CHAPTER XV

ANXIOUS MOMENTS

As soon as Miss Prudence and Carlitos were out of hearing distance, Florence asked eagerly, "Did you get to talk to the man, Jo?"

"Yes, and he was glad to get the information. He gave me his card. See? His name's Mr. Andrews, and I'm to write to him here in care of general delivery. I'll tell you all about it when we get back to the hotel."

In spite of this promise Jo Ann did not get an opportunity to recount this conversation till hours later.

After purchasing the sandals with much bargaining in true Mexican style, Jo Ann and the girls waited for some time at the fruit booth for Miss Prudence and Carlitos.

"I wonder what's happened to Miss Prudence and Carlitos to keep them so long," Florence said finally.

"I know Miss Prudence's not delayed by carrying on a conversation in Spanish with anyone," smiled Peggy. "She's like me--about the only words she knows are _cuanto_ and _adios_."

"Perhaps she's bargaining by the gesture method," added Jo Ann.

Several minutes later an anxious-faced Miss Prudence came hurrying up and asked, "Where's Carlitos? Have you seen him?"

"No," all three replied.

"Well, he's disappeared--was right by my side one minute--then the next he was gone. I've searched all around the market but can't find him."

"You've just missed each other in the crowds," Florence replied comfortingly. "You stay right here, and we three'll separate and go in different directions and meet here again. We'll find him."

Noticing an empty chair near by, Jo Ann moved the chair over to Miss Prudence's side and said, "Sit here and rest. I'm sure we girls can find him."

Wearily Miss Prudence sank down in the chair, and the girls started off to find Carlitos. Each took a different section of the building to search and wound in and out the maze of crowded passageways that divided the scores of booths.

After Jo Ann had made the rounds of her allotted part twice without seeing Carlitos, she started back to Miss Prudence, hoping that the other girls had found him. Peggy arrived almost the same moment, but she, too, was alone.

The worried frown on Miss Prudence's face deepened on seeing they had not found Carlitos.

"Florence'll find him: she's more familiar with this building," Jo Ann told her more confidently than she felt. Into her mind had darted the recollection of the harrowing experience they had once had when Carlitos had been kidnaped by the treacherous Mexican foreman. Just suppose he'd been kidnaped again! That one of those smugglers had stolen him to get even with her and Florence. That pottery woman had said they had threatened to get even some way.

Just as she had come to this painful point in her thoughts, Florence appeared--alone.

"No sign of him anywhere," she announced. "One man told me he'd seen a boy of his description going out a side door."

"Did he say this boy was alone?" Jo Ann asked anxiously.

"He didn't say." Florence had caught Jo Ann's emphasis on the word alone, and her heart began thumping rapidly. Did Jo Ann think someone might have kidnaped him again? The smugglers! Could they---- "I'll go back and ask that man if Carlitos was alone," she said.

She hurried back to find the man and returned a few moments later, saying in a disappointed voice, "He said he didn't notice whether he was alone or not."

"Maybe he got tired of waiting here and went back to the hotel," Jo Ann suggested.

"He might have," Miss Prudence replied. "Florence, tell the woman at this booth"--she gestured to the booth just back of them--"that if she sees an American boy looking for somebody to tell him we've gone to the hotel."

After another round of searching they left the market and drove back to the hotel. Florence parked the car near the side entrance, saying, "We'd better leave the car here handy, as we'll be leaving as soon as we can find Carlitos."

They hurried into the hotel, looked about the lobby, and then went up to their rooms. Carlitos was nowhere to be seen.

"I declare, I'm getting more and more worried--and thoroughly exasperated," Miss Prudence announced after looking in the last room.

"Wait here, Miss Prudence, and I'll run down to the lobby and ask the clerks at the desk if they've seen him," Jo Ann said hurriedly. "He might've left some message there."

"Well--I'll finish my packing while I'm waiting."

"I'll go with you, Jo," offered Florence and Peggy together.

On inquiring at the desk Jo Ann found that neither of the clerks had seen him.

As she was starting to turn away, one of the clerks summoned the porter who stood at the front entrance and asked him if he had seen Carlitos. To the girls' delight the porter nodded and replied that he thought he had seen him talking to a newsboy about half an hour ago.

The girls' faces brightened on hearing this, Jo Ann's especially, as she immediately recalled how fascinated Carlitos had been with a Mexican newsboy the first day they had arrived. After a quick "_Muchas gracias_" to the porter, the girls hurried out to the street, Jo Ann in the lead.

When they had walked only a short distance down the street, Jo Ann heard a newsboy's shrill cry in broken English. "Carlitos's voice!" she exclaimed. "I hear him!"

She rushed around the corner and stared across the street. There, a bag of newspapers slung across his shoulder, stood Carlitos selling a paper to an American.

"Can you beat that!" Peggy ejaculated, catching sight of Carlitos at the same time.

"Of all things!" Florence gasped.

They hastened across the street to his side. He greeted them half joyfully, half sheepishly; then, with a gesture to the grinning little Mexican newsboy beside him, he said, "I sell lots of papers for Diego. He say I very good 'cause I can speak de Spanish and de English."

"You may be good at selling papers, Carlitos," Jo Ann answered, "but you should've told your aunt Prudence where you were going. She's been worried stiff about you."

"Worried stiff--stiff," he repeated, puzzled.

"Badly worried--_mucho_. She's been afraid something terrible had happened to you. Come on to the hotel. We're leaving for the mine in a few minutes."

Reluctantly Carlitos parted with his newsboy friend.

As soon as they had brought Carlitos to the hotel room and Miss Prudence had delivered him a strong lecture, she urged them all to hurry and pack their few belongings and leave at once. "You know it's a long hard trip to the mine, and I certainly don't want to be riding horseback on that steep, rocky mountain trail after dark."

"We don't either," said Jo Ann quickly. "Florence and I had one experience riding in the mountains in the dark and through a terrible storm, too, and we don't want another, do we, Florence?"

"No, indeed."

After leaving the city Florence slipped over to let Jo Ann drive. "You're a better chauffeur than I am and always make better time. We must get back to the mine before dark, especially since we saw----"

She left her sentence unfinished, but Jo Ann knew that she meant the smuggler they had seen near the mine.

When they finally reached Jitters' House in the late afternoon, they found José waiting for them.

"I wonder why he happened to come?" Peggy remarked curiously on seeing him standing beside the shed. The next instant she realized that he must be uneasy because of the pottery woman's account of the smugglers' threats. "He's come as an extra protection for us," she thought.

"It's good of him," Jo Ann put in, and Florence added, "He's always thoughtful and kind."

Carlitos was delighted to see him. Another male was a welcome change after having to stay with women for two days. That was one reason he had felt that he must slip off with the newsboy awhile, though he couldn't have explained that in words. He was eager to tell José all about his trip, too.

Even Miss Prudence expressed appreciation of José's coming, adding, "He's as thoughtful as he can be."

Jo Ann was the first one of the group to finish changing into riding clothes. She hurried back to the shed where José was still waiting, as she was anxious to know how things had been running at the mine, and especially if he had seen anything of the smuggler hanging around. She had described the smuggler so carefully to him that he would be able to recognize him.

"Have you seen anything of that strange man while we've been gone?" she asked him.

To her relief José shook his head. "No."

"Everything all right?"

This time José shook his head more emphatically. "Ah--there was much trouble at the mine today." With many excited gestures he went on to tell her that one of the loaded tram-cars had got loose and had crashed down the mountain side, tearing up the track and causing much trouble. "Very much trouble," he repeated, shaking his head.

"What caused the car to break loose?"

José shrugged his shoulders expressively. "That I do not know. Me no _sabe_. Señor Eldridge say he no understand."

All at once the thought flashed into her mind that perhaps the smuggler was at the bottom of this accident. Maybe that was his way of getting even.