The Project Gutenberg eBook, Crossed Trails in Mexico, by Nell Virginia Fairfax and Helen Allan Ripley

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Title: Crossed Trails in Mexico

Mexican Mystery Stories #3

Author: Nell Virginia Fairfax and Helen Allan Ripley

Release Date: November 1, 2013 [eBook #44061]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CROSSED TRAILS IN MEXICO***

E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
(http://www.pgdp.net)

CROSSED TRAILS
IN
MEXICO

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HELEN RANDOLPH

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A. L. BURT COMPANY, Publishers
New York Chicago

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. “I’m Afraid I’m Going to Lose My Life” 7

II. The Mystery Man 19

III. The Hitch-Hiker 29

IV. Pressing Difficulties 38

V. The Hidden Car 51

VI. A Familiar Face 63

VII. “We Must Get an Early Start” 78

VIII. At the Mine 90

IX. Miss Prudence’s Cleaning Spree 100

X. The Indefinite Mañana 111

XI. The Secret of the Olla 119

XII. Heading for Trouble 127

XIII. The Pottery Woman’s Warning 139

XIV. Jo Ann’s Search 148

XV. Anxious Moments 161

XVI. Down the Mine Shaft 177

XVII. In the Darkness 189

XVIII. Jo Ann Finds a Way 200

XIX. An Exciting Race 216

XX. More Troubles 229

XXI. Welcome Guests 243

CHAPTER I
“I’M AFRAID I’M GOING TO LOSE MY LIFE”

Peggy nudged Jo Ann and pointed to the sign ahead: “Speed limit, 80 miles.”

Jo Ann’s dark brown eyes twinkled. “It’s plain to see we’re out in the Texas open now—the wide open.”

“Too bad poor old Jitters can’t accept the invitation to do eighty. She’s doing well when she makes forty or fifty. But even if she could go faster, Florence wouldn’t let her.” Peggy gestured toward the small, trim, fair-haired girl at the wheel.

“Florence has lived in Mexico so long that she’s slow but sure like the Mexicans. She’s always saying, ‘Why the great rush? There’s plenty of time!’ If I were driving, now—” Jo Ann nodded her mop of unruly black curls vigorously—“I’d encourage Jitters to go her limit, especially since she has brand-new tires.”

“Here too. Weren’t we lucky to find such a bargain in a car? I’ll admit she’s not much on looks and that she shakes till she deserves the name of Jitters—but she’s ours, all ours.” Peggy’s hazel eyes gazed admiringly upon their old battered Ford.

“And look where she’s carrying us: to Mexico! All the way to the land of mystery and romance!”

“I can hardly wait to get back down there again. I wonder if we’ll