certain
matter, a serious matter to this coun-
try, which has been bafflingly mysteri-
GUS. By our department I mean the
federal narcotics bureau. A steady
flow of mud or pure raw opium, has
been coming through, which we could
not trace We have reason to believe
it is coming in on the west coast Of
Mexico-at Mazatlan, to be exact
brought inland and across the Border
by fast and private planes, and sent
east by train, from somewhere about
the middle of the line. l am here
about the middle-to see what can
see. l need not tell you that this
knowledge is dangerous for anyone
to possess, and that it must be held
in the utmost confdence-chiefiy be-
cause of that one across the Border
Ell Captain Diablo, as he is known
who is Mexico's king racketeer. Any.
one tampering with Ell Captain tam
pers with death. I should not have
told you this If Rod had not spoken
as he did. Let me impress again the
danger of any mention Of this affair
to anyone"
Sonya Savar1n wet her lips. which
had suddenly gone dry, laid down the
knife in her trembling hand.
She had her answer at lasti
The answer to that night on the
dance hall floor-to the little gray
ship settling so swiftly on the sand at
the canyons mouth-to Starr Stones
remuneration of love and all 1t meant.
The answer to Starr Stone himself.
And that answer was-El Captain
Diablo. Ell Captain Diablo who ter
rorized the north Of Mexico, who raid
ed mines, who levied taxes on the
poor, and who-crucif1ed his double
crossers
To know too much of Ell Captain
Diablo and ever leave his service was
to die-and ones friend also who
might share that knowledge. Ones
friends friends, maybe, his relatives.
With dilated eyes the girl looked
round the table, at Serge. at Lila, at
little Babs. Lila's face was pale, but
Serge was talking eagerly.
by Georgei" he was saying, his fist
on the table, there have been stran-
gers here-and I'd stake my last dol
lar. Sonya. you remember that chap