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Show I BAFITTB' f J BY MARY gEVEREUX 1 mrH ILLUSTRATIONS BY DON C. WILSON (CopyrrjAt, &03, iy Iftfk, from CorrOTyJ I CHAPTER XXIII. Tho twelve months elapsing since 3 tho September afternoon that witnessed witness-ed Hose do Cazencan's disillusion In regard to her trusted "Captain Jean" had been uneventful ones for her, until very recently, when she had met I nzallo under Ron. l.n Roche's ltos,pttablo roof, and. for the first time In her life, found a . r, friend. The dark beauty ni Indifferent manner of the Spanish girl possessed I a stranpo nnd powerful attraction for the gentle natured Hose: nnd Lazallo, , feeling the other's ndmiratlon ntid liking, had reciprocated In a way that ; brought to tho surface her better nnd more uon-nnly self. j Tho general had for a fittest at this time the son of an tld friend, Col. Thotnns Stewart of Kentucky, who, sending young Harold to Now Or- j leans uprii n matter of business, had asked for him La Rocho's hospltnllty. I a Hoclie and the two girls were breakfnstlrg when Lnfitto arrived. Briglda. who wns superintending certain, cer-tain, domestic matters In a front room of the house, was the first to sco his approach. Ocn. I.a Itocho, with the Impetuosity Impetuos-ity of n much younger man, sprang from his ehnlr nnd crossed tho room 3 to grnsp Lafttto's hand, welcoming him In words which w;ero but carelessly careless-ly heard; for the newcomer glanced from Lnzallc, who had followed her best's movements, to tho childish figure fig-ure still seated at tho table to tho lovely face, flushing nnd paling by turns, while tho violet eyes, Kith a stHrtlod nnd yet not altogether displeased dis-pleased light showing In them, were raised to moot his nv.n. Not offering to touch her hnnd, he said, with n how, "I hopo, mademoiselle mademoi-selle that I find you quite well." She- nnswered In a low volco, her ir.nnner, with tho color still going nnd coming In her cheeks, suggesting nothing more than usual shyness. "And why should you, and every one, like him so much such a wicked, dreadful man?" I Turning from her, and whllo Albert, tho butler, showing as much pleas-uro pleas-uro as ho thought It dignified to manifest, mani-fest, was, by his mastor's order, preparing pre-paring another placo ut tho table, Lafltto told Gen. La Rocho o.. tho sntt-oro sntt-oro who wore waiting outsldo with I their burdens; and tho general, pre-coded pre-coded by Lafltto, started to leavo tho room as a cheery whistling, accom-punted accom-punted by tho sound of footsteps upon tho oaken stairs, announced that Harold Har-old Stowart was coming down to breakfnst. Lafltto was already lu tho hall, and J Li nocho, pausing a moment, turned back to say, In a carofully lowered tono, "Scnorlta Lazallo Mademol-sello Mademol-sello Itoso, I must wnm both of you to have a caro how you mention tho namo of Lafltto In tho hearing of young Stowart. Remember," ho added, add-ed, with unmistakable omphnsls, "ho must bo 'Cnptnln Jcnn, nnd no ono olso, so long as ho Is hero with us.' Lnznllo nodded, with a smllo of appreciation, ap-preciation, but MndemolBollo do Cazo-nonu Cazo-nonu looked with troubled oyes at tho gonornl as ho hurried out. Sho was greatly puzzled, ns Indcod sho had been more than onco uurmg tho past year, to understand how it was that peoplo for whom sho could hhvo nothing but rospect should seem to find no objection to fraternizing with tho dreadful Lafltto, nnd sho was beginning to wonder how much of un-I un-I truth thero might bo in tho terrlblo I stories sho had heard concerning him. I It was nil n perploxlng puzzle, nud I tho girl sighed ns sho stirred her I chocolate Lazallo, hearing tho sigh, laughed her whlto tectt hit Into her toast. "Why do you sigh so woefully, my Uttlo Uof.., and loolt bo tragic? Thoso I I gentlemen have their secrets to pro-servo, pro-servo, especially Jimt now. when ono 1 cannot bo suro thnt Ills neighbor will not botray him for a ehnnco to curry favor with tho governor, or ho Is not scheming for opening tho way to tho English." Iloso's reply, whatever It might hao boon, was chocked by tho entrance ot" Ocn, La nocho and Lafltto, and young Stowart stared suprlsedly at tho tall, Btralgh'l. form following his host. , j , "Mr. Stewart." said the general, '1 wish to present you to my friend, Captain Jean, who hns como to seo mo upon u matter of business. Mr. Stewart" now speaking to Lnflttc, as tho young mnn rose nnd took tho former's for-mer's extended hand "Is tho son of an old friend, whom I think you have met In past years. Ho was then Ensign En-sign Tommy Stowart, but now ho .s. If you please, Col. Thomas Stowart or Kentucky, a member of General Jack-ton's Jack-ton's staff." "I remember having met him In New Orleans, some yenrs ngo; and I art: pleased to make the ncqunlntnnce of his boh." As the breakfast proceeded, accompanied accom-panied by iwgoneral and Inconsequent chatter, I nfitte's keen cyc3 took note ol tho way In which tho young mnn looked at Madomolsello de Cazcnoau; nnd It seemed to him that not only was sho conscious of Stewart's nttcn-' nttcn-' tlon, but thnt It embarrassed her. A fury, sudden ntid savage, possessed possess-ed him nt tho thought of this handsome hand-some young stranger daring to covot what was to him, who had itnown her so long, tho most precious thing In all his world. "By Jove!" exclaimed Harold Stowart. Stow-art. "By Jovo, Scnorlta Lazallo, what a fascinating fellow this Cnptnln Jean Is!" Tho two were sitting In a shaded summer house, Madomolsello do Cazcnoau Cazc-noau having disappeared Immediately after breakfast, making as Drlglda told Lazallo tho excuse of wishing to seo her grandfather at Kanauhnnn. "Havo you known him long?" ho Inquired. "Yes, for uoveral years," sho answered an-swered carelessly, nddlng. as though fooling llttlo Interest In Capt. Jean, "I wonder why Itoso slipped away alone. Sho always likes to havo mo go with her." If Lazallo could havo scon her llttlo llt-tlo friend her wonder would havo been Increased. Up In tho room assigned to her at Kannuhann, nnd mado Invitingly cozy for tholr beloved young mistress by Barbo und Zonoy tho latter, by tho way, novor falling to show hor Jealousy Jeal-ousy of tho French woman's closer relations with Mademolsello Rose wns thnt young lady lying, a tumbled mnss of palo bluo draperies, upon a lnrgo, old-fashioned divan. Her head nnd fnco wero burled In tho pillows, nnd sho was sobbing convulsively. It wns thus that Zeney found her, nnd tho old negress pausing on tho door sill, exclaimed shrilly, "La-la-la! What Is this? Precious bird, tell Zo-noy Zo-noy who It Is that hns brought tenrs to tho light ot her oyes." Sho spoko In tho French putols of hor follows, but with a bettor accent and cholco of words. Tho sobs ceased, but tho faco buflcd Itself still deeper In tho pillows, and a llttlo hand waved her off Impn-tlently. Impn-tlently. "It is that proud Spanish missy!" oxclalmcd Zonoy, with sudden angor. "I don't liko hor. Sho has mado you cry. Como homo, my honey; don't you stay whoro sho Is." "Lazano naa nothing to do with It," was tho roply, uttered with a spirit nnd emphasis that appoarcd to re-Ftoro re-Ftoro tho spenl'or's composure. "Sho knows nothing of It, I toll you. It Is," with manlfost Indecision "only thnt I felt unhappy nnd I cannot toll myself my-self why. But," .as If determined to find a reason ''I wish thnt Capt. La-lltto La-lltto had not como to seo Gen. La Rocho this morning." "La-la," said Zonoy, a now light creeping Into her shrlvolcd- face, whllo sho nodded her turbaned head until her long earrings clicked against tho string of gold beads tightly encircling her skinny nock. "Thon good Capt. Jean Is still nllvo and well I I am glad so glad." "Why should you bo glad? "What makes every ono lovo him so?" do-mnndod do-mnndod her mistress potulantly, ns sho wiped hor faco and: oyos with tho morsel of cambric nnd lace serving hor ns a hnudkcrchlef. "Why should I not bo glnd, my pretty pret-ty one? Aye, so long as Zonoy lives, sho has reason, to bo glad when nil Is well with Capt. Jean." "Hut whyshotild you he?" ropcated Mademolsello do Cnzeneau, her manner' man-ner' softening somowh.it at Zeney's evident sincerity. "And why should you, and evory ono, like him so much Mich a wicked, dreadful man?" Tho adjectives wore indisputably harsh moro so than the manner In which they were uttered,- nnd tho violet vio-let oye3 held ft suggestion that the speaker would not object to knowing that her application of thorn was mis' placed. "Wicked drcadfull" echoed Zeney, slinking her head .violently. "No. no, never Is Captain Jenn cither of these." "But Mnmmnn Zlllnh onco told mo," said Mademoiselle do Cazcnoau. with tho air of one seoklng to roT.ove unpleasant un-pleasant doubts, from tho mind, "that years ago when she bclonred to a mnn up at Contraband Rnyou. she saw Capt. l.nfltto nnd two other men so into tho woods with a Uarso. They had shovels nnd plclta, art! rtio fol-loved fol-loved them 'to seo wlint tlioy would dn. She saw them digging a hole IIKo a grave; but It was r bis chest they dug up. And thero was gold In the chest, for sho saw It when the men began Ailing some hags. Then she wns ho frightened for fo.ir thoy would see her thnt she ran home to her cnbln. And" bore Madotr.oi-cello Madotr.oi-cello de Cazencnu's eyes opened wide to their full width nnd her volco took a minor note, whllo her manner became be-came Imbued with horriblo suggest-lvcncss suggest-lvcncss "a few hours later sho saw tho horso como out of tho woods, with tho bags across Its back; but only Cnpt. Jean camo out of tho woods with tho horso." Zeney lnughed derisively, nnd again shook her head. "Thnt story enmo on horseback, Missy, along with tho others you havo heard, and Zlllnh ought to bo well whipped for telling such a wicked He. If sho over saw such a thing, then tho two men had gono oft In some other way to look aftor their own business, which was what Zlllah ought to havo been doing." But Madomolsello do Cazeneau was, although apparently against her own will, still unconvinced, for sho added Improsslvoly, "Zlllah said that thoy nftcrwnrd found tho two men dead In tho woods. And I havo heard other stories, too of how ho has mndo men Jump Intc the sea when lio burnod or scuttled tholr ships, aud took all they had on board." "Capt. Jean steal! Capt. Jean murder!" mur-der!" cried Zeney, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Such things ho novor did, and all such stories are lies black lies. How can you bo-llovo bo-llovo thorn, or think of thorn, my honoy, when you onco thought him so good nnd noble?" Tho question was unanswered, nnd Zcnoy, after a moment's pause, added, "If there Is any truth In such talk, It was wicked Capt. Laro who did thoso things; but Capt. Jean never." "Laro Capt. Laro!" said her young mistress, with a puzzled llttlo frown, and raising n hand to push back tho clustering hair from her now cooled cheeks. "Ah, yes; It comes to mo. 1 havo heard my mother speak of him; It was ho who brought her from Franco." "It was ho, too, who brought Capt. Joan hero to Louisiana." , "Ho did?" tho girl asked In surprise. sur-prise. "And did you know him thon when ho was a boy?" Tho negress nodded. "Ho seomcd n comrade thon, young as ho was, of the captain's a comrado In business. Ho was a wicked very wicked man a 'scallerat,' this Capt. Laro; and It was surely he, nnd not Cnpt. Jean, who did tho wicked deeds you havo heard about, my honey." "And whoro now Is Capt. Lnro do you know, Zeney?" "Dead and gono, Missy so I'vo been told. Aud If so, then r.o Is down with tho devil, I reckon," nnswered tho old woman grimly, rising to her feet as Luzallo's volco was hoard from tho hall below, calling, "Boso, my llttlo llt-tlo nos, whero nro you?" (To bo continued.) |
