Show g y 5 B T htoo e 11 T hu d e of 0 1 A i A A r d y I 1 3 0 C j sj j fred urea mclaughlin g S 15 IJ Copy copyright richt by the th dobbs werrill oo co W N U service g 5 3 SYNOPSIS capt francois de d vigny rv ing with Maxi army lo in mexico tells the tory story A royh ter ing group of oft leers Is in ing ine la anita who rumor says baya has lured french or deter desertion tion summoned by maximilian to make explanation ue de vigny undertakes to deliver the message to ln IA anita CHAPTER II 11 continued 2 lopezl I 1 gasped what to in the name came of treachery bad lopez to do in this menage inen nse what was his bis business lo in this house bouse of mystery and of mur der I 1 felt elt instinctively that the other man was her worthy cousin colonel lopez was the trusted aide of his majesty maximilian almost his bis chief of staff he was behind halt half the that the emperor made N not of only that colonel lopez had bad fostered the investigation that led finally to the trial and execution of la anitas father true he be had kept himself lo in the background I 1 had bad near trusted colonel lopez abr liked him and this thing only added fuel to the flames of my resentment red rage possessed me if colonel lopez I 1 moved toward the door for indirection of fiction has never been a fault of mine but even with hand extended I 1 stopped for I 1 heard the sound of a footstep I 1 turned and came face to face with la anita there was a smile of welcome oo on her face she was dressed in a black lacy gown cut very low I 1 think I 1 must have gasped at the sheer beauty of her tor for a light of triumph flamed for tin oa instant in her eyes tier ter clear musical voice was ns pitched unnaturally high captain vigny it Is good of you my ily poor ears I 1 cried surely senorita you cannot think that I 1 am deaf b her laugh was even of greater volume your pardon senor she said i that stupid coci of mine can neither cook conk nor hear bear after I 1 have bar e talked with her I 1 speak unconsciously louder for a n space la is it not droll 1 I 1 listened the murin murmur tir of voices had ceased I 1 stood ag aghast liast rea realizing liZinIZ only too loo well that this situation called not for n deft blade but for a brain infinitely more agile than mine la anita laughed softly hut but her laugh had bad nothing in it of pleasure she too seemed to tie be listening had find I 1 known you were here said she at last 1 I 1 should have wasted no time on the coci cocivera cocinera nera I 1 had no desire senor to keep you waiting rhe little time accorded m me e senorita permitted me to note your excellent library and to enjoy some of these wondrous paintings of yours v she be smiled of ai this besides I 1 continued driving straight ahead ns ap a soldier should in strange places one bears if ones ears are properly attuned mysterious and interesting sounds ali ah but the chatter of idle men who lacking brains to amuse themselves drink to pass the time away I 1 have hae an idea that colonel lopez and my worthy cousin who cannot wall all in patience have been into my wines again she turned to the doorway wherein stood the dark faced silent mozo you may tell colonel lopez and senor madorella Ma drella that they will find me here following the mozo they came in each with a half filled glass in his hand lopez sighting me stared an awkward instant then he put back his massive head and went off into nn an uncontrollable spasm of laughter another sailor he cried on lifes uncertain ocean pining for the music of the lorelei Lori lell another moth bound tor for the flame of beau beauty tyl 1 ills tone nettled me 1 I 1 am not B R beauty bound rooth moth senor neither do I 1 pine I 1 am here on his maje business wherein I 1 lied tor for the flame of la anitas beauty lind had burned me deeply and visions of her lovely face ace had oiled filled my thoughts in ID my cay urgent desire to see her again to listen to the music of her voice to thrill to in the elie glory of the he very air that surrounded her I 1 had bad almost forgotten that the real purpose of my errand ran was to meet that murderous cousin of if hers hera she spoke to the mozo again get captain vigny some wine monsieur le ie comte I 1 would present ly cousin senor pablo Al Ma adrella drella y gutierrez Gutler rez senor madorella Mn Ma drella bent ills his fine body in the middle and bowed halfway to the floor lie ile was alt all of six feet with a comfortable breadth of shoulder and a lithe grace in his muscular body that suggested the latent intent power 0 of a panther ills eyes were a deep blue gray and they had elie steadfast took look of at a man of courage hla his bair wits straight and nearly black and a black mustache and vandyke failed to hide a resolute mouth and chin A vague idea come came to me that I 1 had seen been him before even his bis voice faintly familiar there la Is a question in your eyes eye a senor said madorella Ma drella 1 I win just w I 1 answered intent on approaching the crisis with directness if senor Madrel lil and colonel lopez just now dow were drinking his maje healthy health all ah cried lopez the french are ever a jesting people must the lie love ly la anian be saved only for lieuten ants and captains may not a colonel hark to the lure of beauty and you have just jur denied captain thus challenged I 1 drew the sum mons from my pocket and la anita white of face and swaying slightly read it slie site proffered it to her cons in who considered it with grove grave eyes just what lint may my cousin expect on the morrow captain he asked I 1 I 1 turned to lopez and found a dis threat in his dark eyes eves I 1 knew that lie he and alid lestrange are were behind tills this move and I 1 knew that loprz lopez had brought about the execution of ln la anitas father yet here was the intriguing tri guing colonel a welcome guest in her home and an avowed suitor tor for her hand senorita he said a proprietary confidence in his bis tone it Is a trine trifle I 1 assure you yon you may depend upon me to see that no awkward questions are asked you are very kind b she murmured now she turned to me how much may I 1 depend upon ie comte cointe I 1 think she knew my standing with the emperor joist so fo much as my my service to lo his majesty will permit said bald 1 anger flamer in Mild rellas eyes you make your service a thing senor as aa well as a faithful shield at bostl A wild exhilaration possessed me ine I 1 had drown drawn him out my service has never been a shield eienor I 1 require none if f I 1 must be direct 0 and I 1 prefer to he be here it Is four officers of his maje service have come to this house two have digap feared completely the third un on in different swordsman today nurses a wounded shoulder and the body of the fourth was taken from the canal one loss might lime haie been passed oer BS as an a colnel coincident dent but four would seem to take on the lie phase of deliberate planning may I 1 tell you captain what happened to them three only senor wll speak for himself you may inny tell me cie it if you so BO desire hut but I 1 retain the right to believe or not as I 1 choose choom Se senor norl I 1 he rasped you lopez broke in slowly pablo slowly valetnin nin vigny Is on a mission for maximilian 1 I am not nor said L 1 1 have finished the business of the emperor h very well hothead hot head hend the colonel placated remain quiet chua tille senor Mad macrelli Ma drella relli tells us have you not dot the courtesy t plenty my colonel said 1 where courtesy Is 19 required la anita gasped and I 1 turned to her all humiliation your pardon senorita I 1 forgot go on pablo urged lopez duroc sold madorella Ma drella lie he whom you found in the canal died in honorable combat with you senor be nodded with roe me perchance the sword of duroc was wa not so not so had mused the cousin in the tone of a connoisseur not so bad duroc as I 1 remember was a gascon and faithful did you make certain overtures senor madorella Ma drella hesitated yes said la anita my cousin offered him honorable service under the deposed president Lh he refused said madorella Ma drella and lied died I 1 finished any sol dier of france would have done the same but leroux smiled Ma Al adrella drella and the other one besancon did not refuse and did not dle die do you mean to say bay I 1 gasped of a surety captain the worthy cousins face took on a took look of great complacency they recognized the error of their ways they foresaw the fall of maximilian or possibly it may be that they lid did not dot relish the taste of cold stem steel for believe me lt it ling lias nn an evil flavor at nil all events they serve now dow under the glorious banner of juarell you yon lie ile senor I 1 said no of france would do that thing I 1 henril a sharp intake of breath whistle through the teeth of colonel lopez ln la anita sighed a deep sigh of anguish and of horror and madrel to la stood poised expectant a 0 cold cola smile on bis big lace face the tha precious ras cot wits enjoying himself and 1 at al most loved him for it A massive walnut library table stood between us Mad maddelin Mn drella relin placed the outspread fingers of both hands upon it and studied me a long moment you will apologize ts Is it not so it Is not so said bald 1 then of course smiled pablo you will tight that senor has been the actual intent of my mission madorella Madrel Ma drella ln raised his eyes eves to the man tel over which hung the two swords had called them lapiers rapiers ra piers but lie he hod had been in error for they were really small swords and most ideal for fencing colonel lopez stood on a chair and taking down the weapons told laid them side by side upon the table 1 I it I 1 you two must fight he said though I 1 consider it stupid and entirely unnecessary the least I 1 can ilo do will be to assist you are you not called calledo 7 said undrel la in still with his blue gray eyes upon me the made of cleardy Pl cardy eardy it affords we ne n line fine delight captain vigny to try the skill of one whose name and fume fame have gone so far lie ile indicated the weapons with a glance and as I 1 wade made no move continued will you chooser choose cho osel 7 cut but should 1 I the challenged party be required to choose merely of swords senor Is it the custom in mexico T you will pardon me captain said madorella Ma drella it was a natural assumption with roe me that one mith such an aptitude for fencing now at a sign from her cousin anita brought forward a long narrow mahogany box bos which on being opened disclosed a pair of silver mounted dueling pistols must there be any choice senor so said andrella Mn Mit drella further than pistols across this table or the swords now I 1 considered this thing I 1 had bad come to the home of ln n anita for or the one purpose of removing a deadly menace that eliot lay in the path of maximilian in the service of his country and of his emperor a soldier should never consider his own life that little gray haired mother of mine in st simon would mourn the loss of on nu only son but she would understand and on the morrow did I 1 fall that failure would be difficult indeed to explain to cupido tind and to neville and even to the cynical lestrange the man who stood before me waiting for me to choose was an evident master with the sword the blade then offered a possible failure and failure was a thing not to be considered whereas the pistols the pistols seem more to my liking said L I 1 ah no nol cried la anita you cannot senor slie she caught my arm we must said madzella Ma Ha drella reaching for the remaining weapon but the emperor she objected already he has summoned me must another T senorita said I 1 gently for I 1 was torn by her unhappiness colonel lopez lope in hom his bis majesty places great and abiding faith will tell him on the morrow that it was captain vigny who nho sought this meeting will assure him that it t was through no plan of thine its murder said lopez harshly murder Slur der or not it must be unless the captain wishes to apologize suggested Mad madrilla Ma drella relia A thing as you very well know I 1 that I 1 barst no DO intention of doing Is the table senor Mad Ua drella relia wide enough to suit you toua madrilla Ua Ma drella considering the six feet of smooth walnuts walnut laughed in aline a fine display of courage captain you yon have surpassed the other tour four soldiers of franco france now I 1 remembered the overtures made to the other men who had followed the lure of beauty you do not offer roe me a commission in the liberal army a commission under benito juarez Jut irez tie ile bowed 1 I must do you yon the honor to admit that such an offer would be useless aye worse than useless a foolhardy thing thine senor la anita touched my arm again monsieur she 04 said softly look at me there has never been a face since time besan began as lovely as tiers hers knowing my imminent death I 1 drank to the lees of her beauty the clear nehei eyes were fathomless wells of sweet nest tie the pointed chin trembled ever so little the slightly parted red tips lips showed the tips of pearly teeth tind on the oval face lay an expression of pleading 1 I 1 am look in ins senorita and a ith death before me I 1 take reckless courage in tel linic you that no woman in all the fie world hns has ever approached the perfection of beauty that you have attained thank you she faltered mon ilon bleur 1 there no nay her eyes fell before my steadfast look would you have me apologize to your worthy cousin if I 1 should ask you T I 1 A soft light came into the amber eyes a light that burned up my bravado and turned my bones to water anything that you ask me to do said 1 a hopeless slave to a sudden overwhelming love that will I 1 do she must have read that love in my eyes tor for her hand trembled on my arm then thed she did the thin thins that only a woman of high resolve could have done it Is not for me senor to ask yon whereupon she turned Z I 1 so we stood each in WI white its shirt pistols half raised raised to her cousin raised on tiptoe and kissed him goodby she whispered then she walked unsteadily across the room and stood beside lopez for enot kiss I 1 would have died in perfect happiness depositing the pistol on the table I 1 took off the all enveloping coat senor madorella Madrel Ma drella ln shrugged out of the long brown coat that bad fit his fine body with such precision so we stood each in white shirt pistols half raised facing each other across six feet of polished walnut 1 I am sorry senor said 1 I that I 1 cannot place you surely I 1 have seen you before even your voice Is vaguely familiar the laugh of colonel lopez broke an awkward tension you have seen him film to in the mirror captain francois and his bis voice Is very like your own pablo ralo cried la anita save for the beard and mustache he be Is your brother brot berl 1 now nov I 1 started marveling for we were of a height except for a possible inch in my favor and the lines of our bodies held field an on amazing likeness the gray blue of eye was nearly the same as mine the straight nose dose the ears poise of head and a certain alertness of gesture seemed very much my own even under his beard I 1 recognized the familiar obstinate set of mouth and chin my hair was not so BO black as his nor quite so straight and his bis skin was darker by tar far than mine even with the differences of beard and complexion and many vital points of dissimilarity that closer inspection spec tion might reveal the resemblance was startling how tragic a thing la anita breathed that two such magnificent men should kill each otherl other I 1 I 1 bowed to her senorita you have made death a beautiful thing for me enough sold said madorella Ma drella who I 1 am sure could not have failed to see the worship in my eyes may we ask for your assistance colonel lopez 2 it Is an evil business basl ness pablo said ald the colonel paulo pablo shrugged his |