g
under the roof of the _Casa primero_.

It was late in the day when the lieutenant awoke to find Don Ramon,
Jr., ready to welcome and join in furnishing any details unknown to
his mother. The commercial instincts of the young man sided with the
Rangers, but the mother--thank God!--knew no such impulses and thought
of nothing save the return of her husband, the father of her brood.
The officer considered only duty--being an unknown quantity to him.
He assured his hostess that if she would confide in them, her husband
would be returned to her with all dispatch. Concealing such things
as he considered advisable from both mother and son, he outlined his
plans. At the appointed time and place the money should be paid over
and the compact adhered to to the letter. He reserved to himself and
company, however, to furnish any red light necessary.

An hour after dark, a messenger, Don Ramon, Jr., and five Rangers set
out to fulfill all contracts pending and understood. The abandoned
ranchita in the _monte_--the meeting point--had been at one time a
stone house of some pretensions, where had formerly lived its builder,
a wealthy, eccentric recluse. It had in previous years, however, been
burned, so that now only crumbling walls remained, a gloomy, isolated,
though picturesque ruin, standing in an opening several acres in
extent, while trails, once in use, led to and from it.

When the party arrived within two miles of the meeting point, an
hour in advance of the appointed time, a halt was called. Under the
direction of the lieutenant, the son and his companion were to proceed
by an old trail, forsaking the regular pathway leading from Agua Dulce
to the old ranch. The Ranger squad tied their horses and followed a
respectful distance behind, near enough, however, to hear in case any
guards might halt them. They were carefully cautioned not even to let
Don Ramon, if he were present, know that rescue from another quarter
was at hand. When the two sighted the ruin they noticed a dim light
within the walls. Then, without a single challenge, they dashed up to
the old house, amid a clatter of hoofs, and shouts of welcome from the
bandits.

The messengers were unarmed, and once inside the house were made
prisoners, ironed, and ordered into a corner, where crouched Don Ramon
Mora, now enfeebled by mental racking and physical abuse. The meeting
of father and son will be spared the reader, yet in the young man's
heart was a hope that he