Motion Picture Magazine (Aug 1917-Feb 1918)

86 CAPTAIN SUNLIGHT'S LAST RAID To anticipate the course of events a little, every house in the town was burned by the raiders.^ The general stores were plundered and assault after assault was made on the hotel, which was the center of a ring of fire. After the first wild charge, in which a number of Mexican raiders lost their lives, the battle was confined to a continuous interchange of shots. The tile roof prevented the Mexicans from firing the hotel, and the. old men, larger boys and some of the women kept them back from doors and windows by a continuous discharge. "There wont be no goin' back there for us," said Ned Bury as they stopped the car a moment. "Well, we've got a good car under us," said Twitchell. "There's no horse on earth can catch it, and the whole state of Texas is before us." "Gee, it'll be some ride !" said the boy. "You fellers 're in great luck," he added, turning to the Crompton boys, who had taken advantage of Twitchell's permission to jump in the car. "Yonder's the grove by the spring," he continued, pointing ahead. "Pray God she's there !" observed Twitchell, starting the car again. "Couldn't be nowheres else," said Ned, "unless she went out on the prairie, which aint likely in this heat. We'd have met her or seen her if she'd been a-comin' back to town. The spring's right under that thickest clump of trees in front of the little bluff." But Twitchell had already caught sight of the girl. She had been seated by the spring, a neglected book by her side, indulging in day-dreams. She was the most amazed girl on earth when she heard the car and saw it coming thru the trees. At first she did not know Twitchell, but as it drew nearer she at once recognized its driver. He stopped in front of her and leaped out. "I told you she'd be here," said Ned Bury, looking on; but Twitchell, paying no attention, ran to the girl and seized her in his arms. "Janet !" he cried. "Thank God you're here!" "Why, what's the matter?" For the moment, Twitchell had forgotten the errand which had been back of his dash eastward originally — forgotten it in the face of the greater peril in which they were all involved. "Captain Sunlight's band is raiding the town," he said. "We must go back at once," answered the girl. "It cant be done, miss; it's too late," interposed little Ned. "All the folks is shut up in the hotel, fightin' 'em," said the oldest Crompton boy. "And they're burnin' the town," added the other. "Those poor women and children!'5 exclaimed Janet, wringing her hands. "We cant abandon them !" "I think they're safe enough," said Twitchell. "I ran thru the band and got to the town ahead of them in time to give the people warning. They've telegraphed to Fort Maxey for the troops. The posse is certain to see it from the mountains and " "I cant desert them!" "What can you do ?" "You're a man. You can do something." "lean!" "What?" "Save you. There's no use talking further. I've got a car here that nothing in the State of Texas can touch and with it we're going to safety. There's only one question I'd like to ask: Am I saving you for another man ?" "Another man?" "Yes — what you said at the station about that cowboy." "You mean Jack Conway?" "If that's his name — yes." -Well— I " "Are you going to throw me down for a man you cant have known more than a month ?" "I've only known him one day — a few hours." "What?" "But he saved my life." "Does that give him a claim on you ?" "I dont know." "Because if it does I'm going to save it, too ; only I want to know whether I'm saving it for him or for myself." "And if it's for him, wouldn't you think it worth saving just the same?"