Show F a LAST FOUR TOUR LEAGUES L LIt It was sundown In Santa Rosalia RosaUa t. t The rainy season w was s on In n Cuba am amlow and andr r low rumbling thunder had been heard all the afternoon That is the people ti w who ho lived in the little cluster of palm palm- thatched houses called Santa Rosalia Rosalla thought it was thunder And so it wa was the the distant roar of Spanish artillery that came up from the south e One little cottage stood by the roadside roadside roadside road road- side some distance apart from th the r others It was the home of the Mon Mon- cados The father Jose was dead He lIe had fallen a victim to the last the ther theten r ten years years' war Three sons eons were t- t i JI left to carry on the fight and they were then with Brigadier Lopez Recto RecIo Only mother and Emilia the sister a little girl of at 12 years were left at home to c watch and pray to God to aid the Cubans Cubans Cu Cu- bans In their struggle for liberty Suddenly the noise of clattering hoofs came from the southwest The still night air bore the unmistakable sound r 4 with with distinctness In an instant every f head bead was at the open door Nearer and nearer came the galloping rider He was alone His horse was covered with with foam and panting like Uke a tired J hound Up to the little gate of at the cottage he staggered anc and then his rider reeled and almost felInto fell fel Into the arms of his mother My God Rafael you are wounded 0 my bort boy boy boy- t s. s It is no matter I can still ride The h battle of ot Saratoga is raging I am on my toy way to Colonel Pena Penn He does not know of It We need him and his AIry alry Help me meto to a fresh horse and Ill I'll catch Pena Pen a at Santa Lucia tonight I must trust must The poor fellow never finished the sentence He had fainted The arms of f tender women bore him Into the ther r house Poor POOl little Emilia Emilla followed the tears streaming from her eyes She r watched them draw off the riding boots filled with her brothers brother's blood ry t She brought water to moisten his parched lips Ups She saw the ugly wound in his hip and murmured through her herf f L.- L. gritting teeth Bad Spaniards Bad 3 Spaniards They will kill us all yet r And then her brothers brother's eyes opened r c The cold told water ater had revived him He 1 r tried to move but only groaned in a agony ony Once more he strove to rise y Mother some one help me tl to my feet I must go on on-I on I must go on I Ir r have ridden sixteen leagues leagues' since c t morning There are only four more moree e r to Santa Lucia and to Pena We must r have him And with a mighty effort rs f he rose to his feet Then he wavered tears of helplessness came into his iA I eyes and he sank back on n the bed with witha fi f a a. sob of anguish To think that I should go EO so near to the end of my Journey and then fail K How were you wounded my boy near El late late this afternoon I had changed horses at atLa h V ft La Vinda an hour before Suddenly I Iran Iran ran into a body of Spanish guerillas from San Miguel I could not fight j. j them there were too many so I took up a ravine toward Isidro They fired five flue after and chase oJ c volleys me gave j They knew kne I bore a commission My y a. a At 2 YOU ARE WOUNDED j horse was fleet and strong and I got away but carried with me one of their I tore off of parts of ot my sleeve and pushed them in the wound but It still bled Im I'm better now Im I'm rested Ill I'll go on and again he tried to get geton i. i on his feet Rafael my boy It is Impossible you are weak You cannot ride the ther r motion of the horse will cause you to bleed to death Guido must go Emi Emi- Emilia lia ha tell him to saddle a fresh horse and get ready to ride to Santa Lucia Emilia started toward the door but buther her brother raised his hand In protest Guido Is only a half He might start for Santa Lucia but he would never find his way In the dark Even if he reached the place he would forget whom he wanted to see But there is Js no other man in Rosalie Rosalfa Rosalia Ro Ro- salia salie pleaded the mother True Therefore I m must st go wound or lr no wound Emilia tell Guido to saddle a horse and bring it to the gate quickly We are losing time Brother we cant can't let you go Ill I'll never see you again and the poor child hild burled her head on her brothers brother's neck Then suddenly rising she exclaimed exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- claimed Oh why was I not a man Cuba so 80 needs men Yes Ill I'll tell him to get Linda ready at once Colonel Pena must go to help Gomez TurnIng Turning Turning Turn Turn- ing she kissed her brothers brother's forehead and hurried ed out to the stables Soon i t. t J. J tf V 5 t 1 0 the tha quiets gallop llop of a horse wa wu heard approaching the house But it did not stop at the gate On it sped in the direction direction direction di di- of Santa Lucia A moment later Guido the wit half ted black boy wandered aimlessly into the room Where Is the horse where is Emilia Emilia Emi Emi- lia inquired her brother Gone replied the boy Gone Where came from nn all present I r dun know She saId eaid bout St. St Lucia jumped on Lindas Linda's back and looks to mesas me as as how bow she's she gone II And so she was the brave little Emllia Emi I lia Ha although not a soldier of Cuba had taken her brothers brother's place She had gone to get Pena to tell him that the fight between Gomez and the SpanIsh SpanIsh Spanish Span- Span Ish General on at Saratoga Saratoga Saratoga Sar Sar- r and that every Cuban in Cama- Cama guey was needed On the little heroine rode in the darkness of the night She had been born and raised in the country and she knew the way to Santa Lucia although g she had n never ver before traveled it inthe in inthe Inthe the dark But she was riding to save sage her brothers brother's life and for Cuba Darkness Darkness Darkness Dark Dark- ness danger nothing daunted her Bareheaded and alone she urged her horse over the road at a pace which would have made most girls tremble with fear Not even when an hour later th thi tropical storm broke in all its fury around her did she hesitate Lightning Lightning Lightning Light Light- ning striking the tall palma palms reals caused Linda many times to shy and almost bolt the road but the brave little little little lit lit- tle rider held on and never neve loosened rein until in sight of Pen Penas Pena's as a's campfires Quien vs suddenly called out the picket Cuba answered the brave little girl She reined up her panting steed una ordered the guard and Emilia pale wet and dripping rode forward Caramba It it Is a child Who are you What do you want I am Emilia I want to tell Colonel Pena Penn that there is a battle at Saratoga General Gomez has only men against over 2000 Spaniards and he needs help A few minutes tes later almost fainting with fatigue and nervous strain she was borne Into the presence of Pena Dios mio he exclaimed as he listened listened listened list list- ened to her story and then gave the signal for hl his command to mount I You poor little thing you should be abed and asleep Wrapping his coat around her little trembling wet form he Jumped into his saddle and had an officer pass the child up to him The order was given to march and in hir arms arros the fighting colonel of carried the little heroine back to hei het home in Rosalia Rosalie Take her Vie he Said ald as he handed her over to her half-crazed half mother She brought us the news Ill I'll speak of her to General Gomez She deserves the rank of a major general She has I saved her brothers brother's life and her brave deed may win the day at Saratoga I Oma Omaha is a Bee |