The Argosy, November 1908 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

596 friend of my husband, and, I fear, has loaned him money. Anyway, when Con- suelo came back from the United States, where she had been at school, Hernandez fell in love with her, or at least pretend- ed to, and wanted to marry her. Of course Consuelo is a beautiful girl. You saw that yourself, and I would be a strange mother if I did not know it and if I were not proud of the fact. “T resisted. To be frank, I do not like Hernandez any more than. Consuelo does. He is arrogant, cruel, and has many vices. I know that after the first romance has worn off my girl will not be happy with him. I prefer her to marry a good, honorable, young American, and she almost succeeded. ‘““ Hernandez is a wandering sort of man, even though he is rich, and his wanderings, instead of taking him to Eu- rope for educational travel, lead him among the Sierras in search of adventure. In some way he has won the friendship of the Yaquis, the worst type of Indian there is in Mexico. On one of his trips to the Sierras he discovered, or the Ya- quis disclosed to him, a mine. A ruby mine he calls it, and he has really shown us some wonderful rubies he claimed were taken from this mine. ‘For a time I succeeded in holding my husband with me in .opposition to Hernandez as a suitor for the hand of Consuelo, but Hernandez knew my hus- «band’s debts and offered him a share in the ruby mine if he would compel Con- suelo to become his wife. “My husband’s necessity was such that he yielded, and from being an opponent, he swung round to become an ardent ad- vocate of Hernandez. ‘As you know, my position as the wife of a Mexican gentleman is not the same as though I were the wife of an Ameri- can. I could do little to help the poor girl, although she cried herself sick. “On the night she ran away, my hus- band and Hernandez were talking over their plans. Although he is now in favor of having Consuelo marry Hernandez, he does not place implicit confidence in him. He rather doubted his large talk concerning the ruby mine. But Hernan- dez had convinced him so far that he agreed that the following night Con- suelo should be his bride. THE ARGOSY. “I knew that Consuelo was going away. In fact, I assisted her. It was wrong, perhaps, but what could I do? I am practically a prisoner myself. And I did not wish my daughter to suffer as I have seen others suffer at the hands of a wealthy Mexican. ‘“So she went away. You know bet- ter than I do what took place over the border. But when she was brought back by her father, Hernandez was delighted, and grew suddenly better. He wanted to be married at once, but my husband had grown suspicious concerning the mine. ‘““Hernandez insisted on being mar- ried, and my husband insisted on seeing the mine first. Hernandez would not go up into the Sierras and leave Con- suelo here, because he said you would come for her, and unless they were here you would take her away. ‘So they have gone to the mine some- where in the Sierras, and they have ta- ken Consuelo with them, And they took Namona along as her servant. “The trip is perfectly safe for them, for, as I say, Hernandez has great power over the Yaquis, and there are no other Indians in the Sierras. But it will not be safe for you.” “How long do you think they will be gone?” I asked. “T don’t know. If Hernandez proved that the ruby mine is there, he will proba- bly demand Consuelo at once.” ‘And if the ruby mine is not there?” “‘T shudder to think then what might happen. Hernandez is a desperate man, and the Yaquis will do his bidding. It is not impossible that a quarrel will en- sue, and when Mexicans quarrel—’”’ I knew what she meant. ““T have some Moquis with me, Mrs. Bonilla,” I said, ‘ and I am going to find Consuelo. The ceremony that was be- gun will be finished or bullets have lost the force of their argument.” ‘T like you,” she said, ‘‘ and I hope that you will rescue Consuelo from a man I hate.” CHAPTER XI. AN ATTACK. Ir did not take me long to rejoin Billy Barefoot and his Moquis, and the old comicloooks.conn