r
H o N N K X IU K »>*'• ‘ » >toN lt 1 V
F L A >1 K O F
n o it o f : II
1 my
% In itio
a r<* Inc.
S Y N O P S IS «
K efk m | death lo ••ftp « dtahnn
or at (hr hand* of • Jrunkrn des
perada. Punya Stvurln allow s har-
•♦ if lo be u » d bp har repentant
m i r t i r Tha | M n •
•>l phvik-lan lo tha N m j o Indian*,
livin g on an Artaona shaap ranch
w ith h*r brother Serga. hi* wlfo.
Ilia , and thalr «mall daughter.
Baba
Sha la anaaaad lo R id n a f
Blako. w aallha Saw Yorkar. but har
haart la with tha frlandlaaa Nava'
Jca and aha avadaa a waddlna
Sonya pull* l.lttla Moon, w lfo of
T w o Ftngara, a Navajo, through tha
erlala of an lltnaf^ Two Plnrara
la daaply a ratafu l
t o a f l aaaln
maata tha man who had Inaullad
har. Ha tall* har ha blttarly ra-
c ra la hla action and haa navar had
a rolputa'a paaca alnra that dav.
Sonya la affected. hot unforalvln«
Sba haara rumor* of a Bordar han-
dU. *'KI Capttan Plablo," and v a cu a .
I* connect» him w lih har attarkar.
On I/On* Mesa. aha aaaln coma*
upon tha atranaa vounr man. but
•ha no longer faara him.
C H A PTER V
Daap Thing* Begin to Qllmmar.
H A T little m atter proved almost
more than ahe could aland, how
ever, for the Indian mother, w atch
Inc the #n«t continually a! nee her
previou s visit. havlnc taken her ad
vice literally, collapsed at a tfh t of
her children, and Sonya had a brisk
h a lf hour in brlnctn« her round
again.
Ilut all's w ell that ends well, and
the girl dually rode aw ay, leadln r
her ex tra bora* with a sm ile on her
11 pa and the deep light tn her eye*
th at Rod R l.ike called fanaticism .
k layh e It waa. bat It made her
fo o lish ly happy to see this poor
fa m ily united again
And U osteec
N et had looked over his wom an's
head at her ex a ctly aa T w o rin g e rs
had and called her B lue South
W oman tn the Sun. It w as a ll be
•aid . hat It w as pregnant w ith deep
thing*, and Sonya knew It so.
So she opened her lips and sang
A n d then she cam e to the can yon's
m onth and caught her brearb sharp
ly. fo r a man sat there oo a golden
horse. He looked like a young god
w ith the sunlight on hla hair, and
hla eyes as blue as the heavens, and
th e g ra v e look oo bla handsome
fa ce .
“ F o rg ive m e," be said quickly,
“ fo r being In you r trail a gain ."
“ W h y?" she said aa qu ickly. "It
la fre e cou n try."
"Y e s. I know . But I prom ised to
Stay a w ay ."
" T h a t w as from Lone M esa."
“ T h e Intent w as everyw h ere.
I
m eant It, too— w as coin’— going to
k eep my word, but I seem to come
b ack regardless."
Sonya sat and looked at him
stead ily , her sw eet fa ce grave, too.
l i e bore her scru tin y quietly, though
a m uscle tw itched tn hla cheek, and
th e re w as a seem ing o f strain In his
fa ce .
" I ’ ve thought a lot about yo u ,"
th e girl said p re se n tly : “ w hy, I
don 't Just know. I shouldn't, by all
the rules o f my life'* gam e, but I
have.
Tell me— If yon care to—
w h ere have yon been since I saw
yon last? W here do yon lire ? "
H e moved in his saddle, laid bis
h and s on his pommel.
"M iss S av arln ." he said, " I can't
te ll yon. A lot o f places for tb ’ first
q u estion — now here for th’ last one.
I told yon before, I w asn ’t fit to
ta lk to. I am a drifter. If you like.
Just goln' through th' coon try."
“ Oh. no, yo u 're not," said Sonya,
‘ th e day you cam e In the store you
w e re fa m ilia r w ith the place and
had been th ere before. Don't you
th in k I know a few things. W ell, we
w on ’t ta lk o f th at." she added
g e n tly , "w h ere a re you going n o w r
“ W hy, now here*. T h a t la— I was
Just rld in ' around fo r exercise, sort
of.
C n d'O ro, here, needs a lot
o f ex o rcise.”
#
H e sm iled and patted the shining
n eck a t hla sa d d le bow.
T
\
!
F !. l i n o
WNP • ••",«
• T n d'O ro—Golden One.“ said
Sonya. “ W hat a lovely name. And
whal a wonderful horse I le a ihe
most beautiful thing t ever a*w done
up In horaehlde. You love him, don t
you?"
T h e man s face lighted as with la
ner fire.
" W e ll— som e." he aald
For a while they sat tn silence
at a loss for something to talk
about, and then Sonya told him
about (.'actus Flow er and how Mr
S a lte r bad (akeu her children.
"D — n t" he aald hushing. "K xcu te
me— but a>'me people Just ain't hu
man.
I'd like to see that agent
on— "
He stopped, and Sonya felt her
heart contract, for ahe kuew he had
alm ost aald "a cross."
W hat was this tuanT What waa
In the soul of hint? What strange
contradictions?
What savageries
and contritions, what sym pathies
and cruelties? W hat connection did
he have with those aw ful retrtbu
Mona across th* Border of which
th* Servant had hinted? What did
the strange old man know about
him? The henchman of Beelaehuh
h had called him — for so other lo
all thla country answered to tb# d*
•crtpllon o f th* Blue eyed One with
Bronaavcolored llalr.
Sonya felt
cold, aa If a wind of portent bad
blown across her spirit. And sw ift
on Its heels a sadness came, the
odd. unaccountable feeling of per
sonal loss and sorrow which had aa
sailed her that night at Myra a
She shook herself, mentally and
actually, and was angry at herself
again, and when this man spoke she
listened, forgettin g
"I'm a violent man. Miaa S a f
a ris ." be said strangely, 'a n d my
life won't bear th' light— hut a thing
like that make* my blood boil
There ain't no manner of use hurt
ing something that can't fight back,
and a woman an* a child— well,
they're set aside, someway. Uke a
starvin ’ kitten, or a dog that oo one
wants. No kind of a man would do
them a harm— not an' be a man."
"T oo think th at— honestly T" aald
Sonya. "R ight from your heart F*
“ W hy, o f course." be aald sur
prised. "D on't you?"
"Ye*, oh jraa, a woman feels Uke
that, but men are different.
Just
wondered."
"H a va you been bark to Lon*
M esa?" be asked presently.
"N o," said Sonya, “ I haven't I've
been pretty busy.
Housecleaning
and sewing. H ave you?"
"T w icet. A t n ig h t W atched th'
moon come up across th' desert, and
it waa wonderful. A man ran t de
scribe It— like new Uf* cornin’ to a
dead world."
"I know." said Sonya, T v # seen
It from there m yself."
"A lon e? My ( - , Miss Savarln.
you shouldn't be goln' around this
country by yo u rself Uke th a t!"
“ W hy not? I'm perfectly safe
E veryone know s me sod there lso't
a N avajo, drunk or otherwise,
wbo'd say a word to me."
"N ot th' Navvy#, no. ma'am." he
aald painfu lly, "but they ain't all
there are, you know ."
How w ell she knew !
Rut she
w as sorry the Inference had been
drawn.
" A s for being drunk— w ill you be
Here me when I say I haven't
touched a glass or a bottle since—
since that d a y — on th' cliff? E very
tim e I'v e tried, your fa ce has come
before me plain aa plain— tba w hits
fu ry o f it, the courage— O— d !
1
choke an' qu it try ln ’."
He w as looking at her eam * t .
and Sonya did not question a ward
be aald. Instead ah* smiled, and
the coldness le ft her heart In a rac
ing flood.
" I ’m gla d ." she aald. “ Didn't I t*U
you it waa never too 1st* to look
up? D idn't i r
" S u re you did, but that don't
meau anything In thla *'«•#. I m ju a tj
telling ,» u that your face Mopped
my liquor.“
"It'll slop a lot .if things for you.'
Ihe girl aald In * rusk and waa • •
tonlahed at hcradf.
"W hal do you m ean?" he aa aid
slowly.
“ I - oh. I don I know !" aald *»#
va. trem bling, “ only I know you »»
got to »lop atop lli*l Border »tuff
t hat you've got to change the loop
ard sp o ts "
"You." he aald. w elting hi* Hi*
a hlch had suddenly lost their color,
"you want me to do Hist?
"Yea." aald Sonya thickly, “ ye*
T h e n , by «J— d !" be aald through
his teeth. "I'll
What he meant to aay • • • »“ «
apparent, for at that moment ttiey
both heard » hat they »»*>1
lo°
trusvly strung to hear before th*
roar of a motor In the *hj A small
gray ship slipped d o * o directly over
thetr heads and dropped to a landing
on the deaert out beyond the man
took on# look, and reaching out an
arm. he pushed Sony* ami Itorhneae
back Into the cany«#'* m -uth. t u
d'Oro shielding them both.
Tb#
touch of his breaat again*! her
shoulder, the scent of him. tobacco
and a»eat. the nearness of hta bronae
cheek, sent a »#*# of weak nee#
over the girL
"Get b a c k h e reaped, "fo r th
love of heaven! «lo In deep, please,
an' «lon't come out till It s g« u *."
Then ha had struck hi* heels lo
1
1 4
4
T h rs a
T im s*
Kom athtng
tb* T r* n * ftr* n < *
ef
Preen
t*
tb *
Plan#
Un d'Oro'* gaddi* Ta«h Pises.
Ua d'Oro’a shining flank* and was
oat llks s flash acruaa the sand
For a moment Konya sat »here
he had left her, shaking aa « lib a
chill, bewildered and a little scared
What was this?
What had driven th* blood from
hta face?
And why did he go straight to
the plane if he waa frightened?
H ers was th* anawer to some of
her questions, that she knew la
•U nctively.
If only she could go
,C*Jt there h erse lf: She Could not
♦ veo dbv from where tmrkneaa
stood, so prompt and so efficient had
been his action. But s l a must see
Konya's lips set. a* they did when
aim faced a crisis for her skill, and
•he dismounted and. dropping Dark
neaa’ rein, went forw ard carefully
the few steps that separated her
from the sheer edge of the canyon's
mouth. T akin g off her hat she
carefu lly leaned slung ths r w k un
til her line o f vision reached tb*
open and the plan*. And what she
•*w bewildered her more than ahe
had been before.
T b * Blue eyed
on* was off L’ n d’Oro, and on* man
waa on the ground heald* him.
w hile another was bent down la the
a fter cockpit. This on* rot*. • • *h*
looked, and gave something to the
other, who In turn handed It to
th# rider.
And he, with car# and sw llU tea .
put U In his saddlebags,
r iu r e till" • the Iro iisfetelir* of
something front Ihe plan* tu I n
j l l r s i aodiile look ple<w I ilrii ||,e
•tranger dlBrtied nark tn lh* for
ward cockpit lit# plan*, w h lih had
never •lopped It* engine, roared a
moment, *lt*l along the *«nd a tittle
way. p u k ed up Its tall and I w k
„IT Ami l u d » 'ru waa loping aw ay,
headed for Ihe town.
After a long while M i j t rllaihed
i,a, g mi iM rknca* anti went soberly
h«ute. . ’be had much to think about
and » a s doing It with a vengeance
Fur one thing, why had the feet
,,f this man a arm across her breast,
the near neaa o f hta face, shot
through her au stran g e B re l
o n ce before bis arm had been
about
Iter, d ragging
her
from
I'arkneaa bach, hla fa re had been
r l.e e |o her*, and abe bad been
tilled with curb unbearable rage and
bate that alt* could have k illed him
on th* spot
What waa the m atter w ith her?
Where waa her ch aracter, her
principles,
her condem nation uf
• rung l
?o r that he • • • w r o n g all wrung
entirely «be bad not the slightest
doubt
W by did be meet a aky ship
here on thla h>nely deaert ? W!by waa
be afraid for her to be seen by Ha
occupant#?
W hat strange freigh t
had he taken from It and put •»
carefully In bla aaddtebaga»
And why she asked h erse lf again
should all Ibla weigh down her soul *
lirwvely. tn a a*>rt of rohl fear,
•be searched her inner depth*. and
what she dim ly saw ap p alled her
It waa hi* ryra, ahe t '..| heraelf
the look of hta eye* when be spoke
of tbeae thin gs
1 bey w ere deep
eye*, strange eyea, Sited with a wild
spirit, and under thla wtldneaa this
old devil may care w hich bad char
a. fr rtir d them, waa a,’met king ao
de*i«rate. so aniioUS, that Motiva
would b a te staked her life oa Its
truth.
Frightened to her fo u n la ti'h a
the girl straightened In her saddle
and lifted I'arkneaa Into bla stride
t i e would forget thla man. bla eyae
and bis banda and tb* beady la
t d lr a lio n of tb* aceoi o f him
Mb*
would a r ite to Bod tonight, a long
good letter.
T b * nest day M»by* went to town
to mail her letter.
Kb* fe ll very
virtuous and calm
A ll lb s strife
and unease o f lb * day before
had gone from her
Kb# had a r i l
ten d utifully to It«) and I dd him
*11 th« trivia l h a j;« n ir.y» of every
day that la. all but those pertain
tng to lb * rid -r ob the g*u tier,
bora*. Tbeae w ere o f too sm all lm
port. Bbe told b rrself, Wuuldb I lb
terrat him And baatdea, be wouldn't
understand
At the atoro Ur I'srk a
• aa urbanity ttaelf, bustling about
to wait on her. a rati tog unctuously
rubbing bla fat banda together
"Good ro o m in g .' abe told him p»
Misty.
"It • alw a y s * good morning. t*or
tor Konya." be aald rich ly, "w hen
a see you here. You A n I get down
too often.
You goln' to tb* dune*
over to tb' Netditngwra n est Mat'day
night? B ill I'lngle frota Big Tow n
an' tw o others la goto' to furnish
tb ’ mualr. Accordion a a' tw o Addle*
Ought to be good. T h in k you
folk a II gtt over?"
""b y.
yea."
aald
Konya.
"1
shouldn't wonder If w * d id
The
Neldlibgera a lw a y s have such biro
time« at thetr ra n ch
Ntr# people."
“ Mure are. An' lh ' n»*rw th' m et
rter. | a lw a y s aay."
In the room behind the store a
man stood a here Ike flrat sound of
Konya's voire bad stopped him T h e
rlg arette be had Just rolled hung un
•rated In bis Angers t'n tll the g irl
had gone out. until Ihe last sound
o f her feet oo th# boards had died
aw ay, until lh * apottrr and m a r o f
the old flivver I »warned In Ihe dla
fbhee. be rem ained ao.
T h en be
flung the rlg a re tte Into the refu se
barrel and went on out the bach
door.
•
a
a
•
•
a
a
Konya Xavartn loved the danesa
of tha region.
Although liquid rontrahan d flowed
freely, and tb# cowl«,ye from the up
per country aometlme* raised the
rafters with their bola*, th rre waa
w.«m h|„g ele,
........
of th e lonely 14*4
b ro u gh t tt,r lr
l b # Who l e f ami l y
l h . m u ra l . lira
»<*11 U n .
•o r # on. an,I
„a,
,h
J
" Uq
7 * * |'U n
* * n I.
r»M,
’ **» <ln**g
In a new q Z
»<*.« .p arkin ,g a lrrs.u
M
I lia , altoul.lvy . hJ ,
»« «be flour la the
"J
•plrtlig cowboy
1 * N
Kb# met l h , . . lma..
dancea. but ah.
*' %
one • and da
d a Seed
n ,«,) win,
“ •’
»’ **?
*»?
tier r. provided
r»r
r
,o
" * * * « • k .u
T i.'r i,
ertty
•he would
!,«tk sag
• h a le l a , „.j.
black
• lib Its *h I
......
€ ‘ '»FI#
«wntly. "N». m il,. 1
^ J' ■ »
bold y»u up
f ,.« . .n m a d í
t»»M U»u#\ „1
i,,„ N
rrely
,,7 9
ah.i
**r
And
young lu,,. „ „ „
'
b .- .i.d feet, would ,r , hr,
'*
that be w aahnt o r ., ar, fc|
knew bow she f . „ . tiu„
J*
dldn t blame h»r * |,:i M
.
bit. N either dm n..
wb..m ab* refused a Oao«. 1.
enough that atm
IWf# „ “
• I. Ihe moat Iwautital a ..» ,, ^
lh * country, l b . nigtm,.
“
•weelewt t„
|h#| #
could a .k for
I 1 aryuaa kaea g
her and h«r work aao.ag (fc#
Her little fame a a*
u '
land.
Ko Konya danced afcj „
and Itat.n .d t„ u«, , , . ^ ^
V lottos, the gay •- • »»diu*, #!,s
arm on thla Iran *h..<,i,|«t ^ lh,
and waa
rtfr.m « i| kappy
forgot It»* aovr-.w. . f ,w swig *4
lived her y»ulh to it, f«u
I ofgot Hod ttlak. and \ , f ^
rifjr «(it) the iiMo of
^
of t M r b ti« ! IfuubWrt k*f «f 4#
IJ U waa darning tag „ ^
Mert*. and llabe was , f**4y *n(
lo Ihe World on a tears la ;v* IBP
her. rover*,] a.th |
•
TW
mualr w as s a tin g av-rv ****
fu rio u s
And by the
, ttu
cam e aud-irnly into tor y ^
siatoo. a tail men, •)'m k ypej ^
g r a c e fu l
II* • • • In * ra rieba
and the a««rna| rigirrtlr kwa •
hla Unger«. Ha spiral of aaak, *
rending tn a tiny c t v a u kot ata
knew him loatantly
a * Ms*ey
the
a 'newt terribta IMS gat
through her from baad to !»
blurrin g her *?«•« a Ml. catckiaghv
thr»af with a little t*ia
Suddenly
tbe mualr chMgat
•»m e one yelled f’ aal J o t * - ,q
the r tr c ln g <■ ipi«* p ig * t n
colora la a ka>daar«g* ?Vt
strung out In a hogs oval ail tod
lag ba nds, and togas gatsg la as
right in time I« tn* lively tata 4
e b la tie blew and they took* s e t
each man taking tb* a m s i bass
dtatety facing him at tha a to m
bla at. and dancing a* auk ka
IVhlrte,! from tkia pair of ama b
that, break.ng alep, rst/kUg I
again, suiting her slap ta m l to
pa rtn er't, tb* girl fell aa if • ate
o f portent * • • hearing daas tod
her,
Mot»«thing • • • y-,tag to top
pen som eth,ng frrrlbto sad • *
d erfu l she waa afraid and a K
•ra te d • • ah* bad tieirf l e t fe Id
Ufa before and here he a u tW
la g tow ard bar la tke tim. A*
danced aa aha might ka»a In»«» la
would. Uke the eind hleatag la lw(
gra sa ab# could •** Ml* l* t) » »
w a ste d la and out la " s U i d F "
— and tb* wblatl* bla*. •*< *•«*
here, bofor* her
llr f kaa »*•
In hla. bU arm had g o# *M*’ **•
they w ere driBIng • * « , l«#Kk<r-
and ail lb# light* on lh#
•*"
running ti<«ther la • long bW
Konya held her braatk «M b<1
out la a b»ng atgh. and Wt m tM
tbo trem bling of hla »rto*
T?>en th . a Matt# ble* «f» » •*
a,tu« one el## bnd raugbt krrla»*
and ah# a an circling right - r t ***
In th# long oval
When Ib# OU¡*tr» **»
went d ltrlly t® »hete IJ¡# •*'
nlng her flushed rb*ek»
tJo»n
r-#t. to gather h*r»lf
•till lb * shameful lu»«* *
b ttrl
_^w
iTt) » • 00j r r u i v w
4