The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-12-06
CHAPTER xvI-Continusd

OnAE1EN a A-O0AAtANAVA
il
They had ridden miles and miles
before Carmen slackened pace and
looked over with a laugh at her COM
panion. "Oh, / haven't had SO glori-
GUS q run since--I can't remember
when. Not, anyway, since you left
Guadalupe. My poor pony-I must
breathe him. They walked the
horses. A dell opened on one side
of the trail they were following.
Bowie pointed. That's a lush
stand of grass over there. Shall we
let the ponies nibble bit?"
"They deserve it, don't you
Think"
81 think whatever you think. Sc
norita."
''What nonsense!" Carmen drew
herself up in her saddle. II be-
lieve I'm tired. Where's poor Pc
dro? Oh, he's coming, isn't he?
We did ride fast. There seemed to
be something inside me just urging
me to speed on. Funny, isn't 1t,
how impulses act?"
''If you are tired let's get down a
moment. think your cinches are
giving a little, anyway" he added
hypocritically. ''Who hooked you
up?"
Felix, think it was"
When he asked his inconsequent
question : for words were spoken
now only to conceal thoughts-he
was on his feet, waiting to take her
down from the saddle. She slipped
into his arms, neither too freely nor
too restrainedly, but inevitably, for
an instant, into his arms. That in
slant was to plunge both into an
ocean whose waters had been
dreamed of but never before felt.
She drew back almost guiltily as
she smoothed her riding skirt and,
without looking directly at him,
murmured a thank you. When she
saw him throw the lines of the po-
MES, and they began cropping, her
heart beat faster: he meant to linger
a while.
Pedro rode slowly up. Pedro"
said Bowie, 'ride up to the Melena
and look about for any begged cows
before the squatters get them. II
we do not follow you look for US
here on your way back"
AS the vaquero spurred off, Car
men sat down on the grass with q
pleasing sweep of her voluminous
skirt, took off her hat and let the
sea breeze play through her hair.
"See!" she exclaimed, pointing as
he threw himself on the ground be-
side her. There's the bay. Isn't
it gorgeousl I don't think ! ever
found this nook before"
'sSenorita," he said, plucking a
blade of grass and paying no atten-
ton to her words, something you
said at dinner last night set me
thinking"
SHOW could anything l might say
set you thinking, Senior Tajano?" she
asked, plucking a blade Of grass
herself.
"You said you could now ride
without fear Of being carried off.
Why should you feel afraid of such
thing? Surely you don't think these
miserable squatters would dare do
that?"
She was silent so long that he
looked up at her for an answer.
When she spoke her expression had
completely changed. She was seri-
GUS. "Shall l tell your" she asked
in tone quite new to him.
"Why not?" he said simply.
"When I was child" she said,
"a dreadful tragedy came into my
life. First l must tell you, senior, !
am not the daughter of Dona Maria
and Don Ramon. Dona Maria is
my aunt. My real fathers rancho
near San Diego was raided one
dreadful day by Indians. They muir
dered my father and would have
murdered my mother. had it not
been for the plea Of her Indian
maid, Monica. AS it was, the agony
and terror that Mother suffered that
day killed her within few weeks.
There were three Of us children left
orphans: an older brother, my
younger sister Terecita, and myself.
My brother was not at home and
SO escaped. The Indians set fire to
the ranch house and carried my
sister and myself away with them
into the mountains.
my sister and were at the mer-
cy of the savages. I don't remem-
Der much of this-I was too young,
and ! was insane with terror. l
do seem to remember a stormy
night, a terrible fight, and being
snatched up with my sister and car
ried away by other Indians least
! thought them such. But both Ter
ecita and / were so far gone we
knew little of what went on about
US.
'But Monica, our faithful nurse,
has told me that four days after
the burning of the rancho and the
murders my sister and / were
brought back to the rancho by three
white men with heavy boards. They
could speak no Spanish; she could
not understand a word they said,
and they were not going to leave
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