Browning chief., 1943-10-15

HduSteQ all tnat was OBVIOUS In the
affair.
"Do you know where Elsa is?"
Rogers inquired of sudden.
"All know is that some guy-a
Mex, who speaks English-said
when 1 first came out that she had
gone out horseback riding"
"Alone?"
II didn't ask
We had had our talk with George
Rumble; the explanation of the pic
ture in the rotogravure section had
been made, and I was ready to re-
turn to town. But Rogers was in
cllned to linger, although we had
discovered that neither Sam Chat
field nor Berta was at home and
there seemed no object in remain
ing.
You don't know, of course, when
Elsa is expected back?" inquired
Rogers of Rumble.
No, l don't, Hunt
Rogers got up from the patio
bench and began leisurely exami-
nation of the flowers and the riot of
tropical shrubbery. Finally he
pushed open an old grilled gate
which led to a graveled courtyard,
or bare plaza. The huge house
formed one side of the open square.
A long low line of adobe buildings
with barred windows housed the Of
fee of the ranch and the store
houses, third side was the living
quarters of the ranch workers, the
fourth that of the stables.
I followed Rogers, leaving Rum
BILE sitting alone, smoking a brown
paper cigarette in solitude. AS we
sauntered toward the stables, the
actions of man in the courtyard,
near a gate which opened upon the
fields of the rancho, drew our atten-
ton. He was STOPPING above the
form of brown dog lying on the
ground. AS we drew near he emp
tied the contents of bottle upon a
dirty rag and held it to the dogs
nose, and the dog quivered slightly
as if from a chill.
1.-THE dog is DID," said Rogers in
Spanish.
Very old, sir" the man replied,
looking up sadly. at is best that he
should die now, sir" He caught a
whif of something and turned his
head away.
"Chloroform," l said to Rogers.
"Yes,' he answered, and stopped
to pick up the empty bottle the man
had discarded. He'll die quickly"
he said to the eXecutioner.
Eyes, sir. Sonora Chatfeld would
not have him shot. She said this
was merciful"
THE sonora gave you the drug?"
eyes, sir. Do you think the dog
is dead, SIR"
"Not yet. but soon.'
While was standing there, gaz-
ing at this odd scene, my ears
picked up the sound of hoof beats.
For a moment or two their source
was not apparent. I walked through
the gate and out into the open away
from the stables. Rogers followed
me. Across the wide fields along an
unpaved ranch roadway leading to
the house, came pounding a horse
and rider as if in tremendous hur-
ry to arrive. A hundred yards or
so behind was a second horseman
following in the wake of the other.
AS they came nearer in their mad
race, l made out the figure of Elsa
astride the leading horse, and on
the other Chescbro. Elsa seemed
to be flying for her life: she was
| leaning far over the neck of her
mount and applying a short ouirt in
vicious mechanical strokes, her arm
rising and falling as if geared TO
the flying hoofs of her horse.
They drew rapidly toward us.
Elsa, looking back over her shoul-
der, of a sudden sat erect and rercd
in her horse. There was something
very intent about her every action.
| She had not discovered us, stand
ing as we were beside the huge
wheel of an old oxcart. She was in
tent upon Chescbro now refining up
at her side. She sat quietly astride
her horse which, with heaving flanks,
was uneasy and nervous after the
| run.
Rogers gruntcd half in astonish-
ment at something, half in warning
| to me: he seemed to sense what
was about to happen. For there
was something deadly in Elsa's
firmly seated figure, in the way she
held herself in readiness. Cheese
bros restless horse sidled close to
| Elsa S. Chesebro's hand was extend
ed as if in cXpcstulaton, in pro-
test, in appeal to an iron some
thing in Elsa.
1t was all too apparent now that
Elsa had not so much been flying
for her life as running away from
a situation that had angered her,
and had now thought better of it and
was decided upon action. That ac-
tion was so swift, SO startling and
so cruel that gaspcd, scarcely able
as l was to follow the figure that
stffcncd in the stirrups, the arm
that rose and fell like lightning.
The lash of the short quirt which
Elsa only a few moments before
had used upon her horse struck
Chcscbro across the face. l still