by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER VI A FAMILIAR FACE
It was with the keenest relief that Jo Ann managed to start the car anddrive away before the men appeared. She was not alone in feelingrelieved.
Florence's taut body relaxed, and she remarked, in a low tone, "That wasa narrow escape. If those men'd seen us, no telling----" She left hersentence unfinished.
Jo Ann nodded understandingly. Those men would have been more angry thanever if they had known that she and Florence had been listening to themand peeking into their car. It was too bad she and Florence couldn't havegot some water, but she would far rather run the risk of finding waterelsewhere than for those men to have discovered them there.
Florence seemed to have read her thoughts as she remarked the nextmoment, "Surely we'll be able to find some water soon. We've just got toget some before we go much farther."
The engine soon began to boil again, and Jo Ann was almost in despair."Now what'll we do?"
The next instant Florence cried excitedly, "There's a water carrier! Wecan get water from him."
"You mean that donkey cart jogging ahead there with the barrel on it?"
"Yes. The Mexican's carrying water to some ranch house or village, andmaybe we can get him to sell us some."
In a flurry of dust Jo Ann stopped the car beside the cart, and Florencecalled out in Spanish to the old wrinkled water carrier, "_Buenos tardes,senor_. Will you sell us a little water?"
At the sound of Florence's voice the lazy burro promptly stopped, and theman stood peering at them from under his big sombrero.
"See," Florence went on, "we need water for our car. Will you sell ussome?"
"_Muy bien._" He nodded his head and reached for the bucket Jo Ann washolding out to him.
"Thank my stars someone knows where to get water in this awful desert!"Miss Prudence exclaimed, feeling relieved at sight of the water. "Do yousuppose that is the only way the people have of getting water out here,Florence?"
"Probably so."
"Well, I'd certainly hate to live here! Imagine having to drink thatwater! And washing dishes and clothes in a thimbleful of water wouldn'tsuit me at all, either. I have the whole Atlantic Ocean right at the edgeof my home in Massachusetts."
Florence smiled at the contrast of life in the desert and on theseacoast.
After they had filled the radiator and their thermos jug with theprecious fluid, they drove off, the girls and Carlitos all calling asmiling "_adios_" to the water carrier.
A little later, at the old stone house on the edge of the village, theywere halted and their passports examined. As they were waiting for one ofthe men to look over the papers Carlitos and Florence talked in Spanishto the other man. Jo Ann half smiled to herself as she noticed MissPrudence's evident disapproval at seeing Carlitos's delight on findingsomeone with whom to speak Spanish.
Catching Jo Ann's expression, Miss Prudence remarked crisply, "I can'tget used to having a foreigner for a nephew. I have my doubts if he'llever get to be a genuine American."
"I wish I knew Spanish as well as he does. I love the language--it'sbeautiful," Jo Ann replied. "I'd be glad, if I were you, that he knowsit; maybe he'll soon be speaking English as easily as Spanish."
"I hope so."
As Jo Ann drove the car slowly through the narrow streets of the quaintold village, the girls gazed interestedly at the adobe and stone housesand the picturesque church with its bell tower. From behind half-closeddoors they caught glimpses of dark, eager faces peering at them. A momentlater the road sloped down an abrupt hill, and there was nothing to beseen but the bleak expanse of desert.
"There's a weird beauty about the desert," Peggy commented thoughtfullyto Florence as she gazed at the vast stretch of silvery grays and tawnybrowns which were rolled out before them and silhouetted against the deepblue of the sky.
"I've decided there's no spot on earth where there isn't beauty of somedescription. I agree with you that the desert has its share ofloveliness."
"And it has its share of washes and gullies too," spoke up Miss Prudenceas the car suddenly dipped into a deep cut which jolted them vigorouslyfrom side to side.
About an hour later, Carlitos suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, look--themountains! See, over there!"
The other four stared in the southwesterly direction in which he waspointing, and soon all were able to distinguish the low irregular purpleline of mountains.
"The sight of those mountains thrills me," declared Florence with ajoyous exultation that the other girls and Carlitos shared. "Just think!Back of that line there's another higher range, then another."
From then on they watched the mountains become more and more distinct,the deep purple changing into a soft, mauve-tinted gray, while thedistant ranges gradually came into view, their lofty majestic peakscloud-wreathed.
When at last they reached the main paved highway, Miss Prudence'sexpression brightened. "Thank my stars we're on a good road at last!"
"Oh boy! What a road!" cried Jo Ann as she turned into the smooth-pavedhighway.
The miles seemed to fly by, and almost before she realized it they hadreached the first mountain range and begun to climb the walled-in highwaywhich wound back and forth up the mountain side.
So intent was Jo Ann upon keeping the car close to the cliffs, she couldcatch only fleeting glimpses of the valley below and of the road beyondas it threaded its way higher and higher. The other four, however, hadplenty of time to drink in the majestic beauty of the scenery.
Several times Miss Prudence became alarmed over Jo Ann's ability tomanage Jitters and started to caution her, but each time Peggy broke inwith such warm praises of Jo Ann's driving that she subsided. "Jo neverlets her nerves run away with her," Peggy declared. "She always keeps herhead in emergencies, like the good scout that she is."
"She may be able to keep her nerves from running away, but can she keepthis old Ford from running amuck?" Miss Prudence came back sharply.
"Sure. Jitters is hitting on all four--humming along like a--well, maybenot like a Cadillac, exactly, but at least like a much better car."
In spite of Peggy's encouragement Miss Prudence did not cease to benervous till they reached a more level stretch.
When at last they came in sight of the city, the girls' and Carlitos'sexcitement reached the boiling point.
"Now I can speak de Spanish in de city," exulted Carlitos, oblivious ofMiss Prudence's frown.
"Oh, don't you hope the band plays tonight so we can promenade around thePlaza?" exclaimed Peggy. "That's the most fun! The lovely music--thosebeautiful dark-eyed senoritas--and, oh, those handsome men! Light of myeyes! Pride of my heart!" Peggy placed her hand over her heart in aridiculously exaggerated gesture that sent Florence into peals oflaughter.
Suddenly remembering that Peggy's exaggerated acting might have beenmisunderstood by Miss Prudence, Florence hastily checked her mirth andremarked, "Peggy doesn't mean anything by her raving. She's perfectlyharmless."
On nearing the outskirts of the city Miss Prudence suggested to Florencethat, as she was familiar with the hotels, she choose the best one anddrive directly to it. "When I say choose the best one, I mean the mostmodern one," she explained.
"There's a beautiful new one just built recently that I know you'lllike," Florence replied, then added, "I'd better drive the rest of theway, as I'm familiar with the city and the narrow one-way streets."
Jo Ann stopped the car saying, "I'm glad to turn the wheel over to you.I'd get all mixed up on the one-way streets and go in the wrong directionevery time, since all the signs are in Spanish."
With eyes eager and shining, the four young people viewed the streets,the shops and houses, and the crowds in the downtown section.
When Florence stopped the car in front of the city's most modern hotel,Miss Prudence went with Florence and Peggy to see about rooms while JoAnn stayed in the car with Carlitos.
A smiling little black-eyed Mexican newsboy ran up to the car to try tose
ll them a paper, and Carlitos promptly bought one; not that he wantedto read it, but because he wanted to talk to a real Mexican boy oncemore. He was still chatting with him in a lively flow of Spanish whenMiss Prudence came back. At first she frowned in disapproval, then beganto smile. "I might as well be resigned to having a little Mexican for anephew," she remarked to Jo Ann. "Carlitos loves Mexican people and theirlanguage."
"I do, too," Jo Ann replied. "Spanish is such a beautiful language, andthe people here--why, there aren't any friendlier, more smiling peopleanywhere in the world."
As soon as they had gone up to their cheerful, airy hotel rooms, bathedand dressed, it was time for supper. At Florence's suggestion they wentto an old restaurant with a more distinctive Mexican atmosphere andcookery than the hotel had. The girls, as well as Carlitos, thoroughlyenjoyed ordering from a menu card written in both Spanish and English.
Miss Prudence smiled whimsically as she glanced at the card and remarkedto Florence and Carlitos, "You two may order your food in Spanish, butnot I." Her smile suddenly disappeared on noticing the high prices:"Scrambled eggs--forty cents," she read. "Why, that's terrible!"
"But that's in Mexican money," laughed Florence. "That's only aboutthirteen cents in American."
Miss Prudence nodded. "O-oh! I see. I'd forgotten about that."
It was a delicious meal that the alert, polite waiter brought them, andeven Miss Prudence, who at first was dubious about Mexican cookery'scomparing favorably with New England's, praised it enthusiastically.
Florence and Carlitos, though, enjoyed it most of all.
"That _chocolate_ is the best I've had since I left Mexico last fall,"Florence declared, while Carlitos was all smiles over the _frijoles_ and_chile con carne_.
When they left the restaurant, it was twilight, and they could hear theband in the little park, or plaza, as it was called, playing an oldMexican air.
"Oh, let's go to the Plaza now and promenade!" exclaimed Peggy eagerly."I adore walking around and around the square with the crowds."
"Yes, let's," agreed Florence. "You want to go, too, don't you, Jo Ann?"
"Of course. I may let you girls do the strolling around while I sit onone of the spectators' benches and----"
"Pooh!" scoffed Peggy. "You're no Methuselah. You'll have to promenadetoo. When you're in Mexico, do as the Mexicans do, my dear." Realizingthat Miss Prudence had not given her consent to their plan, she beganexplaining how the Mexican girls walked slowly round and round thesquare, while the boys walked equally as slowly on the inside in theopposite direction, exchanging smiles and a few words now and then butnot stopping. "And chaperons! I never saw so many. You won't have seenMexico unless you see this scene."
Miss Prudence smiled. "That being the case, I'll have to go with you."
As soon as they had reached the Plaza, Miss Prudence and Carlitos foundseats, and the three girls joined the laughing, dark-eyed senoritas,mingling with them and feeling a warm kinship--a oneness with them.
Jo Ann, having been the one on the outside, found her attention centeredon the spectators sitting or standing near the curb rather than on theboys on the inside of the Plaza.
Just as she reached one of the corners, she caught a sudden glimpse of afamiliar face in the crowd in the background. Her heart leaped. There wasthe mystery man! The very man to whom she had listened in the hotel inHouston. Thank goodness, he hadn't lost his life!
As she slowed her steps to look over her shoulder at him to assureherself that she was not mistaken, Florence pulled her along saying, "Nofair stopping--you're blocking the line."
"Yes, but I just saw the mystery man on that corner, and I----"
"Jo! I declare you must have that man on your mind. You're probablyimagining that it's he. Someone resembling him, perhaps it was."
"No--no! It was he. When we get back around to that corner I'll point himout to you."
"Who's that you're going to point out, Jo?" broke in Peggy.
"The mystery man! I've just seen him. I wish you didn't have to keepgoing in the same direction."
Jo Ann could scarcely wait to get back to that corner. It seemed milesaround the square to her this time. When at last she reached the corneragain, she gazed eagerly about for the stalwart, keen-eyed stranger, buthe was not to be seen anywhere.
"Oh, shoot! He's gone!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "And I wanted to tellhim about those smugglers we saw back there in the desert."