Show the tace VALE OF ARAGON A AGON CHAPTER XI 16 polito L lends e adsa a hand I 1 never forget that scene on tb the blood drenched field of carabobo Car abobo when n the liberator went among the scant hundred men that mado made up the remnant of my apure acure battalion and threw his bis arms around them and called them my boys and my imy children 11 or when he stood before the silent shattered ranks of the british legion his face working I 1 in an emotion he could not control his bis eyes unseeing 1 because of the tears he could not ot hold in check his bis voice for the first time in his life broken and halting and called them galvadores Salv adores de ml patria I 1 for they had been indeed the saviors of his country that tha t to Is a picture I 1 shall hold to the end of ray my days it came to me that I 1 was free too that now I 1 could lay down my sword and hark to the call of love and dreaming I 1 saw the pleading eyes of dulce aulce again and I 1 heard the caressing tones of her voice and felt almost the glory of her presence manuel awakened me from this pleasant trance he stood before me the bridle of a one fine bay mount in his hand manuel I 1 said eald amazed Is not this the horse that brought me from caracas no other major and he can take you just as swiftly to valencia but why should I 1 go to valencia manuel spoke swiftly adolfo de fuentes escaped as did most of the spanish off officers leers for they fight behind the protection of their men he may have gone to valencia who knows colonel pint with his cavalry has been directed to pursue la torre and morales who with a small body of men are fleeing toward the oaf sate e port of cabello pint s orders are to the effect that if he does not overtake the spaniards ere they reach valencia he Is to take over that city a task that should please him very much for the moonlight glances of the senorita have had a devastating effect upon his heart he Is mad my friend and when a man of pints caliber Is mad about a lady he Is dangerous you bring III tidings manuel francisco told me mandof many of these things manuel continued he has approached bolivar and he be has informed the general that the amerl cano who with so small a force held firm against the right wing of the spanish army requests leave to visit valencia and bolivar has given his permission therefore would Francis cos knowledge my friend which seems indeed to cover everything include the location of the house where the senorita may be found of a surety it Is the home of senora ybarra lying three streets east of the house of the governor toward the take lake A large house of stone and adobe tinted brown with a border of red and resting on a corner of two streets ali ah manuel I 1 said fervently it if I 1 were less american and more french I 1 would kiss thee then your american blood has saved your life said he be gonel 1 eighteen miles that casall was all eight eighteen miles on this swift bay horse and I 1 would reach valencia would find there the lovely senorita would take her in my arms again for she had told me that her love for me had filled her life I 1 would crush with passionate kisses the warm willing lips I 1 would hear her call my name again and I 1 would look into the purple depths of her eyes and find there a light of love the battle we had bad won had opened up new vistas in my life because of our love the senorita lamartina Lamart lna belonged to me I 1 could take her back to the land of moonlight that was my own back to the fine sturdy gentleman who was my father and to the gracious lady who was my mother and to felice the slim exquisite little sister of mine they would love her and slie she would make my country her own I 1 entered valencia from the southwest and had no difficulty in finding the mansion tint thit had bad been the habitation of various governors Bla manuels nuels di proved correct for I 1 found the red bordered house of brown that hat was the horn home of the senora ybarra in front of which I 1 dismounted giving the relna reins into the keeping of a grinning mucha clio I 1 touched very lightly the knocker of the carved door for I 1 did n not ot know what the place might hold for me that the senorita was there I 1 deemed sufficient and I 1 was quite willing to take my chances with anyone else A small brown woman opened the door wide enough to give me careful examination In atlon then she loosed the chain and let me in the sight eight of my uniform c cleansed the fear from her dark eyes and brought a smile of welcome to her face she spoke in a cautious whisper have the men of venezuela taken over the city aye senora 1 I am glad will the senorita lamartina Lamart lna 7 now she was looking at my hair be the americano Amerl cano senor gardel garde I 1 nodded she has spoken of you she has said you iou would come some day aye AIO senora but two officers of spain are with her can you sou not hear their voices Mt ces I 1 start i down the wide hallway wh nef lind fim the mir pi m ir 11 of 4 oon mn by FRED mclaughlin author of the me blade of by bobb a merrill co ser servias vers atlon but she bhe put a hand on my arm walt wait I 1 would tell you one is her brother the lieutenant P yes tea and the other Is he who was commandant of the tha venezuela garrison Is it safe for you to enter aye it Is always safe for me to enter wherever the senorita Senor tta may be we stood listening in the gloomy corridor for the voices had became high belligerent I 1 could hear very faintly the soft sobbing of the seno alta lamartina Lamart lna I 1 heard a rasping oath fr from in adolfo and an accusing complaint pla in at from polito A fine soldier adolfo you who leave the field before the battle Is over I 1 saw you I 1 saw you run like the verlest coward when the llandro llanero cavalry struck us and useless as a soldier because of my crippled arm I 1 followed you for I 1 knew you would cone come here to try some devils trick upon ciny sister 1 I must protect her said adolfo tor for we have lost aye we lost and we should have lost for the spanish officers deserted their men bah that a colonel and a do fuentes should run in the face of an enemy mother of 0 d he gasped can my sister marry a craven can you expect her to loo kupon you with anything save loathing polito Poll to came the voice of dulce ah polito I 1 1 I told you adolfo polito continued that I 1 would kill you it if you tried to force my sister into marriage an and d dulce told you she would marry you when spain should win in venezuela 11 he laughed bitterly spain has lost my country has lost the tha western world because of the stu ae have the tha men of venezuela taken over the th city and the cowardice of de fuentes and la torre and that murderer morales spain will have failed in her attempt to build a mighty empire la the new world all the wealth of this fa fair r land could have made us a great nation but his bis majesty ferdinand puts his work here in the hands of cowards coward sl 1 aye worse than cowards cheap tricksters trick in caracas you played an evil trick upon my sister you and that other lother liar morales told her that the tall americano lay in the dungeon awaiting execution and that she could save him by going to the altar with you ali ah name of a sweet and sacrificing angel I 1 how I 1 loved her tor for that A whole life of service could never repay her now adolfo got in a word or two you talk to me thus lieutenant you a subordinate of officer fleer talk so to the commandant of the valencia garrison A word from me and a firing squad will face you as you stand against a wall and that word believe me shall be given before the sun has set and the senorita dulce who has held me off with threats and promises and who has loved secretly this ladrone that she picked up in a new orleans park P ali ah dlos dios the senorita cried als polito laughed colonel fuentes will give no order tor for my execution for such order Is out of his province he Is not the commandant of the valencia garrison polito Poll to my own said dulce surely your mind not at nil nal my sister bister while the poor nor deluded adolfo pleaded with you and coaxed and threatened the venezuelan army has taken over the city of valencia ne ile la is a prisoner and I 1 am a prisoner and I 1 an am going to do my earnest best to kill him and take my chances on escape I 1 hesitated not because I 1 was afraid of colonel fuentes but because I 1 believed that the clean courage of this boy would win you fou have a weapon in your hand adolfo and you should not be afraid to use it I 1 might tell you that my left hand in my pocket also holds hold a pistol you have been a traitor to spain in your service and a traitor to honor and decency in your love it you have a spark of courage left you will use your pistol before I 1 kill you like the dog A deafening report filled the house with thunder and an instant later another shot added volume to the din senora ybarra held to me for support it Is murder she gasped gas ped murder my poor housell house I 1 heard the choking cry of a man in agony and the crash of a heavy body falling to the floor I 1 waited for or the sound of a voice waited anxiously finally it came Foll to ah mother mary Poll tol you toil will notice my sister said polito coolly that it was not I 1 who fired alred first As I 1 pushed through the port leres the knocker clanged loudly on the front door dulce duice screamed at sight eight of me for she must have imagined that I 1 was an apparition then she ran into my arms sobbing and crying my name loren ah lorenl polito has killed him my brother has killed Adol adolfo fol 1 over the shining curls I 1 looked at colonel fuentes who lay motionless motto uless in the sprawling posture of his fall A good thing my own I 1 said polito has only saved me the task of killing hini him I 1 loosed her and lieutenant lamartina proffered his weapon to me 01 1 I will be a prisoner senor eh ehl yes polito for I 1 tear fear there will be 18 no chance for your escape the forces of venezuela hold the city As I 1 stood over the prostrate man the pistol in my hand colonel pint appeared at the port leres he approached pro ached the senorita and cap in hand offered a deep bow before her I 1 may I 1 apologize for maracay karacay Mar acay senorita for a madness must have possessed me my mind Is closed to claracay llara Ilar cay acay senor she said coldly ali ah what regal poise of her head what limitless heights from which she looked down upon him I 1 ile he studied the still form of adolfo pretty quick work major you offer vallant valiant service in aiding us to win the battle of carabobo Car abobo and then you rush away to attend a few personal feuds that you have accumulated I 1 congratulate you a busier man I 1 have never seen I 1 was sure that dulce would not be ba safe in the city so long as this man was commanding officer for the rule of valencia was martial law and colonel pint himself tor for the present at least was the law I 1 determined therefore to settle my affair with him as quickly as possible your words of praise warm my heart colonel for I 1 have as you intimate made a most excellent beginning yet there are many important things that I 1 must do ills els eyes narrowed who may I 1 ask garde will be the next nert on your list now that you have finished with the estimable colonel fuentes Fu entea not so said polito garda wa was a not you will be her brother no plot laughed laughed softly for there must have been a deal in this situation to please him h tin one would imagine that the senorita lamartina Lamart lna Is well squired squared squi red aye so she Is my colonel I 1 tied lied land and so shall she be long ago adolfo de fuentes forfeited her regard in such manner as to render a challenge from me imperative As you can readily see he has paid most grievously for it it was my right colonel dulce cried out in dismay and polito bent an astonished look upon me nothing could be gained by charging the lieutenant with the death of his commanding of officer fleer and much I 1 knew might be lost the lieutenant lamartina I 1 continued was anxious to take from me the honor of defending the senorita yet he be was a prisoner and I 1 could not permit it besides a soldier may not attack hla his superior officer Is it not so BO my colonel TO DB BE CONTINUED |