The Argosy, November 1908 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

BY BULLET PERSUASION. “TI am not uncomfortable. Has Her- nandez come? ”’ ra Yes ” “And gone again?” “No, he hasn’t gone again. He is in my house, wounded. We had a battle, and he was left behind, shot down. The Yaquis stole Namona.” “Oh! That is terrible.” “Yes, it’s bad enough,” I said. “ But what bothers me more than Namona just now is what to do with you. Don’t you want to come out?” ‘No, not now. I won’t trust Her- nandez. See, I am comfortable. WNa- mona is strong. She scooped out the place so the mound wouldn’t be so high, and then built around me. And you can feed me here.” “ But that’s all out of the question. What will you do nights?” “Why, I am safe enough nights. There are wolves, I know. But no wolf can get me here. And what else can I do? I can’t go home now.” “ But,” I said, trying to see the serious side only of this, but realizing that my beauty had strange ideas, “you can’t spend all the rest of your life here.” “But I can wait till Hernandez goes. Get rid of him as soon as you can, and then I will come out.” “And then what?” “TJ don’t know. I'll think about that while I’m here. I shall not return to my father to be sold like a horse or sheep.” “Are you sure you were being sold?” I asked, now rather out of patience. “Yes. The price was a share in a mine Hernandez had discovered.” “Are you thirsty?” “A little.” I had a small telescope drinking-cup I always carried with me, and the monastery had been built near a spring. The spring was still good, while the monastery was in ruins. I brought her a drink, and thrust it in through the opening among the adobe blocks. “Suppose I build a better place for you,” I said. “Or why not let me take you to some town where you have friends?” “No, no! Hernandez as I do. You don’t know Henrico He is almost as 585 powerful in the southern part of your California as he is in the northern part of ours. Get him off home, and [ll come out.” There was nothing to do but leave her. I knew she was safe enough. Human beings rarely passed that way, and the adobe pile that Namona had built was strong enough to resist any of the animals that might prowl near. And in fact, there were few of these. “Tl bring you some supper,” I said as I started off. ‘Very well, sezor. Don’t make too much trouble for yourself on my ac- count. I thank you for what you have done already.” CHAPTER V. ANOTHER UNWELCOME GUEST. TuHIs sort of thing wouldn’t do at all, I reflected as I trudged toward my house. A hole in the ground covered by a mound of old adobe blocks might do very well as a hiding-place for a young girl for a few hours in the daytime, but it certainly was no place for her to spend the night. And Hernandez was seriously wound- ed. The nearest doctor that I knew any- thing about was some fifteen miles away, and I doubted if he would come out to my farm for a wounded Mexican and a less seriously wounded half-breed. And, anyway, the day was drawing to a Close, and if I went for the doctor Miss Bonilla would have to remain in that place all night, which I did not propose to permit. I knew that if fever set in, as it very well might, Hernandez would be my guest longer than Miss Bonilla would care to remain in her queer hiding-place. But what to do? My nearest neighbor was five miles away on the east, and he lived alone with two Chinamen. Manifestly, this wasn’t the place for my refugee to go. Beyond him there was a little settle- ment, but from the little I had seen of the people I did not care to submit a girl as delicately reared and as refined as my quondam guest to their coarseness, and perhaps their insults. The nearest people I could feel any great amount of confidence in were comicloooks.corn