The Fifth Ace

Kearn Thode rides into the sun‑baked town of Limasito, a surprisingly lively outpost on the Mexican oil frontier. The streets pulse with a riot of flower‑market colors, and a striking young woman in a sombrero watches him pass, her blue eyes hinting at stories beneath the town’s bright façade. Thode, a petroleum engineer from New York, is instantly charmed by the place’s “peach‑like” charm, yet his mind is already turning to the work that brought him here.

He soon finds himself at Hallock’s sprawling ranch, where the rotund, exuberant owner greets him with hearty hospitality and endless talk of gushing wells. Between sips of tequila and a lingering cigar, Hallock mentions a whispered legend—a mysterious “Pool of the Lost Souls” rumored to lie hidden in a nearby swamp. Intrigued, Thode senses that the promise of untapped riches may be just the beginning of his Mexican adventure.