SOUTHERN OREGON MINER
Paq© 8
Friday, October 18, 1940
AROUND
THE HOUSE
o
Delicious energy
b U ¡ I d e r* -/usf heat ond eof
i
CHAPTER XIX
—19—
blood-soaked bandage on Bowie's
right arm. "You are hurtl You
are wounded! Madre de Dios! You
will die!"
Bowie laughed as he held her. "I
will, but not yet. querida. Not yet”
Despite his assurances, she was
atremble. "Come into the house,
quick, querido. You do not know
how bad you are hurt Come.”
As the couple entered the living
room the excitement began all over
again. The next moment the seño­
rita and the señora, breathless with
fear, had the serving women run­
ning, hot water splashing, sheets
torn up and enough bandages ready
to equip a small hospital. The rough
bandages were soaked off. Carmen
calmed herself until she saw the
ragged wound of the slug in the
arm as it was bared. Whereupon,
without even apologizing, the excit-
ed girl fainted again.
When Dr. Doane took charge he.
too, laughed at Carmen's fears. "AU
Bowie, leaping his horse into the
jungle as he crouched in the saddle,
knew he had one more pistol slug
to face; and knew that only his
knife was left him for a hand-to-
hand flght. Yet such was his tradi­
tion and his training that, of all
weapons available to him. the bowie
knife would be his choice in a short
arm struggle. He plunged into the
jungle without qualm and headed his
horse through the thicket by the
sounds of the struggling horse
ahead.
Then came a silence as Bowie,
with his shattered arm, pressed for­
ward. A pistol shot from the squat­
ter rang and echoed through the
jungle.
The slug whistled past
Bowie’s head, His only answer to
it was a cry. a plainsman's cry.
Blood spurred to the right, close
to a huge sycamore. Bowie's horse
was struggling up to its knees in
mud and slime with every leap like
Suddenly there
to be its last
came a whirring, clashing sound
ahead, and a terrible cry choked
short.
Through the tangle of vines and
branches before him Bowie caught
a glimpse of a riderless horse, ly­
ing bogged. What did it mean?
Slowing up, the Texan peered
through the screen of leaves ahead,
He worked his way closer to the
giant sycamore, when his horse
shied violently.
Half submerged, face downward
in the marshy water, lying so close
that Bowie's horse almost tram­
pled it, he saw the sprawling figure
of a man. Clutching his knife in his
left hand, the Texan slipped from
his saddle, plunged through the
slime and, watching narrowly for a
trick, lifted the man's head by the
hair out of the ooze. As he took the
head in his hands it turned, dis­
jointed at the neck; the squatter was
quite dead.
With one arm disabled. Bowie
could do no more than par’ly drag
the trunk of the body closer to the
roots of the big tree. He stood for
a moment in bewilderment and con­
fusion, stunned by the gruesome
sight. Almost at his side lay the that I wonder at,” he said insin-
squatter’s pony, only its heaving cerely. "is that you would send for
flanks showing life.
me to attend to a little thing like
The Texan stood hatless beside this. Bowie, my boy, you'll be swing­
his panting horse, wiping beads of ing a reata next week.” He success­
sweat from his forehead and trying fully concealed his anxiety lest
to decide what to do.
Bowie should suffer a stiff forearm
The instinct to hurry away from from the shattered bone.
the tragedy must be denied. If he
Carmen's confidence in Dr. Doane
left the body it would be virtually was very great, but her solicitude
impossible to find it again, and it for Bowie was unabashed. She tried,
would almost certainly be mangled for the most part unsuccessfully, to
by coyotes before it could be re­ keep the Texan in bed; and failing
covered. Nor could Bowie, partly this, to keep him in the house.
disabled, get it on his horse—the "Cease protesting.” she would say
squatter was a large man—to carry decisively. “This is my hour, En-
it out of the swamp. Nor had he a riquito. I have been waiting for
pistol in hand to load for a shot
it God sent me once a protector;
But he had still a stentorian voice. it was no credit to you, big man,
He knew Pardaloe and Simmie that he chose you—”
would trail him to the Melena. He
"No credit to me, pobrecita, but
sent out a slow high cry and lis­ it is the only thing in my life that I
tened. No response greeted his ear. count.”
After a long wait for even breath
"He sent me a protector—why
was precious in his predicament he shouldn’t I persecute him? Why
tried a second call and sat down to shouldn't I persecute him?”
figure out what had befallen Blood.
"You're too young to be cruel,” he
Soon he heard in the distance a retorted.
pistol shot He knew it was a sig­
“I don’t care! He’s mine. I’ve
nal. Again he gave the plainsman’s bad too many tragedies in my life
shrill plaintive cry, and there came not to value a protector. Had only
at last an answering call.
you been there that dreadful day at
It was frontier wireless long be­ Los Alamos!”
"Querida! My right arm is get­
fore the day of wires. Patience and
calling and answering brought Par­ ting quite strong again. But Dr.
daloe and Simmie, swearing their Doane says it must be exercised reg­
way into the heart of the Melena to ularly so it won't be stiff. How
where Bowie stood leaning with his about exercising it a little now?”
"My darling, you must take no
left hand on the sycamore tree.
“Henry, you been hit! Where? chances! You might strain it, you
Dog it man, you’ve lost aplenty know.”
"Tomorrow then?
blood. Set down. Where's Blood,
Henry?”
Pardaloe was concerned.
His
questions came fast Bowie pointed
to the fallen squatter.
Simmie
pulled at his beard reflectively—the
only sign he ever gave of excite­
ment Pardaloe stared a moment
pulled the body around, but he saw
no blood.
“Henry,” he asked, peering,
"where’d you nit him?"
“I had no pistoL We were go­
ing fast I was within ten yards of
him when we got here. He jumped
bis horse past the tree without see­
ing this pool. The horse went down.”
Bowie pointed upward. "See that old
grapevine hanging across from the
trunk to the branch? That’s what did
it”
Late that morning Carmen, after
searching the horizon since day­
break with straining eyes, perceived
a little party of horsemen riding
slowly toward the ranch house.
Most of all she searched among
them for the caballero to whom she
had given her life in promise. Her
acute agony of suspense ended when
she made out his broad bat and Uli
figure in the saddle.
Carmen bad promised herself she
would be very collected when he re­
turned. All night and all the morn­
ing her prayers had been poured up
to heaven for his safety, and with
her prayers answered and her lover,
out of the saddle, clasping her close,
everything went black before her.
She disgraced herself by fainting in
Bowie’s one good arm.
"I saw the flames in the night
along the river,” she sobbed when
she came to. “Oh, Henry, if you
ever ride into danger again, I ride
with you. I must. Never again can
I stand such a night. What's this?”
she exclaimed, catching sight of the
M eet
"Perhaps tomorrow if you behave
yourself. Do you realize, bad Tex­
an. how I've already cast to the
winds the rigid etiquette of centu­
ries? I'm sure if Don Ramon knew
how bad I've been—and aU through
associating with you—he would dis­
own me. You ought to be ashamed
of yourself to impose so on the
weakness of a poor girl like me.
And I don't believe yon are a bit
ashamed What sort of people live
in Texas? And you did say some­
thing, if I remember rightly, about
marrying me—not?”
"If I have so imposed on your
lovely nature, querida, I want, of
course, to make amends.”
Then Carmen spoke. “In the morn­
ing, Henry, I want you to take me
over to the valley of the strawber­
ries. Will you? I want to go to that
redwood tree where we sat. Do you
think you could find it? There were
two close together.”
"I could find it. Carmen, if there
were two thousand close together.”
"Leave the horses here. Henry,
I want to walk the rest of the way
up the hill just with you."
"This is the tree. Carmen. Tell me
now, from your beating heart, what
you told me that day. my Carmen.”
"And tomorrow, Henry.” said Car­
men a week before the wedding day,
"we must go to Monterey to en­
gage the musicians. I want a vio­
lin and a flute and a guitar. They
will ride with us in the procession
to the mission and play on the way
—won't that be nice? And Henry, we
will take the horses fropi Don Ra­
mon's caballeria of blacks—they are
such beauties. You and I will ride
together, then Don Ramon and Dona
Maria, then the music, and then
everybody else!"
"How many?”
"Oh, a hundred or so.”
"My! Carmen, this business of
getting married in California seems
to be important."
"Important, Henry?"
"Why. for a week now, every serv­
ant. every vaquero, everyone in the
household, has been getting ready
for our marriage.”
"Ah! But, Enriquito, it’s not all
for you and me that the fallings
have been killed, the game brought
in. Not all the champagne, the
wines, the cordials and the sweet
potatoes and cocoanuts and Chinese
ginger and Island sugar and the
strong cigars have been brought in
just for you and me. No, no, Guad­
alupe will be host to a hundred
guests—every ranchero in the val­
ley, with his wife and sons and
daughters and his guests, will be
here every day for a week. So will
all the De la Guerras from Santa
Barbara.”
“A week!”
“Yes, and they will laugh and
dance and sing and play and get
very hungry. Enriquito. They will
dance every night and all night for
a week, in your honor and mine.”
"Then all our Monterey cousins
and friends and our San Diego cous­
ins and friends—”
“Heaven protect us, pobrecita!”
“You may well say that I hope
we shall have a little time to our­
selves after two or three days—don't
look for it before that.”
"But where will all these people
sleep?”
“Oh, nobody sleeps while the cele­
bration lasts! Only perhaps an hour
or so after sunrise. They sleep
where they can. Then in the morn­
ing come the meriendas—like yours
and mine,” she whispered. "Don't
you remember?”
“I remember nothing else, querida
mia—only that day and you.
[THE END]
lovely Mary Doncaster and George
McAusiand, the missionary who married her,
but who would not admit that he loved her.
And Peter Corr, who sought in treacherous ways
to win her, and Richard Corr, who hid his love.
Ben Ames Williams has created some real peo­
ple and some tense situations in “The Strumpet
Sea,’’ a story that will keep you on edge from
start to finish.
IN THIS NEWSPAPER
Do nut move bread dough nftrr
it begins to rise, or it is likely to
fall. Select a spot, out of a draft,
for the bowl. Cover with a cloth
and then let the dough alone.
• • •
DRAFT QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Q —A bugle drives me nuts.
Can
I get exemption on account of I am
allergic to brass musical instru­
ments'’ Otto.
A.—No, but it may be possible to
put you in some division where you
can sit up all night and not have to
be called at daybreak.
• • •
Q. —I am for an adequate defense.
I believe conscription necessary. I
love my country
and am willing to
fight for it. But
I have always
lived home and
put everything up
to my parents in
any emergency.
As I am not used
to taking on responsibilities myself,
could I send my father? J. K. K.
A.—You think of the darnedest
things
• • •
Q.—I have been working nights
for the last four yeurs and sleeping
days. This has completely changed
my habits. I can't keep awake any
more by daylight. Unless this war
is to be fought after durk what good
will I be in the army? Anxious.
A.—You will be assigned to scout
work in dark glasses.
Q — I have as much courage as
the next fellow and I would never
fail my country in a pinch. The
draft is all right, but what bothers
me is that I do not look good except
in a blue suit. Will there be any
branch of the service where clothing
colors are optional? Duke,
A.—You know how the Democrats
are. A way will be found to make
you happy. Maybe you can wear
army pants and a dinner jacket.
• • •
Q—I hate Hitler. I despise dicta­
tors. I am a 100 per cent Ameri­
can. The Western
hemisphere must
be
protected.
Roosevelt is my
hero.
We must
show the world
nobody can at­
tack us.
But I
tried sleeping on
a cot once and I can't do it. Where
does this leave me when the draft
call comes? Muggsy.
A.—Don’t let it get you down.
Modem war is so terrific nooody
can sleep anyhow anywhere.
• • •
Q.—I am a young man 21 years
old with no dependents. I am sure
to be drafted. But I have been
studying those pictures of army
tents and I do not see any wall plugs
for my radio. Must I buy one of
those portables? Joe.
A.—It can be arranged to put you
in a company which has a crooner
for a top sergeant
• • •
Q.—I reached my twenty-fifth
birthday last week without ever go­
ing anywhere on my feet when I
could do it in the old man's auto.
As I understand it. the draft army
may have to walk. I talked this
over with my folks and my mother
persuaded dad that he should let
me take his auto to camp. But he
refuses to pay for the gasoline any
more. Can I have him arrested for
obstructing the draft? Dutiful Son.
A.—You can settle this some way.
How about asking mother to pay for
the gas?
Q.—I am 32 years old and have
been married six years to a woman
who never stops
talking. We have
five children all of
whom take after
their mother. Her
father and moth­
er live with us,
and an aunt who
has dropped in
for a two months* visit has brought
her dog with her. Isn’t there
some way this draft can be speeded
up? And if so, why must I first be
examined to see if I come up to
specifications? This is an emergen­
cy, both from my standpoint and
the government's.
Charlie.
A —Protect yourself in the clinches
and be patient. We wish you luck.
• • •
YOU CAN’T WIN
A man will have to be this fall
A creature of great craft;
For women, opportunists all,
Have Leap Year and the Draft!
—Nan Emanuel.
• • •
Wooded
TO RENT—Cedarhurst,
surroundings, six rooms, one and
one-half baths. Franklin 1194.—New
York Times.
Well, even the forest primeval
doesn't make it any easier to use
half a bathroom, does it?
• * •
BEESHED IGNORANCE
One sort of knowledge
Good to lack
Is what is said
Behind your back.
—Richard Armour.
• • •
"Seven of the largest oil companies
in Rumania were seized by the gov­
ernment. They were all operated on
British or American capital. The
government said it was not confis­
cating the properties and intended
only to control them.”—News itam.
Wanna bet?
...or serve co/d...raves
money... order, today,
from your grocer,
If you sprinkle a little flour in
the grease in which you ure to fry
eggs, croquettes, etc., the grease
will not sputter.
• • •
Any flaked ready-to-serve cereal
may be used instend of bread
crumbs in a recipe that calls for
bread crumbs.
• • •
When
making
baked
custard,
pour boiling milk onto the beaten
eggs. It will then bake very firm.
• • •
A piece of chamois that has been
dampened mukes an excellent
Justice Arrives
duster. It makes furniture look
Justice, even if slow, is sura.—
like new.
Solon.
1
AW'«**
sai
KELLOGG’S1
before you say Corn Flakes
SO
MADE BY KELLOGG'S IN
BATTLE CREEK
< — ■••• V* I*», *■—i—r
Moderate Praise
I
Speech of Eyes
Always to give praise moderate-
The eyes have one language
ly, is a strong proof of mediocrity. ‘ everywhere.
GET VITAMINS
YOU NEED...
AS YOU REFRESH YOURSELF.'
Oranges can help you to fool your best
When you want refreshment, eat an orange I Or help
yourself from the big family pitcher of fresh orangeadcl
"Hits the spot'l you’ll say.
But that’s not all. Oranges add needed vitamins and
minerals to your diet. And fully half of our families, says
the Department of Agriculture, do jut pt enough of these
health essentials to feel their best!
The best way to be sure of getting all the vitamin C
you normally need is to drink an 8-ounce glass of fresh
orange juice with breakfast every morning. You also re­
ceive vitamins A, B, and G and the minerals calcium, phos­
phorus and iron.
There's nothing else so delicious that’s so good for
you. So order a supply of Sunkist
Oranges next time you buy gro­
ceries. They’re the pick of
California’s finest oranges.
<
op*-.
- <•---------- g-
it
fir