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She saw him. He saw the look of
recognition, in her eyes. She Btopped
Kane hurried past her, not daring to
look back. He gained the entrance
to the barracks. But he did not go
toward the railroad station, as he had
plahned. Instead, he turned south
ward toward the border. He walked
jauntily paBt the custom house, over
the bridge, and flung himself upon
the ground. He was in Mexico and
lie meant never to return.
II.
Albert Kane looked up Into the sky
and searched the distant hills.
The summer sun was declihing and
as the mescal went out to him he re
alized his abasement.
For 15 months he had lived in the
squalid Mexican village 12 miles be
yond the border. At first looked oh
with suspicion, he had become com
pletely identified With the villagers.
He sprawled in the adobe hut, ail un
clean thing, like the creeping lizards
about him.
Few men have sunk to such depths
as Kane had reached. Now, deep in
his heart, an elusive memory stirred.
It was a memory of America, which
had once been dear to him, of a civ
ilized land where human faces looked
into his instead of the brutish peas
ants eyes.
What was it he was remembering?
He knew now. Somebody had
kicked him. It was the rebel leader
Santos, riding by with a hundred
troopers? And what was it had been
said?
"The Gringo is always drunk. He
is harmless. Do not kill him.'r
- Santos had kicked him contemp-
tuously and ridden on his way. But
Kane remembered now. He remem
bered the whispered colloquy. No
body knew that he understood much
Spanish, for he seldom spoke to any
one. But Kane had gathered that
the troop was to raid the American
camp at sunup.
Slowly the realization of this crept
into his mind. He heard azain thel
laughter of the Mexican leader, his.
boast of what he would do to the,
American women. Then slowly, like,
a flower, Dorothy's face unfolded be-
fore his eyes against the fading west.
Kane staggered to his feet and
looked about him. Tethered to a hut,
nearby was a fine stallion, the prop
erty of Santos, which he had left,
there until his return on the morrow,"
not wishing to risk it in the impend-,
ing fight, if fight there was to be. No
body was guarding it.
Kane crept towafd it. He saw the.
saddle and bridle at the door of a hut
In a moment he had placed the saddle;
on the animal's back ahd fastened
the girth.
He fitted the bridle, hearing shouts
as the Mexicans saw him and divined'
his purpose. Men ran toward him.
Katie cut the halter and leaped on the
stallion's back. In a moment he was.
away, galloping along the road that
led toward the border. Behind him
he still hedfd thfc cries of the stupe
fled Mexicans.
III.
Once out of sight of the village he ,
moved slowly, for before him, miles
away, Outlined against the horiioh,
he saw the cavalry of Santoa march-,
ihg. The day died and the stars
came out. Kane rode along the de
serted road
It was midnight when he saw farj
off the winding Rio. Looking down,.,
he saw the camp of the raiders at the ,
foot of the hill. A high bank on
either side of him, rising into the'
mountains, cut off all possibility of.
a detour. He must ride through the
camp. ,
He gave his horse a rest; then,,
mounting, he continued, Very cau
tiously, until, topping the last hill, he ,
saw the pickets under him. Then he ,
put his horse to the gallop.
Faster and faster he drove the stal-.
lion down the hill. He heard the
shouts of the guard, he caught a
vision of men, risen from sleep, star
ing at him; and then he was runain?
- n nniTJ-iTi'M"McillJ'J1
