Frank Merriwell in Mexico: The Search for the Silver Palace — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

s Se | PRANK MERRIWELL IN MEXICO. | Ves; Bushnell may have recognized | So they mounted and rode away toward “him, although he did not seem to do so. coe that case, he has been here——”’ satisfied to do so without solving the mys- . **A nd that explains everything. ” tery of the remarkable disappearance. | Efe took the body away.to give it de-| plain, across which a cool and refreshing =e burial.’ | breath came from the distant mountains. -°$And we have had our trouble for) Frank kept his eyes open for danger, _ “Everything. 1 Darkness was falling heavily on the | | Mendoza, although Frank was far from _ nothing. ” more than half expecting to run upon a | By this time the native undertaker got) gang of bandits at any moment. As they “the drift of the talk, and set up a wail of|approached the town they began to ; Jaimentation and accusation. He had come, ' breathe easier, and, before long, they “all that distance at great expense to him-' were riding along the dusty toad ‘that led “self and great waste of time during which ! into the little town. — he might have been sleeping or smoking. | Entering Mendoza they found on each “It was robbery, robbery, robbery. It was | hand low buildings connected by long - like the Americanoes. He had a wife and) white adobe walls, against which grew “many—very many children depending on | prickly pears in abundance, running in “him. He -had been tricked by the Ameri-| straggling lines - away out upon the open canoes, and he would complain that he! country. : “had been cheated. They should be ar-; About the edges of the oe were Tittle | _ Tested ; they should be compelled to pay. fires, winking redly here and there, with ° >» “Qh, come your perch off, und gone, earthen pots which were balanced on took a fall to yournseluf!"’ cried Haus, in'smoldering embeis raked out from the disgust. ‘You gif me der lifer goni-| general mass. -blaint!” | : _ Withered and skinny old hags were _ The native ccntinued to wail and_ crooning over the pots, surrounded by lament and accuse them till Frank suc-; swarthy children and lazy men, who were ceeded in quieting him by paying him | watching the preparation of the evening three times as much as he would have’ meal. asked had the body been found in the Groups of peons, muffled to the eyes hut. The old fellow saw how he could with their serapes, were sitting with their make it appear as a clean case of decep-| backs to the adobe walls, apparently fast . tion on the part of the strangers, and he’ ‘asleep; but Frank noted that glittering- - worked his little game for all there was in: ‘black eyes peered out from between the it. Having received his money, he lost , | Serapes and the huts, and he had no doubt .no time in turning his cart about atid bat that many of the fellows would will- heading back toward Mendoza, evidently ingly cut a throat fora ridiculously sinall fearing the body might be found at last| sum of money. “cand forced upon him. | Within the town it was different. Al] “We'd better be going, too,’’ said Pro-| day the window-shutters had been closely | . fessor scotch. | | barred, but now they were flung wide, _ “That's right,” agreed Frank. ‘There | and the flash of dark eves OT the low is. no telling what danger we may en- i musical laugh of a senorita told that the --counter ¢ on the plain after nightfall.”? maidens who had lolled all the. hot day Vell, don’d let us peen all nighd apout were now astir. “ gedding a mofe on,’’ fluttered Hans,; Doors were flung wide, and houses - hastening toward the liotses. which at midday had seemed uninhabited COMmicao@oo® SS} co