blood'--so the Good Book says."

"We believe that in theory but don't always practice it, as Carlitos and Pepito do," put in Mr. Eldridge, secretly amused at his sister's inward struggle to accept this relationship between her nephew and the little Mexican.

"Where're the horses we're to ride?" Peggy asked curiously after looking about on all sides. "Or are we going to ride in that oxcart over there?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I left the horses on up the road about twelve miles," Mr. Eldridge answered. "I've had the road repaired so you can drive the car to the foot of the mountain."

"Why, that's grand!" exclaimed both girls together. "Not that we don't like to ride horseback," added Jo Ann, "but we can travel so much faster in Jitters."

After many words of farewell Florence and her father drove off down the highway which led to the town farther into the interior where they lived.

In a few more minutes, Jo Ann was steering Jitters out of the village and into the road which led to the mine. She had only two other passengers now, as Carlitos insisted on riding on the horse with Pepito.

Just as she was about to pass a little shack on the outskirts of the village, she caught sight of an empty old Ford parked under a mesquite tree just off the road. She stared at it incredulously, then cried out a sharp, "Oh, there's that same car we----" She checked her words suddenly, swerving the car dangerously near an irrigation ditch at the side of the road.

"Mercy!" gasped Miss Prudence from the back seat. "What are you trying to do--turn us over?"

Jo Ann's face flamed with excitement and embarrassment.

"No'm," she said meekly as she drove on slowly. "I--I--really--I don't--see why I did such a silly trick."

Under cover of the car's noise, a little later, Peggy asked curiously, "What on earth made you so excited over seeing that old car?"

Jo Ann's voice was barely audible as she replied, "Because it was the car Florence and I saw hidden up in that gully in the desert. Smugglers."

"O-oh! Are you absolutely sure?"

Jo Ann nodded. "It had the same license number, and the radiator was bumped in exactly the same places."

 Prev. P 29/101 next