more
than courteous."

"Longorio has a bad reputation. I strongly advise against your going."

"Why, Judge, people are going and coming all the time! Mexico is
perfectly safe, and I know the country as well as I know Las Palmas."

"You'd better send some man."

"Whom can I send?" asked Alaire. "You know my situation."

The Judge considered a moment before replying. "I can't go, for I'm
busy in court. You could probably accomplish more than anybody else, if
Longorio will listen to reason, and, after all, you are a person of
such importance that I dare say you'd be safe. But it will be a hard
trip, and you won't know whether you are in Rebel or in Federal
territory."

"Well, people here are asking whether Texas is in the United States or
Mexico," Alaire said, lightly, "Sometimes I hardly know." After a
moment she continued: "Since you know everything and everybody, I
wonder if you ever met a David Law?"

Ellsworth nodded. "Tell me something about him."

"He asked me the same thing about you. Well, I haven't seen much of
Dave since he grew up, he's such a roamer."

"He said his parents were murdered by the Guadalupes."

The Judge looked up quickly; a queer, startled expression flitted over
his face. "Dave said that? He said both of them were killed?"

"Yes. Isn't it true?"

"Oh, Dave wouldn't lie. It happened a good many years ago, and
certainly they both met a violent end. I was instrumental in saving
what property Frank Law left, but it didn't last Dave very long. He's
right careless in money matters. Dave's a fine fellow in some
ways--most ways, I believe, but--" The Judge lost himself in frowning
meditation.

"I have never known you to damn a friend or a client with such faint
praise," said Alaire.

"Oh, I don't mean it that way. I'm almost like one of Dave's kin, and
I've been keenly interested in watching his traits develop. I'm
interested in heredity. I've watched it in Ed's case, for instance. If
you know the parents it's easy to read their children." Again he lapsed
into silence, nodding to himself. "Yes, Nature mixes her prescriptions
like any druggist. I'm glad you and Ed--have no babies."

Alaire murmured something unintelligible.

"And yet," the lawyer continued, "many people are cursed with an
inheritance as bad, or worse, than Ed's."

"What has that to do with Mr. Law?"

"Dave? Oh, nothing in particular. I was just--moralizing. It's a
privilege of age, my dear."

VI

A JOURN