Newspapers / Jackson County Journal (Sylva, … / July 20, 1923, edition 1 / Page 9
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o DESERT GOLD by Zane Grey ^/tuthor ?/"Riders of the Purple Sage, Wildfire, Etc. Copvrlffht by Harper & Brother* [ ? ? T^f^nTR^illlllllllllllllllljstkSlllilllllllUlltlKiQitflHIIUIIIIIIIIIIKilBtdHlllllllllllllUlMftiilllllllll IIIIIMWllllllllllllllllliflBllllllllMfiJIIIIIIIIIIiriffl T^llllWhllllHil^lHIIIIIIIIIHtM^llllBltHllllliafelllUIIII [qHAPTER X? Continued. )jnS pawl "P and down the j"iM and Ladd whispered to Gale walked to the window ^ked out ft the distant group ijits, ami then turned his gaze i Mercedes. She was con cur, and her t\ blacker for the white [ upi'I! ?"< ?? and Jut eyes seemed all lr;er am! blacker for the white - - fun*. So one but Gale anil (of h>r fH" - l,e vj.jui i-'i t,lP background look )Hn un.>n (lie Spanish girl. Ail L.[-js looks were strange; but nnn. rn-as if thf Indian were affected by jVPjim>ss, Iter helplessness, or her tenth' Railing called his rang ? -' ? TI,?rno |n him, ami then Thorne (/ ? , out am! have a talk with Ito l?ien to this." be said, earnestly. (.Hit * !IH try to reason with him ; tell to think a long time before he . Ml)Wi im I'mle Sum's soil. That I 'no* after an American's wife! L commit myself, nor will I re foutriu'ht t" consider his demands, ,HI I sliow the least fear of him. ,,ar for t1m<*- If m.v hluff K?es Lji . . well and good. . . . jr dark the four of you, Laddy, Jim, ;inil Thome, will take Mercedes my best white horses, and, with ii as suidty cirde round through r valley t<> thecal!, and head for ja. I want yt<u ti take the Indian, iuse in a c/se of this kind he'll godsend- / If you get headed or or have to circle off the trail, ; wliat it'd mean to have a Yaqui you. He knows Sonora as no ispr knows it. lie could hide you, (rater and grass, when you would dutely believe it Impossible. The Jan is loyal. He has his debt to l and he'll pay it, don't mistake me. |pd you're gone I'll hide Nell so jas won't see her if he searches the Ice. Then I think I could sit down I wait without any particular TV." 'he rangers approved of Beldlng's n, and Thome went to the side of wife. ( 'Mercedes, we've planned to outwit as. Will you tell us what he Inter IlejaS swore? by his saints and his f^in? fhat if I wasn't given ? to him la twenty-four hours ? he would set to the village? kill the men? ear off the women? hang the children cactus thorns !" A moment's silence followed her it halting whisper. Then the Yaqui uttered a singular y.Oale hud heard this once before, id nnw lie remembered it was at the ip.'.p) well, "Look at the Indian," whispered Min?. hoarsely. "D? n if I don't 'lieve lie understood every word Mer it's said. And, gentlemen, don't mis ike me. if lie ever gets near Senor |nja* there'll be some gory Aztec liife work." Vaqui had moved close to Mercedes, id stood beside her as she leaned gainst her husband. She seemed lm tlled to meet the Indian's gaze, and rtdently It was so powerful or hyp otic that it wrought Irresistibly upon tr. But she must have seen or dl Ined what was beyond the others, ?r she offered him her trembling Mi Yaqui took It and laid it (tainst his body In a strange motion, nd bowed his head. Then he stepped ?ck Into the shadow of the room. Belding went outdoors while the angers took np their former position it the west window. Each had his ?n somber thoughts. Gale imagined, nd knew his own were dark enough. Je saw Rehling halt at the corrals mil wave his band. Then the rebels nminted nnd came briskly up the | nart; this time to rein In abreast. Wherever ttojag had kept himself ipmi the former advance was not ?tear; but he certainly was prominent i' in sl:;ht now. ? He made a gaudy, ilniost a dashing figure. Rojas dis mounted and seemed to be listening. iMfinc; made gestures, vehemently bolihpii his biif head, appeared to talk *ith ills body as much as with his b n^io. Then ltojas was seen to reply, an'l after that it was clear that the tal* became painful and difficult. It finally in what appeared to be Mutual understanding. Itojas mount and rode away with his men. *hile Helding came tramping back to tbf house. As hy entered the door his eyes his bi k hands were ^''n'lied, and he was breathing au dlMv. 0i,n rope me If I'm not lo he burst out. "I went out to filiate a red-handed little mur 1m' n me if I didn't meet -7-". i've no sujtahie name iln?J' * stnrted my bluff and got tj^ty well, hut I forgot to men n tliat .Mercedes was Thome's wife. V Vw'1111 y?" think- R?Jas swore j,fr Vei' Mercedes ? swore he'd marry tfvii ' ',ere in forlorn River ? kl'ri' le Wo"ld give up robbing and ?nd take her away He'n ' ,exi(,o. lie has gold ? jewels, in? ,WOr* if didn't get her noth die anyway wltli thinJer'.' ' ' An(* ',ere'3 the strange U |' brieve Idm ! He was cold e' ant* b? 1 Inside. Never saw a Greaser like him. Anyway, without my asking he said for me to think it over for a day and then we'd talk again." ?, "Shore we're born lucky!" ejacu lated Ladd. \ "I reckon Rojas'U be smart enough to string his outfit across the few trails out of Forlorn River," remarked Jim. "That needn't worry us. All we want Is dark to. come," replied Bel ding. "Yaqui will slip through. If we thank any lucky stars, let it be for the Indian. You may go to Yuma in six days and maybe in six weeks. You may have a big fight. Laddy, take the .405. Dick will pack his Reming ton. All of you go gunned heavy. But the main thing is a pack that'll be light enough for swift travel, yet one that'll keep you from starving on the desert." , ? The rest of that day passed swiftly. The sun set, twilight fell, then night closed down, fortunately a night slightly overcast. Gale saw the white horses pass his door like silent ghosts. Even Blanco Diablo made no sound, and that fact was Indeed a tribute to the Yaqul. Gale went out 1 iy' I#W| 'ft <? I " "If I Come Back ? No ? When I Come Back, Will You Marry Met" to put his saddle on Blanco Sol. The horse rubbed a soft nose against his shoulder. Then Gule returned to the sitting room. There was nothing more to do but wait and say good-by. Mer cedes came clad in leather chaps and coat, a slim stripling of a cowboy, her dark eyes flashing. Her beauty could not be bidden, and now hope and courage had fired her blood. Gale drew Nell into his arms. "Dearest, I'm going? soon. . . . And maybe I'll never ? " "Dick, do ? don't say It," sobbed Nell, with her head on his breast. '1 might never come back," he went on, steadily. "I love you ? I've loved you ever since the first moment I saw you. Do you love me?" "Yes, yes. Oh, I love you so! I never knew It till now. I love you so. Dick, rtl be safe and I'll wait ? and hope and pray for your return." "If I come back? no ? when I come back, will you marry me?" > "I ? I ? oh yes!" she whispered, and returned his kiss. JBeldlng was In the room speaking softly. "Nell, darling, I must go," said Dick. "I'm a selfish little coward," cried Nell. "It's so splendid of you all. I ought to glory in it, but I can't . . . Fight If you must, Dick. Fight for that lovely persecuted girl. I'll love you ? the more. ... Oh ! Good by ! Goodby !" With a wrench that shook him. Gale let her go. He heard Belding's soft voice. "Yaqul says the early hour's the best. Trust him, Laddy. Remember what I say ? Yaqui's a godsend." Then they were all outside In the pale gloom under the trees. Yaqul mounted Blanco Diablo; Mercedes was lifted upon White Woman ; Thome climbed astride Queen ; Jim Lash was already upon his horse, which was as white as the others but bore no name ; Ladd mounted the stal lion Blanco Torres, and gathered up the long halters of the two pack horses ; Gale came last with Blanco Sol. As he toed the stirrup, hand on mane and pommel, Gale took one more look in at the door. Nell stood in the gleam of light, her hair shining. I face like ashes, her eyes dark, her lips parted, her arms outstretched. That sweet and tragic/picture etched Its cruel outlines Into vale's heart. H<> waved his hand ana then fiercely leaped Into the saddl*. BInnco Sol stepped V>ut Before'Gale stretched a line of mov ing horses, white against dark shad ows. He could not see the head of that column; he scarcely heard a soft hoofbeat. A single star shone out of a rift In thin clouds. There was no wind. The air was cold. The dark space of desert seemed to yawn. Tc the left across the river flickered a few campflres. The chill night, silent and mystical, seemed to close in upon Gale; and he faced the wide, quiver ing, black level with keen eyes and grim intent, and an awakening of that wild rapture which came like a spell to him in the open desert. - ^CHAPTER XI Across Cactus and Lava. At the far , corner of the Held Yaqul halted, and slowly the line of white horses merged into a compact mass. Yaqui slipped out of his saddle. He ran his hand over Dlablo's nose an spoke low, and repeated this action for each of the other horses. Gale had long ceased to question the strange Indian's behavior. Th< re was no explaining or understanding many of his maneuvers. But the resuU&iL-. them were always thought-provoking. Gale had never seen horses stand so silently as In this Instance; no stamp ?no champ of bit? no toss of head no shake of saddle or pack? no heave or snort !. It seemed they had become Imbued with the spirit of the Indian. Yaqul moved away into the shadows as noiselessly as if he were one of thWn. The darkness swallowed him. He had taken a direction parallel with the trail. Gale wondered if Yaqul meant to try to lead his string o horses by the rebel sentinels. The Indian appeared as he had van ished. He might have been part of the shadows. But he was there. He started off down the trail leading Diablo. Again the white line stretched slowly out. Gale fell in behind. Peer ing low with keen eyes, he made out three objects? a white sombrero, a blanket and a Mexican lying face down. The Yaqul had stolen upon this sentinel like a silent wind of death. Once undpr the dark lee of the river bank Yaqul caused another halt, and he disappeared as before. Moments passed. The horses held heads up, looked toward the glimmering ca,"p~ fires and listened. Gale thrilled with the meaning of it all? the night e silence? the flight? and the wonderful Indian stealing with the slow inev Itableness of doom upon another sen tinel; ? , . - Suddenly the Indian stalked out of the glonni.' "e mounted Diablo and headed across the river. Once more the line of moving white shadows stretched out. Gale peered sharply along the trail, and. presumably on the pale sand under ^ cactus, there lny a blanketed form, prone, out stretched, a carbine clutched In one hand, a cigarette, still burning. In the other. . > . The cavalcade of white horse, passed within five hundred yards of campflres, around which dark formR moved In plain sight. \ The lights dis appeared from time to time. gre?T dimmer, more flickering, and at last they vanished altogether. Beldlng s fleet and tireless steeds were out in front; the desert opened ahead wide, dark vast. Rojas and his rebels were behind, eating, drinking, careless^ The somber shadow lifted from Gales heart He held now an unquenchable faith In the Yaqul. Beldlng would be listening back there along the river. He would know of the escape. He would tell Nell, and then hide her safely As Gale had accepted a strange and fatalistic foreshadowing of toll, blood and agony in this desert Journey, so he believed In Mercedes' ultimate freedom and happiness, and his own return to the girl who had grown dearer than life. A cold, pray dawn was fleeing be fore a rosy sun when Yaqui halted the march at Papago well. The horses /were taken to water, then led down the arroyo Into the grass. Here packs were slipped, saddles removed. Jim Lash remarked how cleverly they had fooled the rebels. , "Shore they'll be comln' alon?," re plied Ladd. They built a fire, cooked and ate. The Yaqui spoke only one word: "Sleep." Blankets were spread. Mer cedes dropped Into a deep slumber, her head on Thome's shoulder. Ex citement kept Thome awake. The two rangers dozed beside the fire. Gale shared the Yaqul's watch. At the end of three hours the rangers grew active, Mercedes was awak ened ; and soon the party faced west ward, their long shadows moving be fore them. Yaqui led with Blanco Diablo In a long, easy lope. The heated air lifted, and incoming cur rents from the west swept low and hard over the barren earth. In the distance, all around the horizon, accu mulations of dust seemed like ranging, mushrooming yellow clouds. Ytfqui was the only one of the fu gitives who never looked back. Gale had a conviction that when Y^qui gazed back toward the well and the shining plain beyond, there would be reason for it. But when the sun lost its heat and the wind died down Yaqui took long and careful surveys west ward from the high points on the trail. Sunset was not far off, and there In a bare, spotted valley lay Coyote tanks, the only waterhole be tween Papago well and the Sonoyta oasis. Gale used his glass, told Yaqul there was no smoke, no sign of life; still the Indian fixed his falcon eyes on distant spots and looked long. No further advance was undertaken. The Yaqul headed south and traveled slowly, climbing to the brow of a bold height of weathered mesa. There he sat his horse and waited. No one questioned him. The rangers dis mounted to stretch their legs, and Mercedes was lifted to a rock, where she rested. Thorne had gradually ?yielded to the desert's influence for silence. He spoke once or twice to Gale, and occasionally whispered to Mercedes. Gale fancied his friend would soon learn that necessary speech In desert travel meant a few greetings, a few words to make real the fact of human companionship, a few short, terse terms for the busi ness of the day or night, and perhaps a stern order or a soft call to a horse. The sun went down, and the golden, rosy veils turned to blue and shaded darker till twilight was there in the valley. Darkness approached, and the clear peaks faded. The horses stamped to be on the move. "Malo!" exclaimed the Yaqul. He did not point with arm, but his falcon head was outstretched, and his piercing eyes gazed at the blurring spot which marked the location of Coyote tanks. "Jim, can you see anything?" asked Ladd. "Nope, but I reckon he can." Then Ladd suddenly straightened up, turned to his horse, and muttered low under his breath. "I reckon so," said Lash, and for once hisi easy, good-natured tone was not in evidence. His voice 'was harsh. Gale's eyes, keen as they were, were last of the rargers to see tiny needle points of light Just faintly perceptible In the blackness. "Laddy! Campflres?" he asked, quickly. "Shore's yon're born, my boy." "How many?" Ladd did not reply; but Yaqul held up his hand, his fingers wide. Five campflres! A strong force of rebels or raiders or some other desert troop was camping at Coyote tanks. Yaqul sat his horse for a moment motionless as stone, his dark face Im mutable and impassive. Then he stretched his right arm in the direc tion of No Name mountains, now los ing their last faint traces of the after glow, and 'he shook h|s hc-ad. He made the same impressive gesture toward the Sonoyta oasis with the same somber negation. Thereupon he turned Piablo's head to the south and started down the slope. His manner had been decisive, even stern. Lash did not question It, nor did Ladd. Both rangers hesitated, however, and showed a strange, almost a sullen reluctance which Gale had never seen In them before. Raiders were one thing, Rojas was another; Camino del Diablo still another; but that vast and desolate and unwatered waste of cactus and lava, the Sonora desert, might appall the stoutest heart. Gale felt his own sink? felt himself flinch. "Oh, where is he going?' cried Mer cedes. Her poignant voice seemed to break a spell. "Shore, lady, Yaqul's goln' home," replied Ladd gently. "An* conslderin' our troubles, I reckon we ought to thank God he knows the way." They mounted and rode down the slope toward the darkening south. Not until night travel was obstruct ed by a wall of cactus did the Indian halt to make a dry camp. Water and grass for the horses and fire to cook by were not to be had. Mercedes bore up surprisingly ; but she fell asleep almost the Instant her thirst had been allayed. Thorne lnld her upon a blan ket and covcred her. The men ate nnd drank. Gale lay down weary of limb and eye. He heard the soft thump of hoofs, the sough of wind In the cactus ? then no more. Day dawned with the fugitives In the saddle. A picketed wall of cac tus hedged them in, yet the Yaqul made a tortuous path, that, zigzag as It might, in the main always headed south. The Yaqul, If not at fault, was yet Hnoertain. His falcon eyes searched and roved, and became fixed at length at the southwest, and toward this he turned his horse. The great, fluted saguaros, fifty, sixt., feet high, raised columnal forms, and their branching limbs and curving lines added a grace to the desert. It was the low-bushed cactus that made the toil and pain of travel. Yet these thorny forms were beautiful. <, In the* basins between the ridges, to right and left along the floor of low plains the mirage glistened, wavered, faded, vanished ? lakes and trees and clouds. Inverted mountains hung suspended in the lilac air and faint tracery of whlte-walled cities. At noon Yaqul halted the cavalcade. He had selected a field of bisnagi cac tus/for the place of rest. Presently his reason became obvious. With long, heavy knife he cut off the tops of these barrel-shaped plants. He scooped out soft pulp, and with stone and hand then began to pound the deeper pulp Into a juicy mass. When he threw this out there was a little water left, sweet, cold water which man and horse shared eagerly. Thus he made even the desert's fiercest growths minister to their needs. But he did not halt long. Miles of gray-green spiked walls lay between him and that line of ragged, red lava which manifestly he must reach be fore dark. The travel became faster, stralghter. And the glistening thorns clutched and clung to leather and cloth and flesh. The horses reared, snorted, balked, leaped ? but they were sent on. Only Blanco Sol, the patient^ the plodding, the indomitable, needed no goad or spur. Mercedes reeled in her saddle. Thorne bade her drink, bathed her face, supported her, and then gave way to Ladd, who took the girl with him on Torres' broad back. ' The middle of the after noon saw Thorne reeling in his saddle, and then, wherever possible, Gale's powerful arm lent him strength to hold his seat The fugitives were entering a des> late, burned-out world. The waste of sand' began to yield to cinders. The horses sank to their fetlockn as they tolled oil. A fine, choking dust blew back from the leaders, and tnen coughed and horses snorted. But the sun was now behind the hills. In be tween ran the stream of lava. It was broken, sharp, dull rust color, full of cracks and caves and crevices, and everywhere upon its Jagged surface grew the white-thorned choya. Again twilight encompassed the travelers. But there was still light ' enough #or Gale to see the constricted passage open into a wide, deep space where the dull color was relieved by the gray of gnarled and dwarfed mes quite. Blanco Sol, keenest of scent, whistled his welcome herald of water. The other horses answered, quickened their gait. Gale smelled It, too, sweet, cool, damp on the dry air. Yaqui turned the corner of a pocket In the lava wall. The file of white horses rounded the corner after him. And Gale, coming last, saw the pale^ glancing gleam of a pool of water beautiful in the twilight. Next day the Yaqui's relentless driving demand on the horses was no longer in evidence. He lost no time, but he did not hasten. His course wound between low cinder dunes which limited their view of the sur rounding country. These dunes finally sank down to a black floor as hard as flint, with tongues of lava to the left, and to the right the slow descent into the cactus plain. Taqul was now traveling due west. It was Gale's idea that the Indian was skirting the first sharp-toothed slope of a vast vol canic plateau which formed the west ern half of the Sonora desert; and ei' tended to the Gulf of California. Travel was slow, but not exhausting for rider or beast. Thirty miles of easy stages brought the fugitives to another waterhole, a little round pocket under the heaved up edge of lava. There was spar* Mercedes Must Ride; but the Othera Must Walk. short, bleached grass for the horse* but no wood for a fire. This nigbt there were question and reply, cod jecture, doubt, opinion and conviction expressed by the men of the party. But the Indian, who alone could har? told where they were, where they were going, what chance they had to escape, maintained his stoical silence. Gale took the early wfetch, Ladd the midnight one, and Lash that of the morning.' The day broke rosy, glori ous, cold as ice. Action was neces sary to make useful benumbed hands and feet. Mercedes was fed while yet wrapped in blankets. It was a significant index to the day's travel that Yaqui should keep a blanket from the pack and tear it into strips to bind the legs of the horses, it meant the dreaded choya and the knife-edged lava. That Yaqul did not mount Diablo was still more significant. Mercedes must ride ; fouf the others must walk. fTO BS CONTINUED^ TO RELIEVE PAIN HHP BACKACHE Women May Depend upon Lydia E. Pinkham's Vege table Compound Minneapolis, Minn.?" I had heard so much about Lydia E. Pinkham's Vege table Compound that when I realized I needed to take some thing to relieve my pains and back ache, and to help build me up I began to take tnat. I had been sick off and on for years and barely weighed a hundred pounds, but now I have had audi good results that I am recommending the Vegetable Compound to every one.'? Mrs. J. J.Bieber, 3939 18th Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minn. Finds a True Friend "Every woman who values her health should be proud to have a true friend like the Vegetable Compound," says Mrs. W. E. Shaw, 3227 Walnut Street, Chicago, Illinois. "I had female weak ness so badly that I could not stand on my feet. Half of my time was spent in bed and I had pains in my back which were unbearable. I tried everything I could think of to help myself, and when a friend advised Lydia E. Pinkham's Veg etable Compound I began taking it at once. I recommend it without hesi tation." Healthy, Happy Babies The best way to keep baby in crowing, contented health is Mrs. Winslow's Syrup. This safe, pleasant, effective reme dy regulates the bowels and qtickly overcomes diarrhoea, colic, flatulency, constipation, and teething troubles. MRS. WINSLOW'S SYRUP Titlnfaati'aad ChiUrtn't Regulator 19 best for baby. Guaranteed free from narcotics, opiates, alcohol and all harmful ingredients. Open formula on every label, f At all Drugghh Write for frc? booklet of tat tan from grateful mother?. Anglo- Americas Drag Co. 215-217 Fulton St. New York Otn SMint A ant*: Harold F. lUtekio A Co.. In t. k Ntw Toronto London, Sydney Yeu Walk in Comfort If you Shake Into Your Shoes aomt Allen's Foot-Ease, the Antiseptic Healing powder for shoes that pinch oi feet that ache. It takes the friction from the shoe and gives instant relief to corni and bunions, hot, tired, aching, swollen sweating feet, blisters and callouses. Ladies can wear shoes one size smallei by shaking Allen's Foot-Ease is each shoe. Sold everywhere. Trial pack age and a Foot-Ease Walking Doll sen; post Free. Address Allen's Foot-Ease, Le Roy, N. Y. Popular. "Of course the motorcar Is populai in your little city, the same as else where?"' "You betchal" answered the gent from Jimpson Junction. "About 40 per cent of our men folks own fliv vers. Twenty per cent more are try ing to swap for 'em, or get 'em on credit. One per cent Is an Idiot who doesn't know what they are. for, and the rest are suspected of plotting to steal 'em." ? Kansas City Star. Don't Perget Cuticura Talcum When adding tc your toilet requisite An exquisite face, skin, baby and dust ing powder and perfume, rendering other perfumes superfluous. You may rely o?i it because one of the Cuticura Trio (Sopp, Ointment and Talcum), 25c each everywhere. ? Advertisement Success Implies Sense. Successful men as a rule are not superstiticus. The man who has got to the lop of the ladder isn't afraid to walk under one. ? Boston Evening Transcript. Help That Achy Back! Are you dragging around, day after day, with n dull, unceasing backache? Are you lame in the mcrniDg; bothered with headaches, dizziness and urinary disorders? Feel tired, irritable and discouraged? Then there's surely something wrong, and likely it's kid ney weakness. Don't neglect it! Get back your health while you can. "Use Doan's Kidney Pills. Doan's have helped thousands of ailing folks. They should help you. Ask your neighbor! A North Carolina Case Mrs. W. L. At kins. 7 First St., Sanford, N. C., says: "Mornings my back was stilt and lame and I couldn't bend without sharp catches taking me In my back. Dizzy spells came on and spots ap-N peared before my eyes. My kidneys didn't art riirht. My ankles and limbs swejled. A neighbor recom mended Doan's Kidney Pills, I used some. Doan's cured me." . Get Doan'a at Any Store. 60c a Bh DOAN'S V.11Y FOSTER-MI LBURN CO- BUFFALO. N. V. )
Jackson County Journal (Sylva, N.C.)
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July 20, 1923, edition 1
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