tly.

"You taught me pride of race," his son reminded him. "I merely desire
to improve our race by judicious selection when I mate. And, of
course, I'll have to love the woman I marry. And I do not love Anita
Sepulvida."

"She loves you," the old don had declared bluntly.

"Then she's playing in hard luck. Believe me, father, I'm no prig, but
I do realize the necessity for grafting a little gringo hustle to our
family tree. Consider the supergrandson you will have if you leave me
to follow my own desires in this matter. In him will be blended the
courtliness and chivalry of Spain, the imagery and romance and
belligerency of the Irish, the thrift and caution of the Scotch, and
the go-get-him-boy, knock-down-and-drag-out spirit of our own Uncle
Sam. Why, that's a combination you cannot improve upon!"

"I wish I could fall in love with some fine girl, marry her, and give
my father optical assurance, before he passes on, that the Farrel tribe
is not, like the mule, without pride of ancestry or hope of posterity,"
he mused; "but I'll be shot if I'll ever permit myself to fall in love
with the sort of woman I want until I know I have something more
tangible than love and kisses to offer her. About all I own in this
world is this old uniform and Panchito--and I'm getting home just in
time to prevent my father from selling him at auction for the benefit
of my estate. And since I'm going to chuck this uniform to-morrow and
give Panchito away the day after--by the gods of War, that girl gave me
a fright when she was trying to remember the name of old man Gonzales's
ranch! If it had been the Palomar instead of the Palomares! I might
be able to stand the sight of Japs on the Palomares end of the San
Gregorio, but on the Palomar--"

At four o'clock, when the train whistled for Sespe, he hurried back to
the observation-car to procure his baggage preparatory to alighting
from the train. The girl sat in the seat opposite his, and she looked
up at him now with friendly eyes.

"Would you care to leave your things in the car and entrust them to
father's man?" she queried. "We would be glad to take them in the
motor as far as the mission. My father suggested it," she added.

"Your father's a brick. I shall be happy to accept, thank you. Just
tell the chauffeur to leave them off in front of the mission and I'll
pick them up when I come over the trail from Sespe. I can make far
better time over the hills without this