Show 1 o r The Olie Vale fale O Of s By Bg Fi Fred eai Me Author c o blade lacU of iv Ay If Co Ge 0 of E V lee WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED In the old city of New Orleans in the year 1821 1321 Loren Gar Garde do recently Decently an officer under General Jackson is la surprised by the appearance ap ap- ap of three figures In ancient an nn- fent clent Spanish costume two men and a woman whose beauty enchants en- en chants chanta him Resenting the arrogance arrogance arro arro- gance ganco of ot the elder of ot the tho two men Garde fights a duel with him with swords and wounds him He learns his opponent Is Adolfo a de Fuentes Puentes colonel In the SpanIsh Span Span- ish lab army In Venezuela Garde overhears a n plot to overthrow Spanish rule In Venezuela Discovered Discovered Dis Dis- covered he fights but Is ered Garde GarcIe finds himself a prisoner pris oner on the tho Santa Lucrecia ship bearing arms and ammunition for tor the Venezuelans under Bolivar On board are the tho conspirators he ho had overheard tho the lady of his love her ber brother Polito and De Fuentes From the girl Garde learns her name Is Dulce Dulco Lamartina Lamar Lamar- tina He Ho does not tell her of ot his love but feels she Is not Indifferent ent to him The Tho vessel Is wrecked and Garde reaches tho the Venezuelan lan shore alone CHAPTER III Continued III-Continued Continued 4 With much labor for my ray body boy seemed to be the habitation of ot a hundred u aches I got to my feet and stood In a wide wille road Flanking the road was a broad brond ragged hedge o over er which a man leaned who considered considered con con- me mo with mild concern In his blue eyes He ne pointed the Ion long barrel barrel bar tur- rel reI of a gun In m my general direction tron tion upon his head he be wore a wide wIlle sombrero ro and on his profusely freckled face tace a friendly grin IIi Hi towhead said he and while I stared marveling he continued continued continued con con- are beds bells so scarce you m mu t sleep beside the road and pU- pU to to r head upon a n stone u dame ame of ot G G-d G d 1 I gasped for forthe forthe forthe the horror of the night still bore upon me Humph Bumph French He thou thought ht a moment Oh Olin well If Its It's French yo you want here goes though It seems a little odd that an Irishman from London should be speaking French In Venezuela to an Ameri Amen can I 1 was sure then that I was awake and that the figure beyond the hedge was no apparition I am amnot amnot not French I explained though I have lately come from France You Yon gave ga me so severe a n shock that t I reverted re to the tongue of my mother country a thing I often otten do Besides I have Just left a village of ot death and the terror of ot the thing is still with me he said Morales passed that that way two days ago Such Is the Spaniards Spaniard's method no m man manIn manIn 11 In his bs path is left alive e The last man in died In fn my arms I said and with his last breath he whispered Viva Bolivar 1 I Simon Bolivar has so great a hold upon his people he will win some day Ills His blue eyes went over me appraisingly I think I I read approval there Tall he mused with shoulders and a light In the eye knows the woods and the sea I take It and may have had hall halla hada a a. turn at soldiering May I ask you who you are Assuredly I am Loren Garde My father Is Norse a planter of the lower Mississippi valley and my mother In her youth was was the belle of ot leux Carre He leaned the gun against his shoulder Norse and Fren French h such Guch a combination ought to make you fight fight and and love love like like the devil i 1 iI I 1 fear I have had my share of ot fighting lIghtIng I admitted but as for tor love love love- loveI I sigh sighed ell because I visualized visualized visual visual- zed the glorious Lamartina If It you have haye come to Venezuela to fight the ranks of Simon Bolivar are tire open to you and I can promise I you you you- Francisco Perez Intimated much the tho same thing i There was stu studied calculation In his bIs survey of ot me IDe You know Francisco Fran cisco Perez I 41 have come from New Orleans with him on the Santa LucrecIa He twisted a finger In his ear Balmy he be said a un touch of ot the sun eun tsun He looked at me with professional professional professional pro pro- sympathy Did you ou say the Santa Exactly would I not know the name Dame of the ship that brought me from New Orleans Ole Oh sure He laughed Only the Santa LucrecIa has not been sighted When it Is I shall hear a whistle from the east and when I 1 hear it I shall face west and whistle and another man a kilometer kilometer kilo kilo- meter from here will send the sIgnal signal signal sig sIg- sig- sig nal along On the Puerto Cabello road rond other sentinels will signal to toone toone one another and on tho the Valencia road and the road to Barcelona and roads roads to Calabozo and mare A man nian stationed upon the heights will sight It as It enters the harbor of ot La Guaira which Is the time port of Caracas and In five va minutes every follower of Boll Bolivar val shift fifty miles shall know It and soldiers solders will spring up Ux like spirits spirits spi spi- rits rite out of the earth for the Santa LucrecIa brings a cargo o of ot arms and knives knIe and ammunition sum sum- clent cleat for tor an arm army And then we wein J will in tal take taker take take- e r If H the men of ot Bolivar can cant t W R whistle the Santa Lucrecia Into the harbor of ot La IJa Guaira my freckled patriot or Into any other port except except except ex ex- ex- ex that dreadful port of ot missing men they may take the prize as the champion whistlers of ot the ages for tor only two nights and a day ago the deck of ot that unfortunate ship was the scene of ot mutiny and a tropical storm came up and washed the palm of victory upon a reef As I fell Into the water I saw them working with the lifeboats A friendly spar and the wind and waves carried me on to the land He stood long In thought Then Francisco and the cargo cargo- He stopped alert for the road gave out the sounds of ot approachIng approach approach- Ing horsemen I pushed my way quickly through the hedge and crouched beside him as the cavalcade cavalcade caval caval- cade calle came Into view Adolfo led lell the van He rode roe In silence his heavy features exhibIting exhibiting exhibiting exhibit exhibIt- ing lines of grimness The Senorita Senorita Seno- Seno rita rode beside him A mules mule's length behind them rode Polito a voluminous bandage around his head eyes upraised to fleecy west west- winging ward clouds and upon his lips a softly whistled tune There was something about the boy that made one love him Two vo other women and two men men doubtless doubtless survivors of the wreck wreck trailed trailed alon along and a score of ot soldiers brought up the rear Now my eyes went back to the Senorita who had hall come out of ot the storm and Into my arms I drank deeply of the beauty of her I exulted exulted exulted exult exult- ed In my dreams and gasped at my recollections A wild wIlli c. c exhilaration seized me and I came up slowly to find myself shoulder to shoulder with the Irishman from London whose eyes were gleaming whose breath was hissing through his teeth and whose gun was rising carefully to bear upon De Fuentes No r o I whispered no I 1 I J grabbed him and as ns we contended grimly and In silence for possession of the weapon the en cavalcade calle passed on Then I loosed him and waited What a powerful brute you are 1 And then he lie gasped you poor doodle I That man Is De DeFuentes DeFuentes DeFuentes Fuentes aide of ot Morales and a n greater butcher by far than the famous famous famous fa fa- fa- fa Butcher himself You might have missed him I IsaId Isaid Isaid said and an killed the lady ady Oh the lady lally Humph Yes the time lady Besides Adolfo belongs to me He found his sombrero and pulled It down over tumbled red redhair hair So Adolfo belongs to you My eye l 1 he be cried Yet De DeFuentes DeFuentes DeFuentes I Fuentes went to Spain to get a bride and bride and I can cnn say this much for him He has surely picked the fairest farest flower In the Spanish garden garden gar gar- den I Its a n long way WilY from Spain to the cathedral I said He pulled at his pipe his broad shoulders shaking with laughter I am Monahan he said at length Captain In the British legion under under under un un- der Gen Simon Bolivar The Liberator Liberator Liberator Lib Lib- will be deeply Interested when I tell him about the American Senor Garde who loves the Intended Intend Intend- ed of ot Colonel de Fuentes and who whorl rl rides es the wings of ot the storm alone when his ship comes to grief BolIvar Bolivar Boli Boll var can use such men my my friend There was a frank friendliness about this transplanted patriot something that called for tor confidence confidence dence Bence so I began with the Cabildo and completed my account with skipping only those portions portions portions por por- which dealt with the Senorita ta Lamartina and falling utterly In my deletions for when I had done he said So So the blond Loren Laren will hie himself to Caracas whither the dark beauty his love ladylove Is bound and he will find there all the power of ot Spain in Venezuela against him It Is worth a try at least I said Of Ot course but you go not to a alove alove alove love tryst but to fight a battle with death I have fought such battles before before be be- fore as you have also no doubt I 1 have been too close to death In the past to fear It now He chuckled That yellow thatch of ot yours will wUl sink you for It cries your Identity to all and sundry i I touched touched touched-my my chin chin which bore about a weeks week's growth of corn col ored whisker I fear tear you are right If It you might suggest suggest- He picked up a stone and hurled It Into the foliage of ot a near by tree and half halt a dozen objects resembling our huge green walnuts thudded to the ground He crush crushed ell one under the heavy sole of ot a grenadier boot The Juice of ot this pulp Is an nn excellent excellent excellent ex ex- ex- ex dye he explained It will make your hair hall and beard a very dark brown and It will give to your too fair skin the deep bronze of a aman aman aman man who has spent his life with ships As the pigment will last Acne weeks you need have no fear of ot it fading before the Spaniards are prepared to hang you So using a broad Oat flat rock as a mortar we crushed from the thick thick- pulpy covering of a number of the ripe half nuts a quantity of pale liquid which on drying left m my skin a reddish brown and my hair and beard nearly black You have hu funds he questioned None the leathern wallet containing con taming a n small quantity of ot mone money and a n few papers of or purely personal personal personal per per- value was taken from the pocket of ot my Jacket while I lay unconscious unconscious un I conscious on board the Santa Lu Lu- crecia The good Francisco probably probably ably ubly did It It v Then said Monahan laughing as a friend of ot Francisco I would proffer such financial aid as you may require He placed ten silver pieces the size of our American dollar into my hand This will buy you a lint hat and clothes that shall be less Identifying Identify identify- ing and pay for food tood and quarters In Caracas for at least a fortnight He sighed I ul think your need of food and quarters will hardly last so long Then abruptly I I 1 lean lean- cannot cnn can not dissuade you from this mad mission I shook my head and he went wenton on an If lt Caracas Is your goal I might tell you ou that In the humble home of ot Senor Tomas Carrasco which lies lles less Jess than two hundred meters south of ot San Jacinto plaza you will find safe lodgment and In Inthe Inthe inthe the Cantina Merlda Merida presided over overby overby by ty the faithful Carrizal a few tew patriots patriots pa pa- trots sometimes gather I 1 am sure that when you have had further opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- op- op to study the methods of Spain In Venezuela you will come cometo cometo cometo to us though you will need a vast ast amount of luck to get into Caracas and safely out again And these few tew patriots who sometimes gather In the m menage nage of ot Carrizal how Carrizal-how how shall I know them i He extended his right hand third finger folded Into the palm That in shaking hands is the sign used by members of the SocIedad Patri- Patri an organization founded foundell by Simon Bolivar BoUvar and Miranda nearly ten years ago I He pressed my hand band In a warm firm grip I think I shall not see you rou again Too many forces are against you But nut he erred for I was destined to light fight side by side with Captain Monahan through a n bitter campaIgn campaign campaign cam cam- against the Spanish I 1 was wasIll j err Ill 11 Take Some Cumana Rum I ISaId ISaid Said to Carrizal yet to meet the moving spirits of ot that famous and miscalled British legion which did so much to win from Ferdinand VII Independence for Venezuela and half halt of or South America as well hardy harlly souls veterans veterans vet vet- erans most of or them of the Napoleonic Napoleonic Napole Napole- onic wars who after the fall of ot the Corsican could not go back to the peaceful pursuits of man but chained to the chariot of Mars must needs follow the lure of f the sword CHAPTER IV IVA IVA A Wedding Disarranged A AS S I set out that morning on the road to Caracas and on the road to adventures beyond my wildest dreams the cool blue dome of ot the sky was unmarked by a cloud The sun swung overhead and went swiftly down the western path as I trod the smooth stones that formed the road The short twilight came and went and a n golden golden golden gol gol- gol- gol den moon i pushed above the timbered timbered tim Um- range that lay beyond Cara Cara- cas In the moonlight I 1 bent my steps toward the city where I 1 hoped to find the lady In white the gracious lady who had come into my arms to find protection from the storm The city of ot Caracas stronghold of Spain Span In Venezuela and the key to its Us control lies in a vast fertile basin called the Vale of ot Aragon the north rim of ot which forms a barrier between the city and the sea As I 1 came In sight of the city a morning sun emerging from the mists of the east touched the red red- tiled roofs with gold It was vas a city of ot beauty a city of dreams It held for me the present as well as the future My mad worship would not permit me to consider the dangers that might beset me I saw only the face of her whose life Ufe I hoped was to be hound bound up with mine for tor ever I had reached a tiny roadside store on the outskirts of ot the city before I realized that no plan had been made no thought of ot what I 1 might do after I had entered this the headquarters of ot the Spanish forces In Venezuela I went into the store traded five silver pieces for clothes and the privacy of ot a room where I might change and came out again garbed In the coarse brown two-piece two suit and the blue turban-like turban cap affected by many of ot the tile French sailors of ot the Islands The road I had hind taken led to the the Plaza San Jacinto where I turned south and asked my way to the home of ot Tomas Carrasco which proved pro to be a red rell and brown rock and adobe structure of considerable considerable consider consider- able size Tomas was noncommittal his dark eyes surveyed me with grave concern and after assuring himself him hm- self of my stran strangeness eness he announced announced announced an an- sorrowfully but with unmistakable unmistakable un un- un mistakable firmness that he had no quarters that m might ht be offered to travelers Expressing my disappointment disappointment In halting Spanish I offered my hand In parting salute As ho he grasped It It vastly relieved I folded my third finger Into the tho |