by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XVIII JO ANN FINDS A WAY
Although Peggy had vowed she would never be able to close her eyes allnight with that prisoner in the house, she was so tired that she was notlong in dropping off to sleep. Exhausted by their exciting experiences,all three slept till late the next morning.
"For a welcome change," as Florence expressed it afterwards, MissPrudence had not wanted to get an early start to go somewhere or to dosome housework, and so had allowed them to drowse on undisturbed.
The first thing Jo Ann saw on waking was the smiling Maria carrying in atray of food.
As Maria set the tray on the small table between the beds, she remarked,"Miss Prudencia say you may have your breakfast in bed. You were sobrave--so good to help Manuel last night."
"_Muchas gracias_," replied Jo Ann, eying delightedly the golden toast,oranges, crisp brown bacon, and cups of steaming chocolate.
Peggy and Florence chimed in with their thanks; then Peggy put inquickly, "Florence, ask her if the prisoner is still in the house."
Florence promptly relayed this question.
Maria nodded. "_Si._ Jose watch good all night." She went on to add thatJose had just come into the kitchen and had said he wanted to tell thesenoritas something about Luis.
"Don't you know what it is?" Florence asked curiously.
"No. Miss Prudencia send me out of the kitchen then, and Jose leave."
"Is Jose going to the village to get the _rurales_ to come after Luisthis morning?"
"_Si._"
"Tell him when he comes back that we want to go with him. Tell him tohave the horses ready for us."
With a nod of assent Maria left the room.
Jo Ann began eating an orange, a thoughtful expression in her dark browneyes. A moment later she remarked, "I shouldn't wonder if that Luis washired by the smuggler to do all the damage he could."
"Why, what makes you think that?" asked Peggy in surprise. "You haven'tseen them together, have you?"
"No."
"And you've never seen that smuggler here again since that first time,have you?"
"No."
"Then why this sudden idea?"
"Because two men in the same small mining camp who have a grievanceagainst the mine owners would be likely to get together. They'd have acommon interest--to get even."
Peggy smiled. "Oh, you Miss Sherlock!"
"Your mentioning the smuggler reminds me that the pottery woman saidshe'd have the pottery ready for us today," put in Florence. "I want yougirls to help me select the finest pieces as samples to send to my friendin St. Louis for her curio shop. It'll be quite a job to get them packedright. I was in hopes Jose would have time to help me pack them. Hishaving to get the officers this morning might interfere."
"I don't think it will," Jo Ann replied. "Do you think you could get acrate in the village and pack your pottery there?"
"I doubt it. They've never shipped any pottery by train. I believe I'lltake the pottery to Jitters' House, and Jose can hunt up something aroundthere to make a crate out of."
By the time the girls had finished eating and had dressed in ridingoutfits, Jose was waiting for them with the horses.
As soon as they came out, Florence asked Jose what it was that he had totell them about the prisoner, Luis. After he had explained in a rapidflow of Spanish, Florence passed the news to the eager Jo Ann and Peggy."He said Luis had told him that some strange man had promised to give hima few _pesos_ if he would wreck the mine machinery. He believes, judgingby Luis's description, that this stranger was one of the men the potterywoman warned us about."
"So I guessed right," Jo Ann spoke up.
"It doesn't seem fair for Luis to get a prison sentence and for thesmuggler to go free," Peggy said, low-voiced, to Jo Ann.
"Both of those smugglers're going to get caught yet--you'll see." JoAnn's head bobbed up and down emphatically.
"Does that mean you're going to try to catch them?" Peggy asked, ananxious note in her voice.
"Wait and see," Jo Ann replied teasingly as she leaped on her horse.
On reaching the village Jose went in search of the officers while thegirls drove to the pottery woman's shack to buy the _ollas_ and vases.
With the greatest care Florence, with the girls' help, selected the mostartistic designs and shapes from the piles of pottery. "If my friendlikes these pieces as well's I do," she said, "I know she'll buyregularly from these villagers and take a large per cent of their output.They'll get ever so much more money, too, than they have been getting.We'll be doing them a good turn, as well as my friend."
At Jo Ann's urging Florence then began adroitly questioning the womanabout when she was expecting the men to come after the pottery this week.
"They send me word they come in two days," she replied.
"That'll be Friday, then," commented Jo Ann, who had caught the woman'swords.
After they had finished choosing the pieces of pottery, they packed themin the back of the car.
"I'd like to know where Jose's going to sit now," observed Peggy as shecrowded into the front seat with Jo Ann and Florence.
"He'll manage someway," Jo Ann smiled.
On reaching Pedro's store they found Jose waiting for them.
"Did you find the _rurales_?" Florence asked him.
"_Si_, I find two. They have gone to the mine to get Luis. They say theydo not need me to help."
"Good," Florence approved. "Now you can help me pack these _ollas_ andvases."
After Jose had squeezed into the back seat and they were driving off,Peggy remarked to Florence, "What puzzles me is how are you going to getthe pottery shipped after you get it packed? There's no railroad and notruck service here. Someone'll have to take it to the city. How're yougoing to get it to the city?"
"I thought we'd drive in ourselves if--if----"
"We can't let there be any ifs about it," broke in Jo Ann crisply. "We'vegot to get to the city tomorrow. I've got to get word to the mystery manto be on the lookout for the smugglers Friday."
"Couldn't you write to him?" Peggy asked.
"It wouldn't reach him in time. They take the mail in to the city everyother day. I asked at the store, and the mail's already been sent, and nomore'll be sent till Friday. That'd be too late."
"But Miss Prudence'll probably say 'nothing doing' when we tell her wewant to drive to the city," persisted Peggy. "She said she didn't likeriding in Jitters well enough to take another trip to the city soon."
"I heard her say yesterday that she had to have some more supplies--thatshe just couldn't keep house without a larger variety of food," Florenceremarked. "She said we'd all be having scurvy and beri-beri and all sortsof diseases if we didn't have a greater variety."
Jo Ann smiled. "That sounds good to me--not the diseases, of course.We'll tell her we'll bring her a load of good eats--fresh fruits andvegetables and anything she asks for. I'm going to get word to themystery man--or bust."
Both girls laughed, and Peggy added a moment later, "Puff out your cheeksand prepare to bust, Jo, 'cause Miss Prudence won't let you go."
"You underrate my persuasive powers, and you don't realize how tired sheis of preparing the same menus, day after day. I heard her say the otherday that about the only thing Pedro sold at his store was beans, beans,beans."
When they reached Jitters' House, Jose set to work at once to make acrate. The girls wrapped each piece of pottery with the paper they hadbrought for that purpose and carefully placed the smaller jars inside thelarger ones. When the crate was finished, they packed excelsior aroundthe jars and in every inch of space. That done, Jose carried the crateover to the house across the road, for safe-keeping.
With a wide smile Jo Ann remarked, "We'll have to get an early starttomorrow morning to take our crate to the city. We'll have to promise tomake the trip there and back in one day, I know."
When they were riding horseback on the mountain trail, they met the_rurales_ taking their
prisoner to the village. The girls urged theirhorses close to the cliff to allow room for them to pass on the narrowtrail.
After they had gone by, Jo Ann said gravely, "I hope it won't be longtill the smugglers are prison-bound, too. I believe this Luis was justtheir tool."
As soon as they had entered the house, the girls hunted up Miss Prudence,and Jo Ann told of their plan to take the pottery to the city the nextday and get supplies for her.
Miss Prudence pursed up her lips thoughtfully and remained silent forsome time before answering.
Jo Ann, with her usual impatience, could not stand this quiet andsuspense and began talking about the necessity of a more varied diet. "Weneed more fruit and vegetables to have a balanced diet, don't you think?Our home economics teacher told us at school that it was absolutelynecessary for us to get plenty of fruit, as most of it has vitamin B.It's that vitamin that makes our nerves normal and steady, she said."
Miss Prudence's lips relaxed into a whimsical smile. "Well, we certainlyneed our nerves steadied after last night's wild excitement." She grewgrave again. "I believe that Luis was trying to kill Ed and you girls."
Jo Ann did not stop to argue this point but kept to the diet question."If you'll make a list of the things you want, we'll have them here foryou tomorrow evening."
"Before dark?"
"Yes."
"Well, I hesitate to give my consent. Maybe I'd better go with you--but,no. I feel as if I ought to stay and nurse Manuel. Maria has no more ideathan a jay bird about how to take care of sick folks. Why, when I putsome rolls of bandage in the hot oven to sterilize this morning, shelooked at me as if she thought I was crazy!"
In spite of her hesitation, Jo Ann finally succeeded in persuading her tolet them go to the city.
"If you set the alarm clock for four-thirty and get up then, I believeyou can make the trip in one day," she said as the girls were about toleave. "Take my clock to your room." She reached over to the near-bytable, picked up her alarm clock, and set it to go off at that hourbefore handing it to Jo Ann.
It was hard for Jo Ann to keep from laughing, as she could see Florence'seyes twinkling, and Peggy holding her hand over her mouth to check hermirth.
At the first sound of the alarm the next morning, Jo Ann reached over andturned it off, then popped out of bed and began dressing. Florence rosealmost as promptly, but it required much persuasion from both of them toget Peggy out of bed.
"I'm not keen on this trip anyway, since we won't get to stay in the citytonight and promenade on the Plaza," she grumbled drowsily as she sat onthe edge of the bed, making no move to dress. "I'm not interested inseeing an old mystery man, as Jo Ann is."
"Only in handsome young Mexican ones," Jo Ann grinned. "Well, you maypass your smiling young Mexican on the street today."
"If I should, I'd look very romantic sitting in an old car packed with ahuge crate, now, wouldn't I? He'd think I was bringing chickens orsomething to market."
Both girls laughed at Peggy's disgusted tone.
"That reminds me," Jo Ann added, "that we must go straight to the marketas soon as we reach the city."
By the time they had dressed and had eaten a hurried breakfast, Jose waswaiting for them with the horses. To their surprise he rode on up thetrail with them.
"I didn't know you were going with us," Florence remarked to him.
"Miss Prudencia say I must take you to the village and go back for youthis afternoon."
"That's good. It might be late this evening before we get back, but we'recounting on getting back before dark."
As soon as they reached Jitters' House, they changed their clothes whileJose was putting the pottery crate into their car.
"Jitters is a picture now," Peggy remarked on coming out to the car.
"You'll be sure to see your handsome young man today," teased Jo Ann.
So interested were the girls in their plans for the day, as they drovethrough the village, that Jo Ann for once forgot to look over at thepottery woman's shack till after she had reached Pedro's store. "Dideither of you notice if the pottery was still piled up by the woman'shouse?" she asked.
Both shook their heads.
"I'm sure it must be still there. The woman seemed to be certain that themen weren't coming till tomorrow to get it. She said they'd sent her wordthis time."
As there was little travel on the road, Jo Ann was able to make goodtime. As usual, she had planned to let Florence drive when they nearedthe city.
"At the rate you're speeding, Jo," Florence remarked finally, "we'll bein town before we realize it."
Jo Ann laughed. "Speeding in Jitters? Impossible. That old car in frontof us isn't built for speeding, either. It's been keeping ahead at aboutthe same distance for the last hour."
"So I've noticed," said Peggy. "It must be of the same year's vintage asJitters."
"If she is, Jitters can beat her. I'm going to step on it and see if Ican't gain on her." With that Jo Ann stepped on the gas, and soon theircar was lessening the distance between it and the car ahead.
As they drew closer Jo Ann suddenly uttered an excited little cry.
"What's the matter?" queried Florence and Peggy together.
"That's the smugglers' car!"
"You're crazy, Jo!" ejaculated Peggy derisively.
"It can't be!" Florence cried.
"But it is! I'm positive it is."
"You're just guessing," retorted Peggy. "You can't tell from here."
"I'm going to pass that car, and you look hard, Florence, and see ifthose men aren't the smugglers and if it isn't piled full of pottery."
"Oh, don't, Jo," begged Peggy, now beginning to be afraid that Jo Annmight be right. "Don't try to pass it."
