Mcallen Daily Press

LORENA HAMILTON, in the desert country of Arizona, to visit her uncle, meets SHOT ROGERS, one of the Phantom ranch cowboys at the railroad station.

JERRY DALE, college bred, is a new- comer to Phantom ranch, who has corresponded with Lorena.

YESTERDAY: Jerry finds Lorena. following her escape from the Mexicans, tells her the Brazees, her aunt and uncle, have been greatly worried since Rogers' horse, carrying her beaded bag, returned.

CHAPTER SEVEN

JERRY DALE didn't go back down trail to tell the posse that Lorena had been found. Instead, he put Midnight on a big mare and sent that black youngster. Midnight was delighted; thrilled with a sense of adventure and personal importance. He found the posse- swelled to nearly 20 men now, including Shot Rogers-nearing the Ghost river ford. They had stopped for a conference about dividing and combing the hills thoroughly for the missing girl or any tracks that might be a clew to her. They knew from the Negro's hallooing that he had news, even before he galloped up to them.

"What is it, Midnight?" George Brazee demanded sternly.

"Yassuh. whoo-wee, dis mare she sho can single-foot, Mistuh Brazee!"

"Where are you going? What is it? Have youhave they heard anything? Or-?" Mr. Brazee grasped the black lad's leg.

"Oh. Yassuh, a white lady done come in. Mistuh Jerry he took and 'brought her in on a hoss. suh."

"Is she hurt? Dead? Answer me, Midnight!"

The men had pressed close, staring intently at him. Midnight seemed to discover their presence then. and looked round-eyed from one to the other while answering slowly.

"Naw, suh. she ain't rightly dead, I reckon. But she don't look so pert. She-"

"She what?"

Shot Rogers snapped that question at him.

"What about her? Was she badly mistreated? Was she conscious?"

"Suh ?"

"I say, was she conscious? Could she--good guns. kid! Could she talk and see and hear and all?"

Midnight swallowed. White cowboys were strange people sometimes. he knew, But he sort of worshiped Mistuh Shot Rogers and wanted to please him.

"Mistuh Shot, I never asked nobody, to tell you de truf. But I reckon she wasn't 'sconcious none, I naw suh. Leastwavs, it didn't show none. far as I could see, but I wasn't-"

"Let's get going!" George Brazee interrupted. "I want to thank all of you men. I'll do it better when I have more time. I don't guess we'll need the outside help any longer, since she's found, but any of you who want to ride on with us is welcome, You're always welcome at the Phantom, as you know."

He led off, spurring immediately into a lazy. easy gallop. the pace which a good horse can maintain indefinitely. Without a word of discussion the entire troop filed after him. They were a bunch of determined men, some quite stern of face. all of them a bit weary from a full night in the saddle. bu, all deeply concerned with the trouble facing George Brazee.

Shot Rogers and some of the others clung near the mare that young Midnight was riding and sought to question the lad again.

"Has she been shot?" Rogers asked. "You sure she wasn't dead?"

"Aw. Mistuh Shot, vou all cain't hurraw me none, leastwavs not in daytime, suh! I knows you ali says it's ghosts in Ghost canyon and on Phantom ranch, but shuh!" Midnight was quite sophisticated about
it: one of the cowboys himself now "Listen. kid. I'm not hurrawing! I'm serious, can't you understand? Now answer me carefully--was she dead or not?"

"Ef she was. Mistuh Shot. den I sho seen a ghost in daytime! Whoo!"

"You mean-"

"She was walking along wid Miss Sally and Mistuh Jerry. He had his arm aroun' her, friendly like, and-"

"Why?"

"Suh?"

"Why did he have his arm around her? Was she-was he carrying her? Or helping her? Couldn't she talk?"

"Yas, suh. she was laughing and talking sweet talk to him. ontil Miss Sally sho rush out and cry."

"Um." murmured Shot Rogers then. He felt infinite relief. Four men had been killed in the recent Phantom ranch trouble with rustlers. It was inconceivable that a harmless girl. a stranger, should be harmed, but he had been responsible for sending her alone to the ranch from Blanco and he had been almost beside himself with worry.

"What happened to her. Midnight?" he went on. "That was a new horse of mine. all right. but he was trustworthy. And I saw she could ride. Did he throw her. or fall? Or what ?"

"I never asked nobody. Mistuh Shot, suh."

The matter stood that way until the troop of riders reined in at the Brazee home itself. Mrs, Brazee had heard them coming. When she ran out to greet her husband and his friends. they expected the worst. They didn't see Jerry Dale smiling happily on the porch.

"What is it. Sally?"' George Brazee demanded, calmly.

"George. she was kidnapped! By Mexicans!"

The men all were alert, not even dismounting. in their intense interest. Shot Rogers edged forward.

"Go on," George requested. "What happened?"

She gave every detail she knew, but hers was second-hand information and so presently Lorena herself was brought out to talk with them. A load seemed to be lifted off the men when they saw, not a corpse or near-dead person, but a bright and smiling young woman, exceptionally pretty. Lorena had eaten amazingly. topped the meal with two cups of coffee and two hours in bed. Bruises still ached but she felt good enough to ignore the pain.

She shook hands with every one of the men. adding special thanks to Rogers for his aid the day before, And then she had to face a siege of questioning which took nearly an hour.

"Well, sir." her Uncle George
remarked at last, "you pretty well done the only thing you could honey, but I don't know why you weren't killed when you jumped that cliff. I know the stretch river you mean. The wall's there. Must be 50 or 60 feet. You got some of your Aunt Sally's spunk!"

"I hit in the soft tree foliage I told you. And the sand was I counted on them before hand The men all were admiring her not for her looks alone, but for her nerve. The talk shifted, however to the kidnapers themselves.

"You say they talked about somebody named Luis Escobaro?" Shot Rogers asked.

"Yea, Mr. Rogers. It sounded like that-like Louise Ace-ko-bar.'"

"It's a man's name. Spanish Loo-ees, spelled L-u-i-s."

"Since those men were Mexicans," another rancher put in "bet they were in the gang responsible for your. cattle losses and the death of those men, George"

"No doubt," agreed Mr. Brazee.

"Oh, George!" Mrs. Brazee said then. "Can't something be done to stop it? I--we can't have people Lorena-anybody's life endangered this way! Can't we-"

"We can sure do something, Mrs. Brazee. ma'am!" an elderly rancher declared. "teli tide down thief in this country: If the law is unable to cope with them, we can do it ourselves."

"Certainly!" put in another "there aren't enough ranch men sheriff s deputies, we could even get a bunch of army cavalry to' There's men at Fort Huachuca"

"Hold on." said Shot Rogers earnestly. "Didn't I hear you once, Mr. Brazee. that you weren't sure where the line is? The line between the United States Mexico?"

"That's right, son. My ranch property goes right to the line cording to deed But it's awfully rugged and wild up there it rough hills. Even the surveyors were vague. No markers or anything It would cost a lot to have it resurveyed. and-"

"Unh-huhm." nodded Shot Rogers, "Well no.". another thing- Luis Escobar is no peanut rustler or border crook. He's a power in Mexico An ex-revolutionist trying another strong following: get into a political mess it brought soldiers: national diplomacy, and all that. It's a fight better all pitch in to help you but keep it as quiet and as much to ourselves as we can."

Nobody answered at once. Lorena, staring up at the mountain ranchmen, saw most of them nodding stolidly, earnestly. Some she sensed from their faces a premonition of action and danger to come,

(To Be Continued)