Show The VALE OF ARAGON I Romance here holds swa sway romance In n the spirit of ot Dumas his dashing guardsmen titled adventurers l I being EulnEr plots and exciting episodes Ix loren ren Garde of ot Norse and French ancestry big bie anI and blond as a n Viking nimble of ot movement and with the sword thrust of It nar 1 Is a n hero of ot breathtaking breath breath- breathtaking taking Interest He t tells his own en enthralling en- en thrilling story I tor It Is a story stort of hazard and exploit desperate chances and romantic pas pas- sion slon Loren meets Dulce fairest of ot Spain's daughters In the Western estern world and finds his loyalty divided between her and the cause he Is called upon to serve In the wake of ot that conflict of or devotions come duels and dangers conspiracies and and disguises plot and counterplot Surprise follows on surprise glory glon on despair Loren Garde Is n a wildcat cat In fight I a tempest In love lo and a mighty might poor follower of ot an any leader except the greatest But nut the iho leader Is at nt hand no less a personage than Simon Boll Boli Bolivar J var the J Liberator the George Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington of or South Am i. i The Indomitable Bolivar who could nt Rt will play the melody of or love or the t 1 slaughter sonS of ot hate hato upon the heartstrings heartstrings heart heart- strings of or his people is familiar to the annals of or history but has haJ never before before before be be- fore appeared so vividly In fiction The Theauthor Theauthor author has hns gone far beyond the name of ot this personage and brought to light r. r the man tk I CHAPTER I IK 1 1 I K Moon-Madness Moon c I sat one night upon an Iron bench h. h i and studied the Cabildo to Cabildo-to to me the ther t most imposing building in that historic his r torte tonic city which lies ties crescent like crescent Ilke within the curving sweep of the MississippI l sippi Musing I watched the scroll of ot history unroll before me I saw De Bienville and those hardy followers of his bIs who had erected the first house of the Crescent cit city I r saw the Spaniards pass moving Pass moving to the west and south south- the Frenchmen come and go and the Spaniard come again and I heard the thunderous shouts from a thousand thousand thou thou- sand throats as Claiborne unfurled from the Iron balcony of the old I Cabildo the Stars and Stripes emblem emblem emblem em em- blem of the new republic publIc r Ah well I said saUl half to m myself half to the vanishing shades of history his hIs- i tory tort the var varying fortunes of Louisiana Louis Louisi ann ana belong belon to the past she Is safe now within the fold No o more will she shebe shebe shebe be ruled by kings and queens cour your courtiers tiers and courtesans Whereupon a n sound broke into my reverie the reverIe the lilt of a womans woman's laugh as clear as the note of a mocking bird But your our majesty majest said the he voice In Spanish If we ve walk two more f squares along this way we shall have ve passed the levee le and cast ourselves Into the river Name ge ame of G G-d G dl I I gasped leaping g 4 to my feet There was something in that musical voice that touched a Vibrant cord in m my soul and m the youngblood youngblood young young- blood flamed through h my veins As I stood trembling in this new emotion three figures left the shadows of the Cabildo and moving southward crossed Chartres street turned to the left and approached the point where f. f I stood three figures who might have I stepped from a Titian canvas cnn One was a n slim graceful courtier with a n scabbard that flashed in the moonlight with every ery movement of his left knee the other two were a king and a queen of old Spain bearing each of them all nU the trappings of ro royalty Speechless I stared wondering vaguely if by some grotesque twist of fate this consciousness of mine could have bave been thrown back three centuries centuries cen cen- yet Jet yonder onder stood the Cabildo this was New Orleans and the time time time- I felt certain was certain was the year of our Lord eighteen hundred twenty But had she not said Your majesty a o- o and did they not look ook like lIle sovereigns of ancient Spain Unheeding I drank deep of the beauty of this modern Isabella She had all the regal dignity and I poise of Spain's great queen Titian himself might have ha arranged the wavy blue black hair Her IIer e eyes es In the 4 moonlight seemed to hold purple shadows shadows shadows shad shad- her face was pale her Iler lips half parted a n fragile hand Inquiring and partly closed pressed against the curve of cheek and chin I His Ills majesty a sturdy man with heavy henvy shoulders square full beard and broad forehead spoke deep In his massive chest but deaf and dumb dum an and blind to all the world orld sa save sae e the thet f woman who ho stood before me I paid t f no heed Except for the lovely gracious lady who Is my ray mother woman had hardly t touched my life yet here was I lost lostin lostIn in the depths of a ladys lady's eyes a lady I had never ne seen until this night Madness Aye a sudden and overt overwhelming over over- t a whelming elming madness and no more to b be e ei i ex explained than the alchemy of love G Itself As S I 1 stood dazed faltering his majesty's voice which held a rasping E hostile note beat Into my consciousness conscious conscious- I ness Have e the amber wines of old Dither DIdler touched thy brain dolt or is stupidity the natural heritage of Yankees Yan Yan- kees It may be that he cannot hear the lady said kindly cannot under under- stand Then in swift French to me Is It that you ou do not not know the Spanish Spanish Span Span- ish Monsieur Monseur cannot hear the voice I tried to smile u smile a sorry effort for forthe forthe r the past as well as the spell of her beauty still bore upon me We of New Orleans must know three languages languages languages lan lan- your majesty I 1 faltered t and a voIce olce that is like music music- Carraca 1 The magic of ot the night and the misty of my wIne wIne- mind ga gave v way to grim realities realities reali reali- ties of ot the moment for tor the broad broad- r shouldered man who chose to ape a advanced nd upon me threateningly He lie tried to brush me aside with the sweep of a muscular arm but I swung I k k- By FRED MCLAUGHLIN j o of f The Blade of Copyright by Bobbs- Bobbs Bobbs Co 00 Service a hard lurd and I think efficient e clent fist Cst for tor a n year of campaigning In that tatterdemalion tatterdemalion Galloy malion n army under General Jackson had gly given n me many things not the least of or which was the healthy AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- ican knack of or tumble rough fight fight- lag Ing Under a blow that found his whiskered Jaw his hits majesty went to his hands and knees then he came swiftly swift swift- ly to his iris feet right hand seeking his hip and the slim blade of a n small small- S gleamed in the moonlight ht Not so hast hasty Adolfo said the lime graceful courtier ier whose face I noticed no- no noticed iced possessed so much of the high beauty of the face of the lady that I knew him for her brother you ou must roust roust- A do dog Adolfo gasped Why should I not run him him through Did he not accost us did he not stare at did Iid not the stupid clod la lay violent hands upon a Fuentes But nut Adolfo Olio mio m said her majesty majest he is unarmed Ah Alt sweet angel I I was unarmed unarmed- she had noticed it It I bent lent a worship worship- worshiping ing loo ng head Your majesty majest is too kind I 1 was but a lonely lone heln being who dreamIng dream- dream in log Ing on a bench In the moonlight heard hearda a I voice oice coming coining out of the night and a vision vision vision- Loco cried Adolfo emphasizing the charge of madness against me ith ith a whistling sweep of hl his sword a. a I l r. r Y n r I With a Frenzied Burst of Charges He Built Up a Gleaming Wall of i Steel Steel in Front of Me GIve him th thy blade lade PoUto Polito must I It t the evening ening on a stupid ladrone rone Polito reading m my face found ac- ac there lie He drew drev v re his sword grasped gasped the point with thumb and forefinger and resting the gleaming steel stel across his left forearm extended tit hilt to me I caught It In eager fi fibers ers for she had called him mio ml of his ati that hat proprietary ry hiJ 1121 kindled a n fire of senseless Jeal- Jeal oray within me Polito's weapon bal bal- awed acted like a n feather In my hand a n blade In truth I r swung It In Ina Ina Inn a n tentative e arc are and the air sang beD be- be D nath that blow His ills His majesty shrugged out of the cape and point raised advanced upon me Guard said he be I think the hissing cadence of my word sword touched a n cord of oC cowardice In his majesty I think he must have realized that It was not a stupid clod stood before him and Im I'm sure realization realisation added nothing n to his co dence Not ot so fast Senor I cried do you not know that the road to hell Is In haste while heaven Is reached more slowly 7 He swore in his beard and I continued If I should hazard a guess as to your masquerade masquerade mas mas- I would say that you ou are I Charles the Fifth of Spain a noble king who lived three hundred bundred years years ago but your actions and your Jour words belie belle your regal trappings Guard Senor r l he gasped No Now ow a n devil of Impudence perched upon my tongue And your lady will be the gracious Eleanor yet et lovelier lovelier lovelier love love- lier by far than the consort of your our ancient namesake nn aye Infinitely more beautiful than Spain's great queen herself herselt the splendid Isabella whose charm has bas furnished through the centuries cen the motif for song and story He ne Is mad she breathed mad And so I was I L think Must dust I run you through h dolt Adolfo Ado fo cried My moon-madness moon disappeared my brain cleared confidence was mine And as I laughed aloud from the sheer jo joy of the thing our blades came together together to to- to gether with a rasping whisper I felt of ot his wrist and found an Iron ri rigidity there I tried a tentative tierce and met a swift efficient parry No Iso mean adversary this powerful Spaniard In his re regal al raiment We swept back and forth our blades whipping whipping whip whip- ping the air In whining arcs or hissing together In Inen venomous en mons our labored breathing coming and going through set teeth our feet tapping and sliding alon along the pavement every muscle mur mw cle of our bodies tensed every nerve alert every glance searching searching search search search- searchIng In lag Ing for an opening and ever every fleeting thought building plans of attack and parr parry As we contended thus a circle of curious gathered gathered silently from nowhere Thc They spoke In awed whispers as though the tile spell of this night of madness lay upon them also Polito came within my view as fiS we circled and parried and offered riposte and swift counter counter rIposte I smiled at him for Polito had too much of tl the beauty and grace of her majesty to gain any enmity from me I was happy to find a friendly light In his eyes Now I caught a glimpse of the lady upon whose exquisite face laythe lay laythe laythe the pallor of fear A fear no doubt for the sturdy Spaniard who had called her and she had called caned him mio And here was I mad ma with an Inexplicable and overwhelming love a love lo that was was because because of Its utter hopelessness nothing hopelessness nothing short of sheer Insanity Whereupon I laughed wildly wildly wildly wild wild- ly and charging with reckless abandon abandon aban aban- don beat my adversary lown down with a furious attack attach that carried me near to victory cried Your Nearly I nearly Majesty 1 I Nearly he answered and his deep voice oIce came almost in a gasping sob Is never quite enough Now when I heard the labored effort of his voice I knew that I had won With the realization that I was his master my youthful pride offered a Jibe or two Cannot a n lonely being dream In the moonlight Your Majesty and conjure up the figures of the past or look with favor upon a lady without without with with- out the charge of madness being placed against him With a n frenzied burst hurst of charges he built up a gleaming wall of steel In front of me I moved mo back before that last attack listening with fine One satisfaction to the labored breath that whistled through his teeth for he had nearly reached the end end and and knew It And when I felt a weakening of that Iron wrist of ot his and noted the diminishing diminishing dimin dimin- power po of his hs lunges and saw the look of animal terror that leaped Into his e eyes es a n deep disgust for the theman theman theman man entered my soul I would lct let her hersee hersee hersee see the terror In his e eyes es I would have her know the craven that he hewa wa was and If she chose to love him then I advanced in attack now with all the reserve force Corce that I possessed Parl Parrying ing wildly he retreated before this final offensive I think the fear of ot Imminent death had touched his brain for when I thrust and felt the steel take hold I heard him bim offer up upa a sigh almost of contentment His sword fallin falling from nerveless fin fingers ers clattered upon the cobbles with a soft cry of he went to his knees and then like a man who Is very tired he crumpled slowly to the pavement pf A passion of resentment of disgust still burned within me Charles the Fifth Indeed I said casting ray my sword to the ground beside beside beside be be- side him bah you ball you should be called Charles the Last 1 I turned away as her majesty dropped to her knees beside the fallen man Ah Ali Dolfo mio she cried Adolfo 1 he said slId a again aln Polito laid a n hand upon m my arm We Ve would apologize apologise Senor To me I gasped you ou and and and- and and and- I Yes Senor Senor Senor-my my sister the Senorita Lamartina We have Just lately come from a n bal hal masque where Adolfo has doubtless 1001 looked ed too often upon the bottom of an emptied d wine glass May MayI I hope bOlle that you ou will let me offer our apologies I laughed aloud In a sudden and unexplainable excess of happiness Then she wasn't his wife I The Senor and his sister will find me ever at their service I said One never neer knows knows knows-a a time may come come come- You are kind Senor as well as a gentleman of ot high courage TO BE CONTINUED |