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* THE PEOPLE. BARNWELL. S. C. i \Siii(iiiiHiiiiii(:^iiiiiii!iiiiiiHi;^;iiiiiiiHiiiiiiii;^siiaiiiiiiiiiiiii;^siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.^iiiiii!ii»iiiiiii;^;i>iliii,^iiiiHiiiiiii:>i»iii^ DESERT by Zane Grey . 1 ^/iuthor o/*Riders of the Purple Sage, Wildfire, Etc. Copyrlfht by Harper A Brother*. CHAPTER X—Continued. —11— Rel(lln>r paced up and down the room. Jim and Ladd whispered to gether. (Jale walked to the window and looked out at the distant group of hand It s, and then turned his gaze to rest upon Mercedes. She was con scious now, and her eyes seemed all the larger and blacker for the white ness of her face. No .one but (Jale saw the Yaqul In the background look ing down upon the Spanish girl. All of Ynqul’s looks were ttrunge; but this was singularly so. (Jale won dered If the Indian were affected by he; Loveliness, her helplessness, or her terror. Presently Kelding called his rang ers to him, and then Thorne. “Listen to this." he said, earnestly. “I’ll go out and have a talk with Ro jas. I’ll try to reason with him; tell him to think a long time before he ■hods blood on Uncle Sam’s soil. That he’a now after an American’s wife! I’ll not commit myself, nor will I re fuse outright to consider his demands. Bor will I show the l<*uat fear of him. I’ll play for time. If my bluff g<»e* through . . . well and good. . . . After dark the four of you. l-nddy. Jim. Pick and Thome a til take Mercedes and my best white horae«. and. with Yaqul aa guide, circle round through Altar valley to the trail, and head for I Yuma I want you to tike the Indian, because In a case of this kind he'll I be a godsend If J««u get beailed or I oat or have to circle o(T the trail. I think at at it'd ateau to Kayo a Yaqul I a If h too He knowa S.ao»ra as no I Creaaer kn»aa It He •-otild bide *••11, I fed aster and gmaa a Hen rnn a mild I ahaolufety believe It ltn|«*»»iS»le The I ladtao la !.>tal He haa hla i|v4>t t |,e* and he l| |mi) It. d*4iT mistake ue UKen yen re gone I II hnlr NHI • rt If Jt* sear* Hr-* fb ak I •«*uld alt •|»*wi a Greaser like him. Anyway, without my asking he said for me to think It Mm. Haiti* WttHnpr \s over for a day and-then w»’d again.” “Shore we’re horn lucky!” ejacu lated La<Jd. 1 . “I reckon Rojas’ll be smart enough to string his outHt across the few tniils out of Forlorn River,” remarked Jim. ' "That needn’t worry us. All we want is dark to come,” replied Bel- ding. “Yaqul will 'slip through. If we thank any lucky stars let It he for the Indian. You may go to Yuma In six days ami maybe in six week,s. Y’ou may have a big fight. Laddy, take the .40T». Dick will pack hie RemlUg ton. All of you go gunned heavy. But the main thing Is a pack that’ll he light enough for swift travel, yet one that’ll keep you from starving on the desert.” The rest of that day passed swiftly. The sun'set. twilight fell, then night closed .down, fortunately • night slightly overcast. Gale saw the white horses pass his d<»ir like silent ghosts. Kven Blanco Diablo made no sound, and that fact was Indeed a tribute to the Yaqul. Gale went out no wind. The air waa cold. The dark space of desert seemed to yawn. Tc few campfires. The chill night, silent and mystical, seemed to close In upon Gale; and he faced the wide, quiver ing, black level with keen eyes and grim intent, and an awakening of that wild rapture which came like a spell to him in the open desert. I It")*« « •*» i’» a J t *r»* | till ■ r>*f • a|( N 1 1 tsai w ovrv “ TW ran #1 t >•■ •*-l h»« »if- TK-^ n# JHf M | #**» fiff v % ••J , * Ida- !* W I “ ••*•*•» bi b*« •» first* tHut If | usual gi - ta f»r-ni y f “*it Kumc* Hu ••■uM ur« to t Hu • iltagw -kill I Hu uwu • Uf n »’ff *H# O .m«ou — Huag IH* < Hiuirv-O • a can as iH»ms M A mauwul ■ ailrm u fnlHmrd hug lu»f Haltlivg uH|u|arr TWa tHe Yaqul Uftrrml • aiogular cry Gut# bad Heard ikts amne l>erwre sad u»u he retuemberr*! || uaa at (He (‘•l-ac" aril "t at the la.tiaa ’ ubU|uer«l Helding. huarsr’y “D n if I don’t belletr be uOtl#rBtu«t4 e* cry «'<cd Mr-f vc,tc« Mid And grottn .en. •I«n'l ml* take u c If He ever , >-t* near Sen*'f l(*'Ja* there II he • me g«*rt Aatrr knife aurk ** L aqul had tttoi ••*! 'hue to M»-r> rdca. and •total t*eal*lr fief as site lesntol acsiast her hual*an*l Site ■eerocl Im pelled to meet the Indian's gair. and Ideal I) It a a* so (toaerful or kvp- wollr that It arougHt Irreatstlbty ujam her But • be must have seen or dl- • lne<1 what was bevond tbe other*, foe »be •■fferevl him her tremMIng han't Yaqul took It ami laid It ngHlnvt his body In a strange motion, and bowed bis head. Then he stepped hack Into the shadow of the room. Helding went outdoors while the rangers took up their former |M>sltlon «t the wevt window. Kach hud his own aomber thoughts, (Jale Imagined. And knew bis own were dnrk enough. He siiw Helding halt at the corrals Knd wave his hand. Then the rebels mounted and cume briskly up the foad, this time t<> rein In abreast. Wherever Rojas bad kept himself upon the former advance was not clear; but be certainly was prominent ly in sight now.. He made a gaudy, almost h dashing figure. Rojas dis mounted and seemed to lie listening. Helding made gestures, vehemently bobbed Ids big bead, appeared to talk with bis body as much as With Ids tongue. Then Rojas was seen to reply, and after that it was, dear that the talk became painful and dlfflcUR. It ended finally In what appeared to be mutual understanding. Rojas mount ed and rode away with his men, while Helding came tramping hack to the house. As he entered the door his eyes were shining. Ids big hands were clenched, and he was breathing au dibly. “You can rope me If I’m not lo coed!” he burst out. “T went out to conciliate a red-handed little mur derer. and d—n me If I didn't meet •—•—well. I’ve no suitable name hanjly. I started my Muff and got along pretty well, hut I forgot to men tion that Mercedes was Thorne’s wife. And wh^t do you think? Rojas awore he loved Mercedes—swore he’d marry her right here In Forlorn River— r«ore he woold give up robbing and killing p*o»te. and take her away from Mexico He has fold—Jew eta He swore If he didn't get her noth lag mattered lied die aayway wtth- mmt her . . And here's the f heftrs* U»« He •** •* fen ami ail h—I CHAPTER XI Across Cactus and Lava. At the far corner of the field Yaqul halted, and slowly the line of white horses merged Into u compact mass. Yaqul slipped out of his saddle. He ran his hand over Diahlo’s nose and spoke low, and repeated this action for each of the other horses. Gale had long ceased to question the strange Indian’s behavior. There was no explaining or understanding many of his maneuvers. But the results of them were always thought-provoking. (Jale had never seen horsea stand so silently as In this Instance; no stamp —no champ of bit—no tosa of head— no shake of saddle or pack—n«» heave or snort I It seemed they had l>ecome Imbued with the spirit of the Indian. Yaqul moved away Into the ahadows as noiselessly aa If he were one of them. The darkness swallowed him. He bad taken a direction parallel with the trail. Hale wondered If Yaqul meant to try to lend hla string of Horaes by the rebel smtlnrla. Thq Indian ajAwsred aa he had van ished He might have been part af the shadows Hut he was tjiere lie started off down the trail leading (HaMn Again the white line stretched ■lowly nwt Hale fell in behind l*eer ing tow with keen eyes he mnde ant three «4t)erta—n a hlte somHrenx a Idaakef ahd a Mexican 1} lag face down The Yaqul had stolen upon this sentinel like a alicM wtnd af death. oasis. Gale used hla glass, told Yaqul there was no smoke, no sign 'of Hfe; Indian fixed his falcon eyes on distant spots and looked lon|;. No further advance was undertaken. The Yaqul headed south and "traveled slowly, climbing to the brow of a bold height of weathered mesa. There he sat his horse and waited. No one questioned him. The rangers dis mounted to stretch their legs, and Mercedes war lifted to a rook, where she rested. Thorne had gradually yielded to the desert’s influence for silence. He spoke once or twice to Gale, and occasionally whispered to Mercedes. Gale fancied his friend would soon learn that necessary speech In desert travel meant a few greetings, a few words to make real the fact of human companionship, a few short, terse terms for the busi ness of the day or night, and j»erhaps a stern order or a soft call to a horse The sun went down, and the golden, rosy veils turned to blue and shaded darker till twilight was there in the valley. Darkness approached, and the clear peak* faded. Tbe horse* stamped to be on the move. . “Mulo!** exclaimed the Yaqul. He did not point with arm. hut his falcon head was outstretched, and hl« piercing eyes gazed at the blurring ■pot which marked the location of Coyote tanka. “Jim. can you are anythingT* naked (•add “Nope, hut I reckon he ran." The* l.a»M awildewly straightened up, turned to hla h«wae, and muttered l low under hla breath "I reckon ■«.“* aaM Laah. nod for I ■wire hla easy, good natured tn**e wa» | n.«t la evidence Ilia video was 1 ha rah I Sale’s eye*, keen as they w ere. were I | taaf taf the raegerw to see tiny uec«ll« I I pntnta of tight )«sat falbtlj |»*faeptJM* I I la the black he threw this out there was a little water Jeft, sweet, cold water which man and horse shared eagerly. Thus he made even the desert’s fiercest growths minister to their needs. But he did not halt Jong. Miles of gray-green spiked w’alls lay between him and that line of ragged, red lava which manifestly he must reach be fore dnrk. The travel became faster, stralghter. And the glistening thorns clutched and clung to leather and cloth and flesh. The horses reared, snorted, balked, leaped—but they were sent on. Only Blanco SoU the patient, the plodding, the Indomitable, needed no goad or spur. Mercedes reeled In her saddle. Thorne hade her drink, bathed her face, supported her. and then gave way to Ladd, who took the girl with him on Torres’ broad hack. The middle of the after noon saw Thorne reeling in his saddle, and then, wherever possible. Gale’s powerful arm lent him strength to hold his seat. The fugitive* were entering a des> late, bumed-out world. The waste of *and began to yield to cinders. The horse* *ank to their fetlucks as the> tolled on. A fine, choking duat blew- back from the leaders, and men coughed and horses snorted But the sun was now behind the bills. In be tween ran the stream of lava. It was broken, sharp, dull ni«t color, full *1 enuka and cave* ami crevices, and everywhere upon Its jagged surf sc* Are You Discouraged, BhieT W Advk» ft ol VIUI topOigiioq to You ColumSia, S. ^“Iwxa suffering with x breakdown in health, and be came discouraged. I suffered with bearing pains and pains down through my limbs, my appetite vras poor and I became frail and weak. Nothing L took seemed to do me any good. One day my husband got one 01 Dr. Pierce’s pamphlets and we soon dev cidcd to try the ‘Favorite Prescrip tion.’ My husband bought a half dozen bottles to start with. I began to improve at once and before these bottles were gone I was perfectly well and have been well ever since. —Mrs. Hattie Wessinger, 209 Sumpter SL Your health is the most valuable asset you have—do not delay but obtain this •’Prescription” now. At all drug stores in tablets or liquid. Write Dr. Pierce, President Invalids Hotel in Buffslo, N. Y., for free medi cal advice. Send 10c for trial pkg, tablets. grvw th« A min f g»|f fi r •i Bui ||»« rhe gray -t quit* Hla* •I. ■wt riov* cr>*W tb* di v r k Mr *4 IW rlvrV 1 “Ind 4y * OsmyAfv • Y* H# nsk *^1 Ysq«l »*nwd t! be tafmrv nf acariLri fcaok Ysqwl ra*«»»l •WnldCf Ififl^tt* OImJ I qwkkly tfl CImp UK\ 4 msll Tha air of wkua W duatqwarvNl a* br lufv Mutt ■mil* I *hui (r’a Vra rr ImMTW. mg Wff. bffNTeP^e ftrwiWNfflcfff f hr «»*rarv nitre hum ra— 'l TW Wra* a b#*J ftMNi«te i *»v I *tl«w 1 HMiwt Y* Afet •*#|c •'d’diiich, a hurt, bbw ihr palm |Makt-d fwwqzd ih* rti MNMTflN^ f" • trj- I |n*M dM Mg fr|-lj . t*Bt Yaqal WM ml m PmmI ml watrT Of** sod iNtcHad Ife ilr tlMiF#4 N§l ble hnad M« fiaagv-f* * Ida ITvr iW mvwftla* <>4 H i ff II oamfidv vr** A tdrvnva Immo ml fr»r** \ r% l fifet tfe r 1 m-ti a rahrSkf IpSU alleWrw— t ■•- filghv — NfN 1 vbff* _ 4 •eMPi j • •# fl*lfi 4 a tv t’rti tuf MBfina atcbrr 11<~w rt fEatost* •ftflt tim filrMiMt i Indian Mvaimc *ti itMfi elfitfe | ■». Ad * ti at 1 *isf •■tc t A Nik % bfegfr In re tfifem rr |W Mai Br f imr. MnM**W v *n "I dwnsn oi*mi etwtbnv MTffl | Ynq* 1 wt tile bdtree* e tn^ttucN* br <(ti*t knatrB Hi* r*nrar tlaH feeB bNMi ns et««e»# MNi «ttiFti ttkfw tae N fiifilfet brtmrfifi Iww rlodar dwBra Mi*. Mildred Pipkin, of R. P. D. S. Cohanbia. Ten*., nyx: "My experience wUh Car did has covered s number ol year*. Nineteen yean ago •.. I got down with weak back. I was run-down and so weak and nervosa I bad lo stay in bud. I rr ■ il rJ CARDIII Tta Woman's Tak awd sent toe IL I took only one botoe t! Hut ttm*. and II hetpod and to aara^toea and right up. So Out * rri knew of Cardni. ftwhtmly th# Indian aintkrd *wM uf thw g|*wwn He mnunimt fHaHlw and Hvwdrd w> r>«a* fh# rtvwf, • tw> ■ ’ m**c* -If I C**w laaH -«*• WHw I Ca«na ■acH. Will vnw Marry da— It* (Mst Hia •nddlr *wi Rlancn Uni TV* h**r%» rwi*Hrd a awft mamm against hi* •H-sihtrr. TVn Ha la raturavl la tha •in ng rnosa TVrr d’as matting an*rw t» da Hat w«M and any gw**d by Mae , tMira s—r find In JralVr chnpa an*l , c«4it. a aiitw stripling af a rvHslM*y. j •lark rves Oattliliig llrf banUty • ••ut't n<*t l*r bldd> n, sn*l n**w bopa and < ••tiraga had (!r%*I her t*l*nal Hair •trrw VHI In In hla anna. “Imaresf. I'm gntng- aw*<«i. . . J And mayV I’ll navae—"* "I *tck. d«* don’t any It. Saddiad , Nell, with Vr hand •« hi* brrast I “1 might fceVer rosna Hack.’' ha want j on. steadily, “I Java you—Fva l«>vc*l I you ever alncr tha first ni«»mmt I *3w >«hi l**» you lova niaT" “Yas, jr* oh. I l«»va you ao* | navar knaw- It till now. I lova you *<v Dick, I’ll ha «afr and I’ll wait—and hope nnd pray for your return.*’ **lf,I coma hack—no—when I come hark, will you marry me?’’' . “I—I—oh yea!** she whispered, and returned his kl**. Helding wns In the room upmklng softly. “Nell, darling, I must go,’* said Dick. “I’m a selfish little coward,” cried Nell. “It's so splendid of you nil. I might to glory in it. hut I can’t. . . . Fight If you must. Dick. Fight for that lonely persecuted girl. I’ll love you—the more. . . . Oh! (Jnod- by! Ooodbyr^ With a wrench that shook hiin^Gnle let her go. He heard BeUling's soft voice. “Yaqul says the early Imur’s Ric hest. Trust him, Ladrly. RctiTeniher what 1 say—Y'aqui's a gotlsejid." Then they were ^11 outshle^ In the pale gloom under the trees. Y’aqitl mounted Blanco Diablo”; Yleroedes was lifted upon White Woman; Thorne climhHI astride Queen; Jim Lash was already upon hi.s horse, iwhlch whs as white as tbe other* but bore no name; Ladd mounted the stal lion Blanco Torres, and gathered up the , long'Iwilter* of the-Two pack horses; (Jale ctMue last with Blanco Sol. A* he toed the Pttrrup, hand on mane nnd pommel, Gfile took one more look In at the door. Nell stood in the gleam of light, her hair shining, face Hire a*bea. her eye* dark, her lips parted, hfcr anna outstretched That tweet and tragic picture etched its cruel outlines Into Gale’s heart. He wared hit, hand and thon fiercely leaped Into the saddle Blanco Sol stepped out Before Gale stretched • line of mm lag ho rang, white against dark He could not see the head the It tie •ffVfrfcrkii aImGC I In mf me* tag ««Nf t eN&p trail and. w hlte •fcedow • |wwre>l shandy pntawnaMy. *ts the pale ■end under i enrtwa there lay • blanketed fgfXn pCWse. net- •tfet•'bed ■ rerhlWe • It,?* he.1 In band, n • *gamte s*'tl hura ni^ In tbe •dVr » The en v g|ende *»f white loirs* 1 • wjthln fire hundred yards rampfijrs araetMl which dark f«wm» moved In plain sight TV lights din ayiwared from time !• time, grew dimmer, tuere fflckr-rlng. and at teat tVy vanished all**«ether lleldtng s fleet amt tlretewa *tee«la were nut In front; the desert opened ahead wide, dark, vast K»jn* and hla rebels were behind, eating, drinking careless. The *«>mber shadow lifted from Hale’s heart. He held now an unquenchable faith Irt the Yaqul. Helding would be lUtettlng back there along the river. He would know of the escape. He would tell Nell, and then hide her safely. A* Gale had accepted a strange and fatalistic foreshadowing of toil. hltMHi and agony In thla desert Journey, so he believed In Mercedes’ ultlmnte freedom anti happiness, nnd hi* own return to the girl who had grown dearer than life. • •••*•• A cold, grny dawn wns fleeing be fore a rosy sun when Y’nqul halted the march at 1'apago well. The horses were taken to water, then led down the arroyo Into thR grnss. Here packs were slipped, saddles removed. Jim Lash,remarked how cleverly they hud fooled the rebels. "Shore they'll he coinin’ along,’’ re plied Ladd. Tlmy hoi It a lire, cooked and nte. The Yntpri sprrlce—mrlr one ~wontr '■‘Sleep.” Blankets were, spread. Mer cedes dropped Into a deep slumber, her head on Thorne’s shoulder. Kx- cltemertt kept Thorne awake. The two rangers dozed beside the fire. (Jul)i> shared the Yaqui’s watch. At the end of three hours the rangers grew active, Mercedes Was awak ened ; nnd 'soon the party faced wiast- ward, their long shadows moving Tie-, fore them. Yaqul led with Blanco Diablo In a long, easy lope. The heated air lifted, and Incoming cur rents from the west swept low gnd hard over thr barren earth. In the <llstnnce. all around the horizon, accu mulations of dust seemed like rauftlng. mqphroomlng yellow clouds. Yaqul was the only one of the fu gitive* who never looked back. Gale had a conviction that when Yaqul gazed back toward tbe well and tbe shining plain beyond, there would be reason for It. But when the sun loot Its heat and the wind died down Yaqul took long and careful surveys west ward from the high pwtau aa tV trail kunset was hat far «ff. thrra ta a hara. ranted vs Hey lay tnutsMe and Impassive Then he •t retrNeH hi* right arm ta tV dlrae- fl*Bt ol %o Name mmmtSllBA Show Imo Ing their l*»t faint trace* of the after Maw, nnd he abeeh hla head He made the seme UnpreeUve gent are toward the ffewesta oasla with the •■me ■amber negat!*4k Thefe*| mvbi V turned fttaMe'* head to the ennth sad Marled down the I slope Ills manner had hern derisive I even •tern I .ash did n«t queer |.*e ft. j nor did 1^44. IMh ranger* Volts led hew ever and shewed a strange almost j n avllen retunanre which Hale hn*l j never seen In them before. Haiders which ’* < *f»‘ * I d»wn !• were •*•# thing. It**jw* was another Ma< » Oomt ns hard aa ! film, with totigwea af lava tw the left. I and to the right the slow dement IhtW } the rwrtwe pletn Vaqwi w as now I traveling dve went It a ns v*nl»'s I Men that the Indteh was shirting tha | first sharp-to, thed si qe of a vaM vo4- I *ank plateau w ht'h farmed tV west- I era half of the |teii<-ra Oe—rt and eg- ] tended te the Hwlf of «’allf**rnls j Travel was slow, hot Bat eihassling I for rider nr hewM, # Thirty miles of en*y stages hranght the fngftlve* to another waterh**#, ■ little round f--ket under the heaved- up edge -d Uva Thera waa *para. I tohripM*-' II IM All | that vast sad desolate and unw a terns! ' waste of ra*tus and lava, the Honors | 1 lie sen. might qppau IV atowtest I Vsrt Hale felt his own sink—felt himself flinch “Oh. whefe Is he goIngY* cried Mer cedes. # Her poignant voice seemed to bresg s a|>ell. “Shore. Indy. Yaqul’* gidn’ home.” replied I.add gently. “An’ considerin’ our trouble*. I reckon we ought to thank God he know* the war.” They mounted nnd rode down the slope toward the darkening south. Not until night travel was obstruct ed by a wall of cactu* did the Indian halt to make a dry camp. Water and grass for the horses and fire to cook by were not to be bad. Mercedes bore up surprisingly: but she fell asleep almost tbe Instant her thirst bad been allayed. Thorne laid her upon a Man ket and covt red her. Tbe men nte and drank. Gale lay down weary of limb and eye. He beard the soft thump of hoofs, tbe sough of wind In the cactus—then no' more. ^ ''Day dawned with the fugitives in the sitd<Jh\ A'^picketed wall of cac tus Hedged them 'In, yet the Yaqul made a tortuous path, that, zigzag as it might, in tbe matn^nhvaj^headed south. '''\ \ The Yaqul. if not at fault, was yet uncertain. His falcon eyes searched and roved, and became fixed at length n't the southwest, and toward this he turned his horse. The great, fluted snguaros, fifty, 8lxt„ feet high, raised columnal forms, nnd their branching limbs and curving lines added a grace to the desert. It was the low-hushed {•actus that mnde the toll and pain of travel. Y’et these thorny forms were beautiful. ’~- In the basins between the ridges, to right nnd left along the floor of low- plains the mirage glistened, wavered, faded, vanished—lakes and trees and clouds. Inverted mountains hung suspended In the Iliac air and faint tracery of vrbite-walled citlea. At noon Yaqul halted the cava lead*. He had selected a field of blsnagi cac tus for tbe place of root. Kressatiy big reason became obslows With loaf heavy kaif* be cwT off the iwpa af Lift Off with Fingers Mercedes Must Ride; but the Others Must Walk. short, bleached grass for the horses, but no /wood for a fire. This night there werir question and reply, con jecture, doubt, opinion and conviction expressed by the men of the party. But the Indian, who alone could have told where they were, where they were going, what chance they had to escape, maintained his stoical alienee. Gale took .the tarly watch. Ladd the mldnlglit one, and Lash that of the morning. The day broke rosy, glori ous, cold a* Ice. Action waa neces sary to make useful benumbed hands and feet. Mercedes was fed while yet wrapped In blankets. It was a significant Index to tb« day’s travel that Yaqal should keep a blanket from tbe pack and tear It into stripa ta bind the Ira* of tha barses It meant the dreaded rhayn sad the kntfaodfiad lava. That Yqqat anil mans . Doesn’t hurt a bit! Drop a little "Freezone” on an aching corn, instant ly that corn stops hurting, then short ly you lift It right off with fingers. Truly! Your druggist-sells a tiny bottle of “Freezone” for a few cents, sufficient to remove every hard corn, soft corn, or corn between the toes, and the cal luses, without soreness or irritation. Moral Character Everything. A human wisdom and experience .unite in recognition of Moral churac- teT ys the basis .factor in the develop ment of-^table civilization and in the icalization bf^mnitfe among men,—1L 0. Itittenhouse. \ An old traveler never hmv Jhe end of a necktie or a sock sticking out of hi* grip. He look*. Sure Relief FORINMGESnON BeU/AMS Hot wtter Sure Refef ELL-ANS -