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Show f ! TItae VaiDe Spaigoini ' By fred Mclaughlin r Author of "The Blade of Picardy" Copyrlsht br Bobbs-Merrlll C (WOT Service. I j WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED In the old city of Now Orleans, in the year 1821, Loren Garde, recently an officer under General Jackson, Is surprised by the appearance ap-pearance of three figures. In ancient an-cient Spanish .costume, two men and a woman whose beauty enchants en-chants him. Besenting- the arrogance arro-gance of the elder of the two men, Garde fights a duel with him and wounds him. He learns his opponent Is Adolfo do Fuentes, colonel In the Spanish army In Venezuela. Garde overhears a plot to overthrow Spanish rule tn Venezuela. Discovered he fights, but Is overpowered. Garde finds hlmselef a prisoner on the Santa Lucrecla, ship bearing arms and ammunition for the Venezuelans under Bolivar. On board are the conspirators he had overheard, the lady of his love, her brother Pollto, and De Fuentes. Fu-entes. From the elrl, Garde learns her name Is Dulce Lamartlna. He does not tell her of his love, but feels she Is not Indifferent to him. The vessel Is wrecked and Garde reaches the Venezuelan shore, alone. Making his way Inland he meets a man who Introduces himself as Monahan, captain In the British legion under Bolivar. He sees Dulce, with De Fuentes and Pollto. Monahan urges him to Join the Venezuelans, but his mind is set on seeing Dulce. Monahan Mon-ahan directs him to friends In Caracas. There Garde, supplied by Monahan with the secret sign of the patriots, Is welcomed at revolutionary headquarters. CHAPTER IV Continued My heart suddenly warmed to this earnest patriot "I met an Irish soldier on the road." I said, "Captain Monahan, one of the British Brit-ish legion, who offered me his trust He helped me change the complexion complex-ion of my face and hair, and he referred re-ferred me to Tomas Currasco and the Cantlna Merlda." "And the sign of the Socledad Patriotlco ?" "He gave me that as well." "Your life In this city, Senor, will not be worth a silver real when Fuentes finds you out. He has little cause to love one who. In the space suppressed murmur that went up from the waiting crowd. "Yonder," said Manuel, pointing a prudent thumb, "is Morales, who acts for La Torre." I studied the cold dignified man who tore with evident pride the gandy trappings of his rank. Had I never seen the city of Tucayao I should have disliked this cynical Spaniard whose face was set In a mask of cruelty and whose eyes were veiled by heavy lids half closed as though to conceal his crafty thoughts. ' This man, then, with the power of Spain at his call, bad laid his hand upon a city, and had destroyed de-stroyed all the life It held. It hadn't been a gesture of war, I remembered, remem-bered, for not a man in Tucayan was armed. A deed of senseless brutality no less this destruction of a helpless town and the slaughter slaugh-ter of Its people. If Morales represented rep-resented Spanish methods in Venezuela Vene-zuela the cause of Bolivar, I reasoned, reas-oned, was Just Hot anger burned within me, the racing blood pounded at my temples and, falling to trembling again, I gripped my fingers and ground my teeth In a fury of Impotence. The glorious Lamartlna was marrying the aide of this monster, and the colonel's emulation of the Butcher had earned for him already a reputation repu-tation as infamous as that of his chief. Now Manuel touched my arm. "Careful, my friend," he whispered ; "such malignant looks 111 become a wedding. If you would conserve your life you must control your face." I had come to realize at last that, behind the unfavored face of the swarthy and clever Manuel lay thoughts most beautiful and profound; pro-found; and I wondered vaguely what manner of man might be this Bolivar, the father of the revolution; revolu-tion; wherein lay his hold upon his people. Francisco had said to me: 'If Venezuela hud a thousand men like you, Senor, she would win her Independence In-dependence out of hand." Well, of the world, and her eyes came up with it. I searched her face eagerly now, drinking in her loveliness. I would live this lore of mine during the minute or two that she might still remain the Senor lta Lamartlna, and then free of Caracas I would seek forgetfulness in arms under the banner of Bolivar, for I could never go back again to the peace and quiet of the great plantations. "Dios," said iiapuel in an anxious anx-ious whisper, "she has seen theel" Now I realized that the Senorlta Dulce had found my eyes. She was looking past the colonel's shoulder; shoul-der; her lips were parted, her eyes wide, color came and went in her face, and a deep sigh escaped her. With outstretched hand pointing In my direction she pushed past the prospective bridegroom and started down the carpeted aisle toward me. She seemed like one who moves In a trance, her eyes unseeing, her arms extended as though in supplication. sup-plication. Before she had token two steps I was on my feet and, In three strides, stood before her, catching the swaying figure as It fell. With a childlike sigh she snuggled Into the protection of my arms. "Senor Moon-wralth," she whispered in a tiny voice that was drowned in the swelling lamentations that filled the cathedral. She raised a hand, wonderingly, and touched my darkened hair. "Is it the Senor? I would" "None other . . . what have I done, Senorlta?" "Hasten," said a rasping voice at my elbow; "you must escape." "Save thyself, Manuel, good friend," I said; "nothing they may do to me " Now the crowd was upon as In an overwhelming flood. Pollto his face as black as a thunder-cloud tore the precious burden from my arms, soldiers barked orders, worn- -en screamed and children cried shrilly. Thrusting bodies propelled me swiftly toward the wide doorway, door-way, out of which we tumbled in a scrambling Jieap. "The Senor Lieutenant has an atrocious at-rocious cold," I ventured. ' Whereupon he smiled at me In the friendliest manner. "I was in a storm," be explained. "I am sorry, and your head," "Is doing nicely, thank you; It came In contact with a spar." ne studied my face for half a minute. "Things might be worse, Senor." "A philosophic view Indeed," said I, "and one In which I cannot share, for soldiers at this moment surround my place of abode." He laughed, a sorry effort, but sufficient. "A temporary arrangement, arrange-ment, I think. Perhaps they Imagine Imag-ine that the tall sailor, who has really offered only the Frenchman's worship to beauty, might escape L'ke moonwralth." A wild surge of Joy went over me. Pollto knew me, he was my friend, he was telling me that I would be free I I could have thrown my arms around him. "And the guards, Senor Lieutenant?" "Have been placed there by order or-der of Colonel Fuentes, and will be removed, therefore, only by his order. or-der. I shall see him, however, within the hour." "I pray, Senor Lieutenant," I said fervently, "that I shall cause no further disturbance If, indeed, I have been the cause of any. When my guards have been removed I shall take the way to La Gualra, where some ship " Now, watching his face, I saw that Pollto did not brighten at this prospect, pros-pect, and I was glad, for, so long as the Senorito Dulce remained in Venezuela, there would I remain. "Adios, then," said he. I heard, In less than an hour, the crisp bark of orders and the sounds of shod feet on the stones of the patio; sounds that fading swiftly, told me that the guards had gone, and that I was free again. Yet, free, I hesitated to leave Caracas, even if I were permitted. per-mitted. If I were free why should I go, why should I leove the Seno-rita, Seno-rita, who was still the Senorlta, and not yet the Senora de Fuentes? I could not hope to disarrange an- i other weddine. and If Dulce were ii uu iiuui, vuiiiiuisurs linn wun the sword and steals the heart of his lady," "How can you know that, Manuel Man-uel ?" I cried hopefully. "A mere matter of logic, a simple thing indeed. New Orleans was filled, one brilliant moonlit night, with the hue nnd cry of the chase, and the quarry was a tall, imtless, fair-haired man who had stabbed the n.itle Colonel Fuentes during the course of a duel In the Place d'Armes. We found, hiding in the apse reserved for San Isldro, such a man, who afterward refused to leave the Santa Lucrecla at the safe port of Coatzaeoalos. Besides, the lady came to see him In his prison, sought him out ngnln In the fury of the storm. The lady Journeys Jour-neys to Caracas and the Viking dyes his hair and beard and face and follows her, only to put his foolish head l-ito a noose." "Until the noose tightens, then, Manuel," I said, "my foolish head Is safe. It is a long way from Spain to the cathedral, and I Intend" The sailor gave himself over to boisterous laughter. "But the cathedral ca-thedral has been reached, Senor, the Journey ended, for the Senorita "Senor Moon-wraith." CHAPTER V Adios. EVEN as I entered the spacious home of Tomas Carrasco a file of soldiers deployed and surrounded sur-rounded It. Verily, Morales moved swiftly and I knew I would never win free of Caracas. Yet, I had held her In my arms again, had lost myself In the sweet depths of her eyes, had heard her call my name, had felt the touch of her fingers, fin-gers, To my starved soul that was very much Indeed, so I laughed gaily as the good Tomas, all of a tremble, hurried Into my comfortable comfort-able quarters. "Do they seek thee, Senor these soldiers?" "Aye, Tomas; I am very valuable to them, for I have Just disarranged a wedding, and I have put a lasting hurt Into the heart of Colonel Fuentes." "Ah, misfortune, Senor; it will bring death to all of us!" "Not so, Tomas; this will bring death only to a poor French sailor who would feast his soul upon the beauty of a lady. This Inn of yours Is open to any traveler who has willing to marry Adolfo today why should she be unwilling tomorrow? Yet she did not love him; of that I felt very sure. Why, then should she marry him at all? . While I pondered thus, accomplishing accom-plishing nothing, a subtle fragrance frag-rance tilled the room. I dared not i believe my senses. The Senorlta? 4 1 It could not be. Dulce would not come to see'me here. I was dream- lng; my Insane worship 'had ! touched my brain, and I would see her, doubtless, all the rest of my j life. I had heard of such a thing, 1 or read of It, and had laughed. A slim figure stood In the doorway, door-way, a figure all iu lacy black, with a heavy veil that effectually? j concealed the features. . One mlght I not have known whether she were ! dark or light, but I knew. j "Again, Senorita," I said, bowing over a slim hand, "you find me In a i prison. The visit of an angel could not have been " She touched my hair with trembling trem-bling fingers. "It was light was It not, Senor? I have dreamed of j your hair as being light; was all j that Just a dream and am I dream- J lng now?" . I real, and what" ' I "Did I not see you first In the j moonlight, Senor, hatless, and with f a strange light In your eyes? Did you not come to my aid when I I called, and did not you find me in ; the storm? Did not your eyes draw i me away from the altar? Are you now only the spirit of the man who f was lost in a raging sea?" J I tried to laugh. "I am only a sort of shadow, Your Majesty, which will follow you everywhere. Wherever you go there will I go. for you are the star of my hope; your voice " "You are mad, Senor. You you came to the cathedral, then, to?" "I went to the cathedral to stop the wedding." "Mother Mary !" she gasped. "And I went to the altar with Adolfo Adol-fo to save you. . You should have left the city ere this. They offered to sell me your life, your freedom. Why did you not go when you had the opportunity?" "My life and my freedom belonged be-longed to me. You speak in parables, par-ables, Your Majesty." Now her blue eyes a haunting fear in their depths searched my face. y-. I "Oh, I am ashamed," she sobbed, i "ashamed. I would save your life because you have offered so much. ' They told me you were a prisoner 1 in the dungeon, and were awaiting execution, and that I" "Your Majesty," I said helpless I before her, "Your Majesty ... I . ? feel very, very happy and very humble." ."It was little enough for mea "', do, for you had saved " "If you do not love Adolfo, it was too much for you to do." "Marriages in Spain, Senor, are not arranged by those most Interested. Inter-ested. Our parents did this long ago. In the tfiree years that Colonel Col-onel Fuentes has spent In Venezuela Venezue-la vast changes have come over him, and perhaps In myself as well. I do not feel so sure of myself as I did some time ago." (TO BB CONTINUED.) X Dulce Lamartlna will be married today at high noon which Is within with-in the hour to Colonel Adolfo de fuentes, military aide of La Torre." "Name of G d I" "The truth," said Manuel; "It catches you no?" He grinned. "How will your, efficient fists take care of such a situation; will you push over the big cathedral, or ?" "We can, nt least, Manuel, go to the wedding." "Madness, Senor I Surely you would not do so wild a thing!" "Why not? Is not the wedding a public affair? I have taken care of myself for many years, Manuel, and expect to do so many more. If you hesitate to accompany me, or fear that evil might befall" "Not at all," he cried, In high good humor now. "I wouldn't miss it for the finest ship In the Indies I" As we entered the soft gloom of the cathedral my heart was beating a swift tattoo against my ribs, my breathing was the labored breath of the spent mnner, and my body shook In the palsy of arrant fear. I had begun to xherish a faint hope that a portion of the Senorita's love had been bestowed upon me. She had come to my prison, had tried to save me; she had sought me out In the fury of the storm, ! and the light of her eyes when she ' had found me ... ah I But who was Adolfo, what had be done to win her? Why should she marry this drunken Spaniard, ! whose loves were legion? When I had saved her, and brought her to those. in the lifeboat Adolfo had tried to kill me. A wild rage pos-j pos-j scssed ma De Fuentes would nev- er marry her ; I would throw myself upon him at the altar, I would put my fingers around his throat and bold them there until he died, and all the powers in the great cathedral cathe-dral would not stop me. I would tear . t A quieting hand was laid upon my arm and Manuel's warning whisper whis-per came to me: "Do you shake the roof from the building, fool? One Is watched here . . As we moved slowly down the wide aisle I could see that the spa-clous spa-clous chamber was filled. Afl usher seated us less than twenty feet from the altar; we thanked him and, settled at last listened to the v why not; could this game we call life offer to me any more fascinating fascinat-ing sport? And if Bolivar were hall the man that his amazing power over the people of Venezuela seemed to Indicate, then service under him would be a glorious thing. The swelling murmur of the throng was stilled with startling suddenness and a silver thread of music filled the air. It deepened Into the slow harmony of a march and, In time with It, came a muffled sound of footfalfs. I bowed my head, for I dared not look. They were coming down the aisle beside us. After an interminable wait the priest's deep voice filled the cathedral cathe-dral with toneless sound. I heard nothing of what he said; I could not even raise my eyes. She was marrying him, marrying that craven Spaniard. Wherein had I failed; had I followed her for this to sit Idly while she gave herself In marriage mar-riage to Adolfo, to wait in muted Impotence while another man . . . ? I lifted my head at last and looked at them. They stood before the tall, serene, black-robed priest; Adolfo In the brilliant uniform of his rank, with his arm free now, and she in white, as fair, and as pale, as a Illy. Pollto, garbed as a lieutenant In the service of his majesty, maj-esty, Ferdinand VII, stood beside her, his head swathed in a bandage and another around his throat My mad worship drew my eyes to her downcast face and held them there. I saw again the tender curve of her cheek, and the sweetly pointing point-ing chin, which trembled, else my eyes were playing me false; tiny black curls touched an ear and caressed ca-ressed her neck and her bosom rose and fell in an emotion beyond her control. The incongruous thought came to me that she seemed Just like a little girl about to cry. I looked and looked, filling my soul with her beauty ; I gripped the carved bench in front of me and held myself rigid, concentrating every faculty Into the intensity of my regard. Polito offered something some-thing to the colonel a ring, I supposed. sup-posed. The calm father spoke to the Senorita and she extended one slender hand. It raised slowly, as though it were lifting the weight money to pay for accommodations. You know nothing of me; I shall assure them."' As a sergeant and five soldiers and Lieutenant Polito marched in from the patio I chose the side of the room farthest from the window, that I might stand as much as possible pos-sible in the gloom. The sergeant turned to Pollto, who shook his head and touched his bandaged throat with caressing fingers, then the sub-ofllcer addressed ad-dressed me: "Are you the devil, Senor, who has put a spell upon the Senorlta Lamartlna?" "There is too much flattery in your words, sergeant," I said. "You assign too much power to me, and I think it is the Senorlta who has cast a spell upon all of us." Polito started and stared. "What are you called, Senor?" Timoleon Sourdez," said I, choosing at random the first name that came into my mind, "a sailor raised In the Indies, who will work for anybody, on any ship, at any time. I am a floater thut's all." "How came you, Senor, in the cathedral?" "I sat alone, this morning, in the Plaza San Jacinto, while people passed Into the great church. A swarthy sailor, doubtless having sympathy for my loneliness, led me in so that I might view the wedding of the beautiful lady of Spain and the wise Colonel Fuentes. If evil has been wrought in the cathedral, j Sergeant. It is no work of mine." 1 "Yet you" "The Frenchmnn, Senor, is ever a lover; and If I stared at her is it anything a thousand others were not doing?" "Yet she" "Ah, must I let her fall, fainting, to the carpeted aisle; would that have been the act of a Frenchman? We are a chivalrous race, Senor, and we offer our arms and our hearts at all times. May one do less?" Polito swung his legs, a half-smile half-smile on his handsome face. The sergeant shrugged his shoulders helplessly and turned toward his superior. "The lieutenant desires to question him ?" "Not at all," said Pollto. His voice was a hoarse, rasping whisper, whis-per, yet so puny an effort sen him off into a paroxysm of coughing. |