Show L HE BLADE OP pl SYNOPSIS capt francois do de vigny serving with Maxi maximilian army in mexico tells the story etory A royster ing group of officers off leers la Is discussing le L anita who rumor says has lured french vincen to death or des deerbon de erlon erdon summoned by maximilian milian to make explanation do 1 vigny undertaken undertake to deliver the tb message to la anita at la anitas home do de vigny alg ny meet colonel lopez mexican officer and the he girls cousin pablo ma drolla drella who bears a wonderful resemblance to do de vigny except that he be wears a beard angered that anita should be called before the emperor madorella Ma drella forces a duel on do de vigny in which the is wounded assisting Mad to his bis carriage D de vlony picks up a paper that falls fall from his pocket it proves to be a pass granting madorella Ma drella passage through the mexican lines laid before maximilian it Is of course death warrants warrant since it proves him a spy questioned by maximilian la anita denies luring french officers to danger and Is given her freedom de vigny secures leave of 0 absence planning while bl madorella adrella Ma drella Is wounded and under guard to grow a beard and impersonate him with the idea ot of securing information ot of juarez move cove monte merits dressed as madorella Ma drella he be enters la anitas home by stealth and overhears bears a conversation between madorella Ma drella and lopez which proves the latter a traitor to maximilian lopez has secured macrellas Mad rellas release and th the e latter Is leaving at once for juarez amp he reaches cuernavaca about the same time as the real bla drella an unsuccessful attempt Is made by madorella Ma drella to kill oe de vigny believing him to be mairella do de vigny Is welcomed by juarez do de vigny saves cuer cavaca by convincing juarez who had planned to seize the he city that the french garrison Is too strong I 1 CHAPTER VII continued A 1 it I pablo said the general can remove a beard and become captain de vigny agny why cannot de eiguy grow one and become madorella Ma drella and if do de vigny had bad considered such a step he would of course first acquaint himself with intimate details of ma drelles dr ellas life ilfe would he not undoubtedly excellency else he should tall fall out of hand band in mental torture I 1 hung on the brink of des pair rr blat would be his next ques there Is one obstacle de vigny would never surmount one bit of evidence he be could not possess that evi dence would mould remain at all costs in the keeping of pablo madrilla Ua Ma drella tor for it Is his life it if you can produce that pablo well and good lf if not you are indeed unfortunate and that excellency said 1 wondering deran if besancon as ag a last resort bouls would really shoot and give us a chance tor for our lives only a piece of paper said juarez ibn on which has been written and signed by me an order passing pahlo pablo madorella Ma drella y gutierrez Gutler rez through the liberal lines Us ue waited while with trembling fingers I 1 tumbled fumbled through my pockets finally bringing to light that potent pass ue read it with knit brows and returning it to me held out his band forgive me pablo I 1 must be certain und and so BO much depends upon me I 1 feel somehow that mexico lives or dies with me that all the cares of this unhappy land have descended upon my shoulders in the long silence that followed this speech the general pressed my hand in an iron grip 1 I must mast give my country my iny best each one of us excellency Is trying to do just that said 1 and leroux smiled at my double entendre there Is a task for you yon pablo juarez produced a sealed letter we must attend to miguel lopez lie he Is 13 dangerous I 1 have arranged tor for max to pay the colonel tor for his bis treachery the general smiled this mar ar of ours Is wore more of intrigue than of arms you will deliver this communication to lopez and I 1 shall tee see that it Is found upon him such a task will be one of pleasure excellency 1 I 1 assume pablo that you will have delivered this within forty eight hours and my other communication will be timed accordingly so as we stood rigid and erect he bade us good night that said leroux Is that and a closer shave I 1 never want to see seel I 1 he grabbed his glass of wine and bolted it we owe our lives rene I 1 said to that ready vit vilt ot ol yours you must escape this night both of you renes eyes questioned me A you understand I 1 cried klelia way may corne come at any time esen den it he this hoax cannot be kept long under coyer cover benito juarez will soon tin find out the trick that lias has been played upon him suppose prose he does Fran francois cols what then what then are you mad rene cannot you see eee soon the will have gone and with it your clances chances for es escape ettlie 11 we will stay with this thing that we have started francois after out our coup de main has been accomplished we will consider means of escape and not before As loule has said a great battle may some day hang in the bal anile and then two soldiers of the Etil pire I 1 gave it up UD A ah mon dieu dien had I 1 known knowla had I 1 beeb aveo able tu to see eee in to the future I 1 should have insisted upon their flight or falling in that I 1 should haie stayed lunger longer with them talking in the moonlight CHAPTER VIII dolores at treinta I 1 found senor perez in a 4 high state of nerves because of lack of time I 1 had perforce to fore go the hospitality of his house bouse I 1 told don fells however that juarez loved him and that lie would not forget him and I 1 explained the toss loss of ray my beard As he be had seen the general put an arm around me and had beard him film call me pablo any explanation or none cone would have sufficed that pass of Madre iia had bad proved to be a val valuable find indeed I 1 was going home tor for the city of 0 mexico since the coming of la anita into my life had suddenly assumed tte tle role of home Fr france atice somehow seemed very tar far away the city had been before my meeting with the beautiful lady of avenida flores merely a pleasant playground for the duties of 0 a stuff staff officer are never ery hard hut but this great love of mine though hopeless for she bad forbade nie me the house had bad glen ghen life a deep or er significance had made of this sweet world of ours something griat gri at er by far than a playground had lifted the goal of ray my am ambition billon find and desire up among the very stars now like the good general that I 1 hoped some day to become I 1 a complete mental picture ot of the ground that lay before nie me lestrange was an obstacle that might because of the lie I 1 had told madorella Ma drella be removed by that worthy himself a possibility pleased me not a lit it tie for captain lestrange had been guilty of tile the blackest treachery second col miguel lopez whon whom I 1 would have to reach through the emperor if 1 indeed pablo did not come to my aid in this direction also and last but by no means least lea stUa ma drella aside from the service to our respective countries there lay between Mildr ll adrella ellit and me a potent personal hatred that might have been traced to the lovely lady of avenida flores and that would die I 1 feared only ith the death of one or both of us evidently he had made no attempt to follow me to puente de aitla litla I 1 ow I 1 we owe our lives rene I 1 said to that ready wit of yours assumed therefore tor for I 1 had no thought that the blow on ills hla head had find killed him that he would be in cuernavaca awaiting me or that lie had returned to mexico city to confront Lestr lestrange alige and lopez if I 1 did not end him to in cuernavaca there would be I 1 was sure an interesting time ahead of me when I 1 should reach the city of mexico of course pasqual at the crossing of tile the arroyo may have stopped him but in spite ot of all my confidence in pasqual Pas oual there was a serious doubt in my mind of the indians ability to accomplish com that if neville with the advantage of his size and strength and shrewdness had tailed failed this at least could be settled for there was pasqual lie he let out a cry of welcome and came down the ridge with the sure footed sIft swiftness nos of an antelope ali ah pasqual suld 1 buenos dins iut but lie hie beard senor 7 I 1 laughed A beard pasqual Is a but the mantle of the mou moment lent to be cast aside ns as tile the need for it departs Be besides slides I 1 do not care to look like the bearded man who visited me die in the gloom of early morning yesterday have bave you seen him pasqu nl ile he shook his bead lie ile has oot not come this way then lie he walls waits for or tile me in cuerna cherna vaca eh in n that case pasqual we must hasten for there are many things to do the indian considered his burro which stood head pendant eyes closed ears cars drooping beside hesline tile I 1 lie road read con one hasten basen on such a 9 beast senor fenorl oct get up behind me die tie he will curr carr both with ease eam the burro by dint of walking a 11 while and then putting on a spurt ol of by fred mclaughlin copyright by the tb bobbs co G W N X V U service wild galloping managed to keep in sight as the sturdy mountain pony with that swift running walk of his put the miles behind us A good horse senor said pasqual Pasq oal in my ear aye im going to give him to you and dolores as a wedding pres ent ah senor 11 1 indeed lie he will help you put in a crop of grain pasqual and lie he will help you harvest IL lt of a sunday and sometimes of an evening lie he will if harnessed to one of those light two wheeled carts seen in the city and purchased for a few pesos apesos carry you yoo and dolores far your station in life will be greatly enhanced thereby but the horse Is a thing of great value senor and you Is my life a thing thine of small value pasqua pasqual and did you not risk yuu own onn to save it this horse Is all in my payment for your service besides bes liles I 1 am presenting him also to dolores now a long silence fell between as to be broken by the grateful indian on only ly as we entered the outskirts of cuernavaca will you go with me senor to see dolores it will be a day long remembered in our lles hies dolores will want to see you to thank you I 1 would have her happy 1 I shall be pleased to know do ores lores I 1 would tell her also of thy service to me and of my gratitude few men pasqual are worthy we stopped slopped before a tiny bouse with red tiled roof and walls that were plastered and painted a rich brown with border of red pasqual whistled it was a perfect imitation of the call of the slate gra partridge we will walt wait a little eh senor senura yes pasqual we will always wait in five minutes the white front door opened and a figure came out a it ngui e in a simple dress of golden brown with mitto a purple mantilla over the straight blak black hair she was small and slim with the 11 light lit and easy grace of a fawn and as she ran swiftly into the arms of the bronzed broad shouldered man who stood at the gate a great longing possessed me and my mind raced ahead to the city and perchance to the lady that I 1 would see ee before the sun had set with leads heads close they talked together for half a minute in swift liquid spanish then pakqual Ia squal turned to me senor this Is dolores but pasqual Ia squal she said smiling what do I 1 call him pancho said 1 I giving the span ish for my christian name she extended a hand and I 1 lifted d it to my lips bowing wit with 4 all the grave grace at my command for so small a service dulce mia said pasqua pasqual nl the senor has given me money enough for our marriage and As he be had saved my life dolores the serece was not so small and tor for a wedding edding present continued pasqual he has glen ghen us the horse hone which will help us with that little farm of mine 1 I 1 I wanted him to see you now she wined to me again she touched my sleeve senor pancho she said softly we would like to show our gratitude to thee she stood on tiptoe and to in the shining eyes that studied my face with such an earnest childlike eagerness I 1 saw a sudden mist of tears reading heading approval in pasquala Pas quals smile I 1 took the sweet brown face in both my lay hands and kissed it reverently gracias Gra Cra clas she whispered thanking me so I 1 left them brave honest trust ful pasqual whom I 1 had tricked most grievously and his lovely little littie dolores I 1 am not proud of that questionable bit of deception yet I 1 have the consol consolation atlon of knowing that taitu fill tile the coming of the final test pas quat showed me that he loved me for myself 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 1 met on tile the street in front of the hotel montezuma lieutenant brugiere he who had bad suggested gug ested to pasqual that tile the old wan man mount the horse Is it francois said he be staring none other brugiere Brug lere and dryer by tar far than the sahara I 1 have come many lany leagues where Is there a 9 good drink ue he put an arm over my shoulder A good drink Is not to be had this side of it our beloved cafe All ramon but an indifferent drink may be obtained from the ful fat manuel who bits its yonder on tile porch of its his hotel like an overripe over ripe spider waiting for a fly though that broad white turbin turban on his head gives him film more tile hie appearance of a turk lies iles not a turk Brug brugiere lere 1 said 1 lies iles a tartar barlar and the turban I 1 think Is a banda e As we mounted tile the steps manuel lifted himself from the capacious chair with vast labor and a repressed groan of pain ile he held the massive ave door open fir fior us and then preceded us to the bar where lie put out glasses und and a bottle or two standing stan dinc the while with fingers outspread as aa we poured our drinks brugiere who knows wines as every man who has bas lived in dijon abound held his glass to the light A pity said be that a country so rich in fruits should bo be so poor tn in drinks la Is this manuel the best you have our friend has traveled far manuel shoot shook his head this wine said he Is 13 all did your brains explode questioned Brug brugiere lere his eyes on the swathed head or 1 I fell senor said the bandaged man it was dark in the hallway I 1 stumbled and my head by evil fortune came in contact with a chair are you sure manuel said 1 I that it was mas a chair might it not have bare been a stool 1 A stool se senor norlo aye a stool said 1 I a heavy three legged stool which swing swinging lug tree free in the semidarkness nes might per pep chance have come in contact with thy head bond now the bloodshot eyes focused upon me and during that critical scrutiny I 1 stroked a beardless chin arld and waited recognition came slowly ills his great boly body shook his fala pudgy r Z now we ran a race with the sun hands gripped the bar and a greenish ish pallor of tear fear settled on tits his face finally a sound riding on that gasping breath of his came forth inor senor P 1 Brug bruggere Cru giere lere laughed Is senor all you can say to us its manuel after such vast preparation manuels eyes never left my face 1 I think said 1 I that thai it was a stool yes senor I 1 am sure it was now that I 1 reconsider it als eyes sought the floor and manuel you might I 1 continued be able to find some wine for us that may prove prone more smoothly caressing to the palate Is it not dot so 1 I will see senor will you wait what Is it questioned Brug brugiere lere wondering do you have in your eyes the light of gladdins Alad dins lamp amp or r not at all my friend I 1 merely had bad in n my hand band that stool which came in contact with his head manuel brought fresh glasses and poured out with ith a shaking hand that precious fluid for us lieutenant Brug Bru gleie lete lifted his bis glass swelled smelled the wine nud raised it to the light nectar he be |