THE MEXICAN ESCAPES
Mason’s heart beat violently as he held the dead weight of the girl in
his arms. Tenderly he laid her down and hastily made a pillow of his
coat to support her head. There was a spring close by and he filled
his hat with the cool water and bathed her temples. His efforts were
rewarded by a flutter of her eyelids just as Scotty came up and joined
them. With a little gasp the girl rose weakly to her feet and stared
with dilated eyes at Powers. He was lying on the ground with both
hands clutched to his side and groaning.
“Is he dying?” The girl motioned the question to them with dry lips.
“He’s turned his last trick,” Scotty answered, grimly. “The bullet
struck him in a vital spot. I had him covered for over five minutes,
but didn’t dare fire for fear of hitting you.”
Josephine gave him a grateful look.
“I want to thank you both for saving my life,” she said in a voice
deep with emotion.
Scotty mumbled something under his breath and seemed pleased at her
praise, while Mason silently pressed her offered hand, his voice too
full for words.
“Come, take me home,” she requested with a shudder, after glancing
again at Powers.
The outlaw breathed his last just as they were taking their departure.
They planned to send Bud and his men back to look after the removal of
his body.
“Powers got his just desert,” was Scotty’s comment, as they made their
way down the gorge.
Josephine gradually threw off the feeling of depression which had
seized her. When they reached the trail leading out of the gorge, she
saw her own favorite horse, Fleet. He was quietly grazing where Mason
had left him. With a glad cry the girl ran up to him, and throwing her
arms around his neck gave him a regular bear hug.
Fleet seemed equally pleased to see his mistress and voiced his
appreciation with a low whinny of delight. Scotty insisted on having
Mason ride his horse while the Scot rode the horse that Josephine had
ridden at the time of her capture by the outlaws.
The girl was in high spirits again by this time, and lightly springing
into the saddle started Fleet towards home. She rode slowly while she
related her experiences with the outlaws from the time of her capture.
Scotty, in turn, explained how he came to arrive in time to put an end
to the outlaw’s career.
He had miscalculated his horse’s speed and in making a wide detour had
got far in the outlaw’s rear. Hearing only faint sounds of firing he
determined to search for Josephine while waiting for the cowboys to
come up. He had left his horse at the bottom of a deep gorge and
started to climb a trail that led to a high plateau where he hoped to
get a better view of the locality. He had made the summit and climbed
up on a huge boulder when his startled eyes took in the scene already
described.
“My finger itched when I drew down on that cutthroat, but he had you
swung in front of him and I had to wait my chance,” Scotty concluded,
addressing Josephine.
Mason told Scotty of his part in the chase, and as they were now
nearing the spot where the Mexican had fallen the two men rode in
advance as there was a chance of the halfbreed showing fight if he had
not been wounded seriously. Mason had no idea how badly he had been
hurt, for he had paid little attention to him in his mad dash after
Powers. Mason pointed out the spot to Scotty where the Mexican had
fallen, but they could see no trace of him.
Josephine, who had drawn up to the group while they were discussing
the possible escape of the halfbreed, suddenly remarked:
“Here comes Bud with Joe and the rest of the cowboys.”
The cowboys saw them at about the same time and with a rush and roar,
bore swiftly down upon them.
There was an excited clamor of voices as the cowboys dismounted and
rushed up to Josephine to shake her hand, each man with hat off and
expressing his pleasure at her safe return in his own characteristic
way.
Mason and Scotty came in for a generous round of hand-shaking and
glory from the cowboys when Josephine told them of their part in her
rescue.
Mason walked away from the group of cowboys and sought out Bud, to
whom Josephine had immediately gone after greeting the cowboys.
Bud had been wounded in the shoulder and the girl was giving him a
scolding for not having gone home at once to have his wound attended
to. She was adjusting a crude bandage for him and it gave Mason a
sharp pang as he realized that she was gravely concerned over Bud’s
welfare. Mason briefly outlined the result of his chase to him, and of
the possible escape of the halfbreed. Bud listened quietly until he
had finished, then his jaws came together with a snap.
“You and Scotty take the girl home, and the men will stay here with me
while we clean up and look into the matter of the halfbreed,” he
directed Mason.
Josephine uttered a cry of protest.
“You’re not coming with us?” she asked in a pained voice.
“No,” Bud answered with an air of finality. “We have got some work to
do here before we go and I want to see it through.”
Mason admired the grit of the man, for he reasoned that he must be
suffering tortures from his wound by this time. The girl gave a sigh
as Bud stalked off to give orders to his men, and Mason, watching her,
felt convinced that she was in love with her father’s foreman. Soon,
Scotty rode toward them on a fresh horse and they set a fast pace for
home with Josephine leading and having little to say.
They arrived at the ranch in due time, and Mason had to turn his head
away at the touching scene, when the girl burst into the house and
into her mother’s arms. They were laughing and crying in the same
breath, and the father had his arms around the two, wife and daughter.
The next minute the girl was romping with her dog Rover, and calling
him endearing names. A tear glistened on the ranch owner’s cheek as he
silently wrung Mason’s hand when Josephine told of his part in her
rescue.
That night when Bud and his men returned, they reported that they
could find no trace of the halfbreed. They believed that the Mexican
with his wide knowledge of the mountains had probably escaped to some
retreat.
A few days of rest and quiet were indulged in by the men who had
followed the trail of the outlaws so determinedly.
One fine morning, Mason, who had found a shady spot on the porch and
had lazily stretched himself out for a nap, found his plans rudely
shattered by the mistress of the ranch herself. She came running out
of the house and stood surveying him with an air of severity.
“I would like to know, Sir Jack, if you are in the habit of breaking
your promises,” she demanded, trying to keep her look of severity
while pointing an accusing finger at him.
Mason looked up at her in astonishment. “Why, Josephine, I don’t know
what you are driving at,” he answered with a blank look. He thought he
had never seen her look as pretty as she did this morning. She stood
before him, her eyes fairly dancing with fun.
“Then, Sir, I will refresh your memory,” she began with increasing
severity. “Did you or did you not promise me long, long ago to take me
for a ride in that fast racing car of yours?”
Mason sprang to his feet.
“What a dunce I’ve been, Josephine,” he exclaimed. “We’ll go for a
ride this very morning. What do you say?”
“I’ll say, I’ll go,” she answered with a happy laugh and ran to tell
her mother.
Mason backed the trim racer out of the shed and had the motor running
smoothly by the time Josephine rejoined him.
“My, but you make a lot of smoke and noise,” she cried, putting her
fingers to her ears.
“Just racing the engine a little,” he explained, as the girl bent over
to watch him adjust the gas mixture. “Jump in, we’ve picked as fine a
morning as you’ll find in these parts,” he added gaily, as he lifted
her into the seat with strong arms.
It was an ideal morning with a cool and gentle breeze blowing. Mason
let the car out at high speed for several miles, then slowing down a
little he turned and looked curiously at the girl beside him. She had
not uttered a sound, but sat with parted lips smiling in contentment.
Her golden hair blown and tumbled by the wind, and her blue-gray eyes
sparkling with the joy of life and health, made her a most bewitching
picture.
If she only knew how well he loved her, but with the thought came the
image of Anderson who had first claim on her. He gripped the wheel
savagely, a frown on his face. The girl was snuggled deep in the
cushions.
“Oh, but this ride is fine,” she said in a low voice. Then noticing
his frown she added quickly:
“What is the trouble, Sir Jack, didn’t your breakfast set well this
morning?”
“Breakfast is the least of my troubles,” he answered, forcing a smile
as he slowed the car down to about fifteen miles per hour.
He had much to say to her this morning, and had determined to tell her
of his love. Josephine was rearranging her tumbled hair with deft
fingers while watching him with an amused smile.
“There,” she said, putting the finishing touches to a rebellious curl.
“I hope I look more presentable. You drove like a regular savage, Sir
Jack, and you looked like a fiend a minute ago. Now, I can’t see why
you should have any troubles, you are getting along fine out here.
Perhaps you are worrying about that letter your father wrote to you
about Ricker.”
She was regarding him with troubled eyes now, and he thought he
detected a tender light in them. He longed to take her in his arms and
cover her face with kisses, but crushed the thought out of his mind
with a groan.
“Yes, that is one thing that bothers me, and by the way, I received a
letter from mother; she and my sister will be out here in a few days,”
his voice was steady and sure now.
“Oh, won’t that be grand?” she cried in delight. “I am very anxious to
meet your mother and sister, Sir Jack.”
“Sis is a good kid, and I think you will like her. She is about your
age, Josephine.”
“Oh, I know I will like your mother and sister just from what you have
told me of them. Now, what other troubles have you got, if you can
call your mother and sister a trouble?” She was leaning slightly
toward him with a half smile mingled with a look of severity on her
face.
He shifted uneasily in his seat.
“You have a regular lawyer’s way of pinning a man down to a question,”
he said at last.
“Does the truth hurt?”
He had driven the car to one side of the trail and stopped the engine.
“Josephine!” Mason turned and faced her.
“Little girl,” he began and imprisoned both her hands. “It is you that
is troubling me. Before I came out here I had been leading a fast
life, and had seen bad girls and nice girls, but I never cared for any
of them. I know, now, that I love you, Josephine, and I will tell you
how I came to know the truth. I admired you from the first time we
met, but it took another man to awaken me to the truth; I guess you
know who I mean, his name is Anderson and I know you care for him.
Please tell me, dear, if I have a chance.”
“I—I—don’t—just know,” Josephine faltered faintly. “I will think it
over.”
“You give me a little hope, then?” he cried eagerly. “I won’t bother
you about it again to-day, but may I have your permission to tell you
how much I love you, some other time?”
“Yes,” she answered gently, “but come, Sir Jack, it’s not nice of you
to keep me here all day; we started for Trader’s Post, you know.”
“Really, I had almost forgotten,” he said with a happy boyish laugh,
“but we’re nearly there now. Sit tight and I’ll have you there in a
jiffy, and then we will take the long road back.”
“But not quite so fast as you drove before, besides you promised to
teach me how to drive,” she demurred, smiling at him naïvely.
Mason let the car out at a reasonable road speed and soon the
outbuildings of Trader’s Post came into view. A moment later he drove
up to the general store where Josephine wished to do some trading.
“This is the place where you rescued the fair Waneda,” she reminded
him.
His face reddened.
“I still think the Spanish girl was made an innocent tool by Ricker’s
gang and didn’t know what her message contained,” he answered in
defence.
Josephine had one foot on the running board and flashed a tantalizing
smile up at him.
“See if you can keep out of trouble, Sir Jack, while I am in the
store. I will try to be quick,” and with a wave of her hand she
disappeared inside.
Mason grinned broadly.
“If she is like most women when they go shopping, I will have some
wait,” he mused to himself.
Swinging around in his seat he took to watching the four corners or
common, which was all Trader’s Post could boast of.
There were a few people in sight, mostly cowboys, and as he looked,
the only hotel in the place came under his observation. Suddenly he
sat up stiff and straight, staring hard at the hotel porch. He had
made out the figure of MacNutt and he was staggering with locked arms
around another cowboy, who was maudlin drunk, and the other cowboy was
from Ricker’s ranch!
A low whistle escaped his lips. All his former distrust for this man
who called himself MacNutt came back to him with double force. He
resolved to denounce MacNutt to the owner of Bar X when he got back to
the ranch. He was interrupted in his meditations by Josephine. She
came hurrying out of the store with her arms full of bundles and
deposited them at his feet with a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t keep you waiting very long, did I?” she asked a little
anxiously.
“Yes, I mean no,” he replied absently, still keeping his eyes on the
two men.
“What are you staring at?” she questioned.
“Jump in and I will explain to you when we get under way,” he said,
starting the car in motion.
“It’s about that man MacNutt,” he confided to her. “While you were in
the store I happened to look over to the hotel, and there was MacNutt
talking with one of the cowboys from the Ricker ranch. I never quite
trusted the fellow from the start, and it looks mighty suspicious to
see him mixing with that bunch.”
“It does look peculiar,” Josephine answered gravely. “He knows the
Ricker crowd are enemies of my father. I don’t see what MacNutt would
want of them.”
“Well, don’t worry your pretty head about it, and I will take the
matter up with your father when we get back to the ranch. We are out
on a pleasure trip to-day and I am going to teach you how to run this
car before we get home.”
“You talk very confidently.”
“Is my confidence misplaced?”
She laughed easily.
“I never met a man like you before.”
“Nor have I ever met a girl like you before,” he returned instantly.
“Oh, come now, you will be trying to make love to me in another
minute, and you promised to be good for the rest of the day. What is
that thing-ama-jig on the dashboard?”
“That’s the instrument board,” he corrected her, “and what you are
pointing at is the speedometer.”
Then he explained the various workings of the instruments to her. They
had reached a part of the country that was clear and level for miles,
and Mason let the trim racer dart ahead in a fresh burst of speed.
Josephine had her eyes glued on the dial indicator and as the hand
crept slowly up she saw that they had attained a speed of over fifty
miles per hour.
“Slow down,” she managed to gasp, “I can’t talk to you when you drive
so fast.”
He obediently slowed the car down.
“I can promise you some exciting times when my friend Roy Purvis gets
here,” he said after a long silence.
“Roy Purvis,” she repeated after him, “I never heard you mention that
name before.”
“He is an old friend of mine and we used to race together before he
went in for aviation. He promised me just before I left New York that
he would visit me out here.”
Little did they know what a thrilling part Roy Purvis and his airplane
was to play in their future lives.
The girl was deeply interested in what Mason had told her.
“That will be jolly fun,” her eyes were keenly enthusiastic. “I have
never seen an airplane, I hope he comes soon.”
Mason nodded.
“Roy is very eccentric, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out
here any time.”
On the way home he stopped the car and let Josephine take his seat
while he instructed her in driving. Soon she was driving the racer
almost as skillfully as he.
After about an hour she became tired and he relieved her at the wheel.
“You have accomplished wonders with your first lesson,” he told her
with honest conviction in his voice. “I am truly proud of you.”
“I am very glad you think so, and if you will take me out again some
time, I think I can do still better.” He fancied there was just the
suspicion of an appeal in her voice.
“The pleasure will be all mine,” he answered gallantly.
They were nearing the ranch now, and just as they rode past the corral
they were surprised to see MacNutt throwing a blanket over his
sweat-reeked horse.
Apparently he had ridden faster and by taking a shorter route had
arrived just ahead of them.