Show THE VALE OF ARAGON y FRED MCLAUGHLIN V Author oj of The uThe Blade of Copyright by Dobbs Bobbs Co THE STORY At In the old city of ot Now Orleans In the tho year 1821 1521 Loren Gardo Gordo recently an officer under General Generl Jackson Is surprised surprIsed surprised sur sur- b by tho the appearance of ot t vireo three figures In ancient Spanish costume costume cos cos- cos- cos tume two men and a 0 woman whose beauty enchants him Re Ro the tho arrogance of ot the theelder theelder elder eMer of ot the two men Garde Gardo fights tIghts ft t duel with him with swords and wounds him Afterward Afterward After After- ward he learns his opponent Is Adolfo do Fuentes colonel In tho the Spanish army In Venezuela Garde Garde Garde Gar Gar- de flees from Bens gens ens darmes taking tak tak- taking ing refuge In a n garden sarden wh where ro le e overhears a n. plot to overthrow Spanish rule In Venezuela Discovered Discovered Dis Dis- Discovered Dis- Dis covered he ho fights but Is overpowered overpowered over over- powered recovering consciousness conscious conscious- ness to find himself a n prisoner er eron on the Santa Sant Lucretia LucrecIa Spanish ship bearing bearIng- contraband arms and ammunition for tor the Venezuelans Venezuelans Vene Vete- under Bolivar CHAPTER Continued IL-Continued 3 We go to La Guaira said Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco solemnly and there God willing willIng will will- Ing we Join forces with Simon Bolivar Boll Boll- Tar ear who will be some day the savior galor of his country Just as your own Geor George e Washington was A thing said I which I hope will come to pass for t the western world should be free of ot Spain and will be some day I am sure That however interests me less at this moment than my safe return to New Orleans where my father and my my mother will be waiting waitIng waiting wait- wait Ing for tor me You think then Francisco urged that for certain compensation you could not add to the experiences of ot your life by Joining joining- i Compensation My father Senor Is the richest man In the lower valley alley What can a campaign In Venezuela add to my life I have spent two years with Gen Andrew Andrev Jackson Yet we cannot set you free Senor you know too much You cannot hold me I Francisco smiled We iVe have hae arranged arranged arranged ar ar- ar- ar ranged It You are mad a violent Insanity Insanity Insanity In In- sanity has poss possessed you and the good Doctor Santini whom In one of ot your fits of ot madness you ou have hae already already al at ready attacked must attend you at all an times We are taking you to your our home near Caracas You have told the captain all that Assuredly It was as gentler by far than dropping you ou into the river for our plans must not go astray Bah 1 I I cried Suppose I get word to the captain that the coils colls of tobacco co conceal firearms that the kegs of ot tobacco are powder that the corn contains contains contains con con- bullets and that machetes ma may maybe maybe be found In the pork Francisco laughed softly while Santini Santini San San- tini swore out of ot the side of ot his mouth If It you managed to get such word to Captain Alvarez Senor and he should look and find nothing he will be assured that you are mad If he should find contraband he would have ha no proof against us us for shipment has hac been made in proper form from Diego Martinez to another merchant in fn Caracas If It the captain questions our Innocence and even becomes so suspicious as to confine us pending examination examination examination ex ex- at Caracas there Is yet et Manuel and the mixed crew of this ship We cannot do things by halves Only Spanish ships may trade with Ith Venezuela therefore we put them to our use I marveled at the daring of ot the thing and marveling I was filled with admiration Simon Bolivar must depend depend de de- pend vend upon you greatly Senor I I. I said Francisco bowed bo lie He has me that signal honor and you may rest assured that nothing shall swerve me from my service to him and through him my service to Venezuela One life Ufe Senor or a score of ot lives fives shall not stand In my way We brought you ou alive to this ship Instead of ot killing you ou as we should have hae done because I harbored harbored har har- bored a faint hope bope that a man of ot your coura courage e might see his wa way clear to aid us but as you cannot offer olTer service ser I shall see to It that that you do not interfere inter Inter- fere I think of ot the two of us I Francisco the charge of madness should not Dot be laid against me 1 I IThe The days went by hy slowly enough while chile the Ule Santa Lucretia Lucrecia skimmed the quiet waters of the Gulf and my my head healed and the face of Santini became less like that of a gargo gargoyle We touched at Vera Yexa Cruz where a letter I had written to my father and mother was posted a Ll letter telling them that I had gone to Venezuela with friends and would return to New Orleans at a later date This I knew would relieve relie their worry over o iny Wy non arrival from France Trance At Coatzacoalcos In the tranquil harbor f Y which we spent a night the wily offered me a chance to escape but b having experienced a change of heart I refused to take advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage of ot It It for I had heard a n voice In the night nIght nIght-a a voice a ae a clear and as pure as the Ule note of ot a mocking bird It brought back to me remembrance of ot all aU the mad things of ot that wild Now New Orleans nl night ht That voice had tran transformed formed the Santa Lucretia Lucrecia from froma troma a prison ship Into a paradise As the days and nights went by I listened for her footsteps on the afterdeck afterdeck afterdeck after- after deck I pictured again and again the exquisite face In Its frame irame of ot dark curls the soft curve of ot her cheek the sweetly pointed chin anti and I lost myself myself my my- self In the Immeasurable depths of ot eyes that could change to purple the silver slIver glory of ot moonlight One night I t heard her voice lifted In an old French song that I I knew and loved and one that my mother used to sing Francisco and rind SantinI were out 1 tried the door and found to my mr great surprise that It was unsecured for they had been In fn the habit of ot locking me In I slipped out my heart thudding thudding thud thud- ding In my throat and seeking the protecting shadow of ot the mizzenmast crouched listening looking Scarce thirty feet teet awa away she stood beside the starboard roll rail a tan golden-tan mantilla over her hair and across across' her slim shoulders Her face was raised toward the stars and the music that came from her lips was such as I had always Imagined the angels might produce A slim boy Polito was as near her and on her right stood the massive figure that I had last seen dressed as Charles V. V One of his arms was strapped against his side Ills His raspIng rasping rasp rasp- Ing voice ice broke Into the middle of ot the melody Why do you ou sin sing in French French Is not the Spanish language sufficient I INo No one language Dolfo Is sufficient sum sum- clent for a night like this Every language language language lan lan- guage has Its own love songs never neer does a n translation quite suffice I found myself laughing softly In Inthe Inthe inthe the gloom She would sing a love loe lovesong lovesong song sons in In French to her Spanish lover loer Even Een Polito was laughing now Adolfo Adolio Adol fo io he said In is gentle raillery console thyself that she does not sing slag In English English English Eng Eng- lish which might bring to her mind the moon-madness moon of ot that tall AmerIcano Americano Ameri Amerl- cano with the fair hair and the clever cleer wrist Adolfo uttered something In his beard that must have hae been an oath for tor her voice olce was gently chiding Poor Dolfo he the has had an evil time and we should be good to him during this his first hour on the deck I think the Americano must have had a touch of the moon which does amazIng amazing Ing ng things to us I suppose he Is laughing somewhere over oer the madness madness madness mad mad- ness of ot that night Unless said De Fuentes lamely there have hare been other nights J Now I want wanted d to den deny that I want want- ed to tell ten her that her Ima Imago Image had had filled I I my dreams I had a wild desire to cast myself at her feet teet and to cry my myloe mylove mylove love loe aloud to the world yet I knew that such an act of ot Ins Insanity would only add confirmation to Francisco's charge of ot madness against me While I waited hot and cold by turns listening to her voice olce and devouring de de- roaring her with eager eyes two figures figures figures fig fig- ures came along the rail and stopped The taller one Francisco bowed and Adolfo Jerked his heavy y body awk k When she spoke to Francisco Francesco and Santini there was an easy frankness frankness frankness frank frank- ness In her manner as though she had been In the habit of ot talking with them often That mysterious patient of ot yours o rs Doctor Villard she said sailI has filled me with a consuming curiosity Is It forbidden that I satisfy It Iti Santini laughed une uneasily and Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco answered her It has been heen ordered ordered ordered or or- dered Senorita that our pa patient ent be left in the strictest privacy Ills His people people peo peo- pie In Caracas will hold us us- us us-to us Now De Fuentes laughed l laughed harshly lau laughed hed long and loud a huge guffaw that beat out over the quiet sea Caracas he cried how will you two reach Caracas Carp cas Ah Adolfo she said what do 40 you mean has the close confinement and the pain of your wound wound- wound i No Adolfo yelled a hundred noes I He went off orr Into another paroxysm sm of unholy glee in which I I fervently hoped he might expire of ot I apoplexy hut but he survived Doctor Villard he Jeered Doctor Villard Indeed I He ile Is Santini the soldier and Bolivar Is going to lose a patriot 1 And as for you Francisco Perez there thero will be a rope rope rope- Francisco emitted emitted-a a shrill whistle and figures running swiftly emerged from the gloom I dashed toward the milling group caught sight of or Santini Santini San San- tini with a knife upraised and threw myself upon him The evil blade clattered clattered clattered clat clat- to the deck and the soldier turned to face me He rasped a n bitter oath swinging ln his fists the while which crashed against the side of my head and filled the heavens with shootIng shootIng shoot shoot- Ing stars Before Defore Santini could strike again the lithe form fonn of or Polito Pouto intervened inter inter- He threw his slim body like a n alance alance lance at the soldiers soldier's throat And the two ho went down a grotesque figure gure o of writhing arms and legs Now I saw the dark darl Manuel a pistol Is his hand and his mouth open In nn an expectant grin Before he could raise the weapon I closed his mouth with a driving fist behind which I had put aUthe all aU the power ver of ot my muscles With the sailors pressing around us I turned I-turned to find Francisco There was no enmity in his eyes and homade ho he homade made no move more to attack me Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran cisco I said in one of ot those sudden unaccountable hushes bushes that every ery battle battle bat bat- tle tIe large or small will de develop elop you have hare committed a grave blunder Trembling hands caught my armand armand arm and whirled me around The Senorita Sonorita Lamartina raised on tiptoe and her pale face was less than eight Inches from my e eyes eves es Your Your Your Majesty I faltered Mother of ot G G-d G d she whispered the wraith moon-wraith I A western sun filled the upper half halt of ot my tiny cubicle with a lurid glow I a It still oppressive heat presaging seat presaging a n stor storm storm bore bore bore upon me bongs bonds that cut me cruelly held my arms and legs les and black thoughts of ot Injustice filled my brain I had h-ad fought to save sa him him and and her herand herand and and nd I had come to this prison cell Was this the Spaniards Spaniard's Idea of ot gratitude gratitude gratitude tude could there be In the heart of ot Adolfo de Fuentes so perverted a sense of ot right and wrong In his plan of ot life so poor a picture of ot sportsmanship sportsmanship sportsman sportsman- I ship Ah I was to learn many things about the Spaniards I wondered what had become of ot Manuel I wondered what they had bad done to Francisco and Santini for I remembered that Spanish Justice was swift But one ray of ot light showed In the gloom of ot my despair Riding upon that fervent whisper of ot the moon wraith had come so I believed a definite note of ot Joy I heard the grating of a ke key In the padlock and the rattle of a chain The door opened and two armed sailors sailors sail saU- ors came In They loosed my bonds and I stood up moving my arms and legs so that the tine numbness passed away The sailors eased out In single file and stationed themselves in the channel guns ready for any attempt that I might make to escape I stood wondering eyes upon the uneven uneven un even floor until the consciousness of ot a presence came Jo to me I was wass afraid to raise my eyes until I heard her voice and and there has never been another voice like hers never another another face tace so exquisite nor a form so so graciously fashioned I I I Will the Senor wraith Moon Now Nov a palsy seized me I was afraid afraid afraid-afraid afraid that I was dreaming I heard her light step as she crossed the narrow way and I felt the touch of ot a tentative hand lland upon my arm I raised my eyes and drank deep of ot the beauty of her face Senorita I said ah ab Senorita you have come thus to my poor prison She turned her head and glanced over her shoulder where In the gloom of the channel dim outlines of the sailor guards were visible Monsieur Monsieur Mon Ion Ion- you know the French Perfectly I said It tt Is m my mother tongue Your mother tongue I thought you were Americano Yes thou though h my mother is s French Standing close to me she raised her face toward the glow of the tiny port port- hole Will you OU tell me Monsieur who you ou are Tell her I would tell teU her anything anything to hold her here to give gi m me further time to fill my mr eyes with her her 10 loveliness lIness and my soul with the jO Joy of her presence My Iy name Is Loren Loren she repeated accenting accenting- as she should have done the done the last syllable Loren what Loren what i Loren Garde the good Norse name that my father a youth Just out of his teens brought to New Orleans after atter his campaign under the brilliant Gen Nathaniel Greene With faith in himself himself him him- self and the new nation to which he lle had offered valiant service he has managed by hard work and careful saving and Investment to gather vast acreage acreage of ot Mississippi 1 alle valley lands If It your our father is wealthy then why In In the name of ot all the saints Monsieur Mon Mon- top top- did did you thus throw away your our life by serving that arch rebel arch rebel and conspirator Simon Bolivar I Now a bit of ot Francisco's patriotism touched me so 50 that I refrained forthe for forthe forthe the moment from telling her that I had spurned the offer of the thc revolutionists The rebel of ot today Your Majesty may be tomorrows tomorrow's liberator Do you OU not know that already they are calling roiling this Bolivar the Washington Washing Washing- ton of South America i iTO TO BE DE CONTINUED |