CHAPTER IV—Continued
eG
“That's his gringo alias, Mrs. Ganby.
The first Higuenes to be heard of In
Spain was called James Michael Hig-
gins, But the Spaniards gave it a
Spanish twist. With the passage of
time James Michael Higgins, the big
Mick, developed Into Jaime Miguel
Higuenes. When did that happen,
Don Jaime?"
“When the first J. M. married a red-
headed Spanish woman who Insisted
on spelling the name as it was pro-
nounced. My ancestor was a good-
natured man; having taken on Spain
and the Spaniards, he did not object.
Anything for the sake of family peace.
So the tribe of Higuenes was born. The
family migrated to Mexico early in
the Nineteenth century, and my great-
grandfather married the daughter of
an Irishman who owned this rancho.
That brought the Celtic strain up a
little. My grandfather added to it by
marrying a girl who was half Irish,
and when he looked at his offspring
he was glad he'd done it. He noticed
the cross had Increased the helght,
breadth, general appearance, industry
and temper of the Higuenes tribe. We
looked much more like Black Irish
than Mexicans now, and were prob-
ably, a little more than half Celt. But
we had Spanish customs and a Span-
ish outlook on life and Spanish was
our mother tongue. Also had no
reason to be other than proud of our
Spanish blood, so we mixed ft
with Indian. When to
Texas my grandfather
the Stars and Bars. He ser
ther to the Virginia }
and father married
ginia and begot me”
“You have never been
nurse asked,
“Never.”
“Aren't you going to be ~
“1 fear not. The lone
coyote chorus on the butte
tate against it, Mrs
“The right girl,” said Mrs.
“wouldn't mind it In the
forth and search for her, Don Jaime"
“Impossible,” the master of Valle
Verde replied lazily. “I have sheep on
my hands”
“If 1 can credit the
In Los Algodones, you killed
er of those sheep trying
them.”
Don Jaime nodded.
“Well, why
them, then?”
“The foreman, Bill Dingle
ving and in charge of those sheep
He's a bad man and a better shot than
old Antrim, Jesides, If | get th
sheep off my range now will
they go? Why, to somebody else's
range of course, and then ‘there'd be
trouble and we might lose Bill Dingle”
“So you're putting up with those
sheep on your rahge merely because
this Antrim girl Is her uncle's heir”
“That's the proposition.”
“Why, is she a friend of yours?
“No, I've never met her. But then
no Higuenes has ever quarreled with
a lady.”
“I fail to see how you are going to
escape a quarrel with her, Don Jaime.
You killed her uncle.”
Don Jaime winced. ‘Perhaps she
will believe that I had no alternative:
that, not until after I had killed him,
did I know he was her uncle. In
fact, I didn't know I had killed any-
body until Ken rode down the draw
and Informed me of my luck”
“Well, the fact that yoy are being
80 excessively nice to her since may
mitigate the affair, although one can
never predict the attitude a woman
will take. A woman is usually guided
by her heart, not her head, Don
Jaime.”
Don Jaime appraised the old nurse
with kindly interest. “I take It, Mrs,
Ganby, that you are old enough to be
guided by your head. You told me
you are a widow, Have you any chil
dren?”
“One—~a boy of fifteen. [le has been
quite crippled since hig twelfth birth-
day. Infantile paralysis.”
Don Jaime considered this “Sup-
pose you had a comfortable home
where you could be with your boy al
ways—no necessity to hustle hither
and yon nursing people? 1 should
have a hostess here. For some time 1
have felt that Flavio's wife Is too
well, elemental, for the job. This
hacienda should know a gentlewom-
an’s management—at nurse's wages.
There are always some puppies around
here, and the boy could play with
them. He could raise rabbits and
pigeons, I dare say, and if he can sit
a horse I'll stake him to a pretty little
Sonora pony and a Mexican youth to
look after him. I suppose you could
carry on with his schooling—you know,
it does get lonesome here sometimes.”
“Oh, Don Jaime! You mean it!"
He nodded. “I'd like to be able to
invite nice people to visit me, Mrs,
Ganby, 1 should like to have my
friends from the surrounding country
come to dinner oftener, but I'm never
satisfied with the appearance of my
board, the menu or the service. I have
no time to train maids and house
keepers—and If I did I wouldn't know
how.”
“Yes, a man is very helpless. 1
should be glad to come, Don Jaime”
we
never
moved
Ht
maid
we
fou
ws here—the
gall mili
Ganhy.”
Ganby,
least, Go
I heard
the own-
RORSID
to get rid of
?
of
don't you get ri
is still
ae
‘Where
or
Roberta Antrim, beautiful
ed BI”
Valle Verde,
Hackett,
in Texas,
Jaime, unmarried and romantle,
The young ranch owner
Roberta Antrim in the event of his
Tom Antrim killed,
death,
known as “Crook-
Higuenes, owner of the Rancho
At the advice of Glenn
controlled by Don Jaime, Don
They shoot it out,
“You are very kind. Ken, you run
up to El Paso and get the boy. Mrs.
Ganby will arrange that detail with
you. Now clear out and let me sleep.”
Mrs. Ganby, with tears of happiness
in her middle-aged eyes, followed the
assistant general manager into the
ranch effice.
“How
Jaime?"
“A long time.
long have you known Don
she asked Hobart.
Went to the state unl.
versity with him. My father and I
had a cow outfit down in the Big
lend country but we went broke dur-
ing the post-war deflation period. Don
Jaime and 1 enlisted for the World
war—and spent two years guarding
the border. At that we dodged more
lead than some of those who went to
France. After the bank closed In on
the Hobarts 1 joined the rangers; now
I've left them to work for Don Jaime.”
“ITe 18 congenitally magnificent.”
Ken Hobart | ed. “Always re-
members he's caballero, Mrs.
Canby. He does things with a flour-
ish. It Isn't p
always done it
he
now,
birth
Was
His mu
, 80 you see
“Why
Mr. Hobart?
was
twenty
ther died giving him
he's man-raised.
do you suppose he en
me, ou think
pected he
ful thing for ms
a ladder
princip
' te the C
in civilized
holds and
of entertal
and her d
not have
she
that lack Don
and formal”
“Why Is he
niece of this vicious
to kil?™
‘Because Don
uenes is a ros
He saw a full
ture of her In
man, and pic
his children.”
“Oh.
may
supply
tactful
yes,
the
had
in
Miguel Hig
k, that's why.
Hogravure ple
Gentle
ther of
dear,
photogr
red hale, freckl
may al
irritating: she may be wit
he's quite
with
green eyes, but
1 and selfish and
hout man
ily even
she 20 be n
"
Ken Hobart,
mother of his
foesn’t want the
that event.” said
be
children. Don Jaime «
Higuenes tribe to vanish from the
earth, but he would prefer to have
them vanish rather than breed some-
thing ignoble. Where will 1 find this
boy of yours?" he demanded, to change
the conversation, “I'm starting for
El Paso now.”
Mrs. Ganby wrote a note to the peo
ple with whom she boarded her crip-
pled son and returned to her pa-
tient.
“What a charming man your Mr,
Hobart 1s, Don Jaime!” she began.
“He'll do in a pinch”-laconically.
“He Is very devoted to your In-
terests.”
Don Jaime did not answer. His
glance was out through the arched
gateway, from which the road ran
straight down the valley. A mile
away a dust-cloud was gathering on
that road.
“Somebody is coming In a hurry.”
he murmured. “When they hurry it's
always bad news”
A solitary horseman galloped up
to the gate, threw himself off and hur.
ried up the steps,
“Well, my friend? Don Jaime
queried In Spanish, “What evil mes
sage do you bring and from whom?”
“Thirty riders crossed the Rio
Grande at daylight, senor. They are
rounding up several hundred of the
senor's cattle, It Is a raid”
“My thanks are due you, my friend.
They will not get far. Who sent you
here ?™
“The American customs agent at
Los Algodones, Don Jaime. He bids
you send your riders to head them off
before they recross the river with your
cattle”
“Return and tell bim 1 have bunt
forty men available. The others are
attending a balle at the Rancho Ver-
dugo. Forty men will be sufficient, I
think. Return to the customs agent
with my gratitude for his timely warn-
Ing and tell him my men will start in
ten minutes, perhaps less.”
The man touched his hat, flung him-
self on his horse and galloped away.
Don Jaime lighted a cigar and smoked
contentedly, while Mrs. Ganby watched
him with alert curiosity.
Presently Ken Hobart, arrayed in
his “town” clothes, came to announce
his impending departure,
“Delay It until tomorrow, Ken,” his
employer ordered casually, “I have
“In
the
And he recounted the
tale brought by his recent visitor.
“Take forty men and ride for the
river. If this man's tale is the truth
you will have work there. 1 think,
however, he lies, Have Caraveo arm
the other men avallable and instruct
him to have them remaln in the barns
with their horses until I send him
word that he Is not golng to be
needed.”
“A plant, eh?"
“I've been expecting reprisal, Ken
I told this messenger 1 had but forty
men available but would send them im-
mediately. Go with them. Then we
ghall see that which we shall see, 1
smell sheep.”
Hobart departed to fulfill his orders,
and Don Jalme stretched himself for
his siesta,
Suddenly he opened
turned to Mrs. Ganby,
Flavio to assist me to enter my house
a job for you.”
his
“MM ense
eyes and
tell
Valle
Have
“Impossible,” the Master of
Verde Replied Lazily. i
Sheep on My
“There 1s mo lust to the
about
he said
south
ten, I thi
When
to !
peon picked 0 time up In his
in al de an 4
Then he dep arted
spoke
“You will oblige me by locking and
bolting that door, Mrs. Ganaby,” Don
Jaime requested gently,
Presently came the sound of hurry.
ing feet on the veranda, and through
the fron-barred tiny window that gave
on the veranda Mrs, Canby saw men
standing about. There came a smart
rap on the dor,
“Who's there? Don
lenged in a ringing volce.
“Open the door,” a rough volce com-
manded. “We want you and we're go-
ing to have you."
“Ah, so it is my friend Bill Dingle
I have been expecting you, William,
ever since you so thoughtfully sent
one of your men with a false ery of
raiders from below the Border, 1 sent
forty men. Your lookout in the hills
saw them ride out, and when they had
passed you decided my
hacienda, deserted save for the women
and children, and kill me in some un.
pleasant manner. Is It not so?
There was no answer to this and
Don Jaime's mocking langh floated
through the window. “Now, Dingle,
my poor fellow, consider the situa-
Jaime chal
“Quien es?”
to come to
tion. A hundred armed men surround
this poor house of mine. Go you,
Friend Dingle, to the patio entrance
and look.”
A murmuring rose among the recent
arrivals and one of them ran to the
entrance of the patio. A volley of
good old Anglo-Saxon curses echoed
through the old-fashioned garden, then
the man came running back to join his
fellows,
“Is seeing belleving, Senor Dingle?"
Don Jaime called pleasantly,
“You win, Higuenes"
“One by one you will go to the en-
trance and give up your arms to my
riding boss. It would be madness to
resist. You shall not be killed and
presently you shall all return to your
sheeps—1 mean sheep, Forward!
March hi”
A moment's
voleed colloquy, a
the retreat to
menced. A few
a little
1
low-
and
com-
hesitation, more
curse or two,
the entrance
minutes later Enrico
Araveo, pockmarked Mexican,
ng, sardonic face up to
with
ing rings
at her. his
terror
“The
ed
tude «
are ou
trespa
Don
and guenes.”
“does not quan
Mrs
least”
rrel with
Ganby's eves |
declared,
Don
id have
ter and only
she
yantes wrote
ard cou
berta Antrim's
up the graveled drive y to the
portals of Hillcrest, and Har
butler, came down the steps and 1 o
the door.
“Mr. Latham came hon
ago, miss” he confided,
must have happened In the city to-
day, miss, He's worried—walking up
and down the drawing room and talk
ing to himself. I'm a bit worried
about the master, miss"
“Thank you, Harms,
kind.”
A foreboding of disaster brought
loberta flying Into the living room.
Crooked Bill sat huddled in a reading
chair, his face In his hands his at.
titude reminiscent of profound despair.
“Uncle Bill! What's happened?”
Crooked Bill's old hands merely
clasped his features tighter. He
wagged his head and moaned,
“I'm through. My brokers sold me
out this afternoon. Oh, Bobby, Bobby,
what a massacre! I stayed as long
as I dared, but when the last Jump
came | realized that only a crazy man
would continue in this crazy market.
¥e an hour
“Something
You're very
One old writer tells us that: “Cat.
tle are struck with such terror at the
approach of these insects (flies) that
they forsake the pastures and run, fu.
rious, in every direction, until exhaust
ed by fatigue they sink down and ex-
pire. Even the elephant and rhinoceros,
though they cover their thick hides
with a coating of mud, are unable to
protect themselves from these trou
blesome persecutors. Their attacks
are not confined to the brute ereation;
and when they sting a human being,
violent tumors are produced, and ev-
ery part of the body becomes as If
infected with leprosy.”
When to this graphic description of
the terrors excited by the advent of
such flies, are added the further well
known facts that In the East, some
make thelr way Into the nose, ears
and eyes to breed, others bore into and
deposit their eggs In the flesh, where
maggots are produced, frequent
causes of very painful and often dan
gerous ulcers, we can readily under
stand the awfulness of the plague
whereby Almighty God would drive
Pharaoh and the Egyptians to do his
will, before he should be compelled to
inflict greater troubles upon them. —
Exchange,
Silver as Germ Killer
Although it was discovered In the
eighties that water kept in a silver
or copper vessel acquired certain germ.
killing properties, it was only recently
that a scientist in Paris found a com
mercial adaptation for the phenome
non.
Silver chloride mixed with potter's
clay and baked at a high temperature
is employed as a filtering medium, says
Popular Mechanics Magazine, and it
has been found that water passing
through such a filter has the property
of killing typhoid and other germs,
while itself containing no silver.
Previous researches had demon
strated that, If silver is to sterilize ef.
fectively, it must have enormous sur.
face. It was therefore converted into
minute bubbles, which make It pos
sible to kill all germs In 10,000,000 Ii.
ters of water, -
WRU Bervice
invest another dollar
that 1 didn’t have it
brokers I'd gone the limit
me out. I'm all washed
1 declined to
for the reason
I told my
and to sell
up.”
“Must we leave Hillcrest?" Roberta
queried In a strangled voice.
“We must,” Crooked Bill replied
heroically. “I have enough to pay off
the servants and maintain us in re
spectability at some modest hotel until
we can look around and see what the
future holds for us, but after that—"
“After that I'll take care of you,
dear Uncle Bill.” Roberta's volce was
tender, the touch of her lovely cheek
to Crooked Bill's wrinkled jowls was
very soothing to that wretched wreck
of a financier. “Sheep are up and so
ig wool, Uncle Bill. Don Prudenclo
Alviso writes me that Uncle Tom's
sheep are worth at least two hundred
thousand as they stand, and he has
over a hundred thousand pounds of
wool In transit to a wool house In Bos.
ton. And good wool Is quoted in to-
day's paper at thirty cents a pound.
Uncle Tom has a ranch of sorts
Don Prudencio doesn’t think mu
it and says It Is not of ready sale, but
we can live there and carry on in
sheep business"
“You no conception of what
you are proposing to me,” Crooked Bill
groaned, ‘Si are terrible”
ava
aiso,
the
have
taken
line9
ling?
poor sport you
no,
ther to the las
you're
We'll batt
and I'll
pened to
if he renews
heard Glenn Hackett’
1
Bill received his guest at
once conducted hin
talk fast, my boy,” he
toberta comes down,
I'm supposed to have gone bust In the
market-—Hillerest has been gobbled
up by my bankers to meet my
I'm down to a couple of thousand dol-
lars. In a word, h—Il pops Semeraliz. "
Glenn Hackett stared at the old gen-
tleman owlisghly. Crooked Bill con-
tinued :
“I hope 1 do not have to assure you,
Glenn, that in so far as Bobby is con
cerned I'm for you all the way.”
“Thank you very much
plied. “I have suspected as much for
quite a while”
“That girl is too dog-gone high and
mighty to suit me,” Crooked Bill con-
tinued, sipping his drink with medita-
tive pleasure, I've cooked up a
scheme to bring her fluttering to the
ground. loheria’s the light of my eve
and the apple of my heart,
theless, as a reasoning human
I've got to admit she has her
backs. She's got to be yanked
got in
“before
Wenn
notes,
wo
attempting to do it. All of her life
I've been busy spoiling Roberta
granting every wish she expressed and
a heap she never thought of express.
ing. That's bad business. Now, then,
here's my plan. 1 came staggering in,
playacting all over the place, and
moaned aloud that 1 was out of the
market, that my brokers had sold me
out because 1 didn’t dare stay with the
game any longer. Well, as a matter
of fact I am out of the market. My
brokers did sell me out—-but on the
right side of the ledger, and as a
result ve cleaned up about ten mil
long, I've arranged with a trusted
friend to pretend he's bought Hillcrest
from the bank to which I had given a
deed. Well, 1 did give the bank a
deed, as security for more money to
play this crazy market, but 1 could
afford to. 1 was miles ahead of the
hounds—playing on margin, I've
jeased this place for July, August and
September—and Roberta is so sorry
for me she's going to sell out her
Uncle Tom's sheep and wool and take
care of me the remainder of my days.”
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
This Mother
Had Problem
rule, milk is
about the best food
for children, but
there are times when
they are much better
off without it. It
should always be
left off when chil.
] : | dren show by fever-
inh, fretful or cross spells, by bad
breath, coated tongue, sallow skin,
indigestion, biliousness that
thelr stomach and bowels are out of
order.
In cases like this, California Fig
Syrup never falls to work wonders,
by the quick and gentle way It re-
moves all the souring waste which is
causing the trouble, reg es the
stomach and bowels and gives these
organs tone and strength so they
continue to net normally of thelr own
accord, Children love lig rich, fruity
flavor and it's purely veg and
harmless, even for babler
Millions of mothers have proved its
merit and rellability In over 00 years
of steadily Incr ing use. A West
ern mother, Mrs, May Snavely, Mont-
rose, California, gays: “My |
Edna's, tendency to constiy
a problem to me until I began givin
her California Fig Byrup. It helped
her right away and soon her stomach
and | were acting perfectly.
Since then I've never had to have
any advice about her bowels. I have
also used California Fig Syrup with
my little boy, with equal success.”
To be sure of getting the genuine,
which physicians endorse, always ask
for California Fig Syrup by the full
name,
Ag a
te
ete,
3
retable
wel
Owes
Lit by Dummy Windows
Dummy or imitation 1
Act romly When Bladder
Irregularities Disturb Sleep
Heed promptly bladder ir-
reg burning, scanty
and too rogue passage and
it. They 1
jen
ularitics ’
Doan's s Pil ills. No other adver-
tised diuretic is so widely used.
None so well recommended.
et Doan’s today.
A Diuretic
for the
Kidneys
Its Value
Do you really
that X-ray m
Oh, a great
gee the money
Patient do
good with
Doctor-
good! We
tient’'s pocket
*A Clear Brain
needs - a
clean stomach
VYWheunintest nal poisons
and accamulations clog
his system, your child ies
likely to fall down in his
studies, lose needed eners
gy, grow anaemic, Keep
him clean Mae and you keep him
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@ week, ir a pleasant, harmless way to
cleanse internally. (At all druggists).
SAMPLE FREE: Ger ietd Ton Co. P.O. Boo oklym N.Y,
| arfield d Tea
much
achine?
deal of
in 2a pa-
yes,
with it
First Haad Kaowledge
“A ost the
don't want to r
“How do you knowi(”
“I've asked ‘em.
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