by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER X THE INDEFINITE MANANA
As soon as Jo Ann woke the third morning after their trip to the village,she reminded Peggy that they must go back without fail today. "You knowFlorence said she'd either be there by noon, or that there'd be a lettertelling exactly when to expect her. It all depended, she said, on whichday her father had to go to the city."
Peggy half smiled. "That's not the only reason you want to go to thevillage. You want to get another look at those smugglers and get someinformation about them; now, don't you?"
"Yes. I want to be able to give the straight facts to the mystery man--ifI ever see him again. I want to find out how often those men come to thevillage--where they go on their trips farther into the interior--what itis they're smuggling--exactly what route they take on their way back tothe border, and----"
"What do you think you are--a glorified kind of Sherlock or a wholedetective agency?"
"Neither. Only I think we've bumped into a fascinating mystery that'sdaring us to solve it. I want to play safe, but if we can get anyinformation that'll aid in catching that band of smugglers and maybe helpkeep the mystery man from losing his life, I certainly want to get it."
"Well, don't get too venturesome. I've known you to get too enthusiasticabout your mystery-solving. One good thing, Jose will go with us to thevillage. He'll be our bodyguard without knowing it."
To the girls' relief Miss Prudence gave her permission for them toaccompany Jose to the village again. They were ready and waitingimpatiently for him several minutes before he appeared with the horsesand an extra pack burro.
"I'm afraid those smugglers'll have come for the pottery and gone beforewe get to the village, at this rate," Jo Ann fumed while she was waiting.
Peggy grinned. "So much the better for us. I, for one, never want to seethem."
"I've got to find out their plans some way or other."
As before, they rode down the mountain, then left their horses and theburro at the rough thatched shed where their car was stored.
"Let's give this shed a name," Peggy suggested as they climbed into thecar.
"All right," Jo Ann agreed. "How about calling it Jitters' House? That'swhat it is now. It's the first time the garage was so far away that I hadto ride horseback to get to it."
Peggy smiled. "Hereafter, then, this is Jitters' House."
On nearing the Mexican woman's shack Jo Ann began looking eagerly to seeif the pottery were still piled up beside it.
"Good!" she exclaimed. "The pottery's still there. That means the menhaven't----" She stopped in the middle of her sentence. Jose wasbeginning to understand English much better now that he was staying atMr. Eldridge's home, and so might be able to get an inkling of what shewas talking about.
As it was, Peggy understood, since Jo Ann had been worrying all the waydown the mountain lest the pottery and the men should be gone.
Jo Ann drove straight to Pedro's store, the scheduled meeting placeagain, as it had been the day they had all driven from the city. Therewas no sign of Florence's small trim figure to be seen outside the storeor inside.
"Maybe we're too early," Peggy suggested.
"We have to wait for the mail, anyway--it hasn't come yet, Pedro said,"Jo Ann replied. "If there isn't a letter from her, we'll know she'scoming and will wait till she appears. This delay suits me to a T."
"Don't I know it! You're just aching for those old smugglers to appearwhile we're here. I hope they don't."
Undisturbed, Jo Ann went on, "While we're waiting, let's you and me goback to that shack and find out if any of the family knows exactly whenthe men are coming after the pottery."
"We-ell, I s'pose there couldn't be any danger about asking a fewquestions."
Peggy climbed back into the car with Jo Ann, leaving Jose squatting onthe sidewalk smoking his corn-shuck cigarette and chatting with a groupof his peon friends.
When they stopped in front of the shack, they noticed a little dark-eyedgirl, the tallest of the stair-step children she had seen previously,standing close to the piles of pottery. Jo Ann promptly leaped out of thecar and walked over and began admiring the pottery.
"The _ollas_ are very beautiful," she said in her slow Spanish. "Did youhelp to decorate them?"
"_Si_, I fix this one." She picked up a small, brightly colored jar.
"It is lovely," admired Jo Ann. "You are very artistic."
The girl's black eyes shone, and two dimples twinkled in her olive-tintedcheeks at this praise.
After she had looked at the pottery a few minutes longer, Jo Ann askedhaltingly, "Do you know when the men are coming for your _ollas_?"
"_Si_," the girl nodded, her long black braids swaying with the motion."They tell my papa they come _manana_."
"_Manana_," Jo repeated to herself discouragedly. That was the mostindefinite word in the Spanish language. It might mean tomorrow, and itmight mean any time in months to come. "Do you mean Friday?" she asked.
"_Si_, Friday."
"What time?"
The girl shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe in the morning; maybe in theafternoon--I do not know."
"What time did they come last time they bought your pottery?"
The child shook her head. "I do not remember."
Just then the girl's mother appeared in the doorway and smiled broadly onrecognizing Jo Ann and Peggy.
Jo Ann walked over to the door and, after exchanging greetings with her,asked if she knew exactly when the men were coming after the pottery,ending, "Maybe they will sell me some more of your beautiful _ollas_ whenthey come."
The woman answered with the same gesture as had her daughter--a shrug ofher shoulders and, "I do not know."
"When do they usually come?" Jo Ann persisted.
"Last time they come about this hour. They stop at Pedro's store first;then they come here."
Jo Ann's eyes brightened. At last she had secured a bit of information.
As it turned out, this was the only piece forthcoming. Question afterquestion brought forth only the inevitable but expressive shrug of theshoulders.
Though she could see Jo Ann was discouraged, Peggy could not help smilingand asking teasingly, "Have you learned yet what this means?" She raisedher eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders in true Mexican style.
"Silly!" Jo Ann exploded. The next moment she grinned and replied, "Itmeans anything and everything. I'm going to cultivate that gesture myselfand use it when anyone tries to quiz me."
When they reached the store, the mail had arrived and in it a letter fromFlorence.
Jo Ann tore open the envelope quickly, glanced over the short note, andhanded it to Peggy, saying, "She'll be here tomorrow afternoon--and so'llwe be here." To herself she added that there might be two others whoprobably would not be very comfortable persons to have near.
