The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

98 it was printed three words: “ Not This Time.” Just what the message meant Nancy could not determine; but there was some- thing ominous and menacing in its mys- tery which caused her heart to sink. Her courage revived a moment later, however, when she heard a cheerful Irish voice outside chanting with more energy and good will than perfect harmony the cho- rus of ‘“ The Low-Backed Car.”’ Again she ran to the door, and to her joy saw Patrick Moran striding up the trail. A burlap sack of supplies was slung over his sturdy shoulders. “What has happened to you, Pat- rick?” she called, running forward to meet him. He swung the sack from his shoulders to the ground before he attempted to an- swer her. “T’m not sure, meself, miss,’ he re- plied; “ but this I know, there was some black work done the same now. I came to in Esperanza Hospital, and whin no one was lookin’, early this morning, I got out and started back as fast as me legs would carry me. Did the pony come back?” he asked anxiously. She shook her head. ‘“ I have not seen him.” ‘Perhaps the little baste wint to the corral himself. He was wise enough to,” responded Moran hopefully. “Tl go and look.” A moment later a cheerful shout from the corral told that he had found the horse. “ There he was, standin’ by the bars, as quiet as a lamb,” he told Nancy a few minutes later. ‘West Symmonds and his crowd may be smart enough to get the old man, but they'll be after going some when they get away with that pony.” “ Oh, but it is good to see you again!” exclaimed Nancy. “ You cannot imagine how I worried for you. After break- fast I have a lot to tell you. When you go to your shack you will find a stranger there. His name is Gerard - out for a while. THE ARGOSY. Derby, and when I have told you about him, you will know what a friend he has been. I will have breakfast ready in half an hour, and then we can exchange stories at length.” Patrick carried the sack of supplies in- side, and then stepped over to his shack to wake the newcomer. CHAPTER VI.- RINGED WITH UNSEEN FOES. “"T ELL me, Moran,” said Derby the next morning, “if Symmonds is such a bad hombre as he seems to be, why has he taken such half-way meas- ures? Why, when he must have had a thousand chances to do you up for good, hasn’t he done so?” Moran puckered his grizzled eyebrows and stared at the bowl of the pipe he was filling. “ That’s after puzzling me, too,” he said. ‘But whin I see a cat refusin’ cream I know there’s a reason, and it’s generally that she don’t want to be seen taking it. I reckon there must be some such reason why Symmonds don’t want to come into any undue notice at present. And it’s a hundred dollars to two bits I know why. ‘The mail-coach was held up over at Vedas a while since and there was some one as got about twenty thousand dollars out of it. They say as how the U. S. Secret Service men has been getting kind of busy round the neighborhood, and any one who was on that little job would be wise to kape good from the skin Any deaths round here for a spell has got to look accidental.” Breakfast over, Patrick and Derby went down to the gulch to work on the tunnel which had been started in the side hill, as without hoisting machinery a shaft had been impossible. Nancy begged to be allowed to come and help them; but Gerard persuaded her that it was not necessary. ‘Miss Gale,” he said, “ we have got COPMICOOOKS (C@)