Show the VALE OF ARAGON THE STORY in now orleans in 1821 loren garde recen recently kiy an officer under general jackson la is surprised by the th appearance in ancient spanish costume di of two men and a woman whose beauty enchants enchant him resenting the arrogance ol of the older elder of the two men garde cards lights with him and wounds him he learns his bl opponent la is adolfo do de fuentes colonel in the spanish army in venezuela uela garde overhears overhear a a plot to overthrow spanish rule in venezuela Vene iuela discovered he ha lights but la is overpowered and made prisoner on the th santa lucrecia Luc ship hearing bearing arms tor for the venezuelans Venezuela ns on board are the conspirators the lady of 0 hla bin love her brother po lit alto and do de fuentes from the girl garde gard learns her name Is dulce lamartina he loves her but does not reveal his love the vassal to Is wrecked garde reaches the venezuelan Vene xuelan shore alone lie encounters a stranger and sees roes dulce the stranger captain monahan of the british legion under bolivar direct him to friends friend in caracas there thera sup piled by monahan Mo natian with the be ae cret sign of the patriots he la Is welcomed at the revolutionary headquarters garde attends the wedding of D dulce ulce and do de fuentes dulce recognizes him an and d leaves do de fuentes lit at the altar sho she Is torn from born gardes arms ff he 0 escapes ac peg binding rinding garde dulles dulce tells him her bar wedding to de V puentes fuelling was to have be been en th the price of gardes life they reveal their mutual love garde Is made prisoner from do de fuentes he learns dulco has disappeared lie he Is rescued from prison by a revolutionist manuel and with sets out for bolivar bolivard Bo livars camp they are intercepted by by venezuelan soldiers BOld lers garde dig covers bla bin companion of the night has baa been dulce and la Is dismayed by bis big lack of perception dulce escapes but garde Is seized iced 11 CHAPTER VI continued contina ed 11 I 1 had seen so much of violence and of death since landing in this unhappy country that already I 1 had become harde hardened ried calloused so that I 1 seem seemed ed to be only an onlooker in this my own execution and I 1 found myself taking very little interest in it I 1 found one principal re regret gret that I 1 had come so near to loves fulfillment and had failed yet I 1 had taken her away from de fuentes and she had put her life ilfe into my hands bands I 1 smiled at the thought of her masquerade had I 1 penetrated her disguise earlier how beautiful that silver night would have been well I 1 had won a portion of her love I 1 hugged that consolation to my heart as the cynical colonel gave a crisp order that caused the two indians to release me and to stand clear so an errant bullet ballet might not find them 1 I am ready senor said L 1 I 1 want you to know he said slowly his eyes upon the fine bay horse th that at had carried me from caracas that I 1 believe every word you have told me I 1 believe you are loren garde an american and that you have come to offer service to general bolivar I 1 believe manuel sent you here and that he furnished the mount tor for you but your own act in permitting aye alding aiding the spanish to escape condemns you it makes no difference who he Is if he Is a spanish officer your life Is forfeit the men of bolivar must be made of sterner stuff I 1 am sure hla his excellency himself would never condone such an act if there Is something you wish to say A few loiterers loiter ers had gathered to watch the execution and one a tall commanding figure that seemed familiar disengaged itself from the group francisco I 1 cried francisco perez aquia though I 1 had bad fought the scheming patriot at every turn I 1 was sure he stood my friend who Is it he asked it Is 1 I garde san an isidro dont you remember me I 1 was waa on the santa lucrecia Luc and in new orleans I 1 have dyed my hair francisco strode forward a half smile softening the grim lines of his face he held up hla his hand walt wait colonel elal he said 1 I know this man colonel scowled what of it francisco has he not I 1 yes my colonel he has committed a grave offense rense oi and he should pa pay with life his life but bat I 1 would talk to him first it if he Is from manuel he might have things to tell us lie he its Is tin an america americano Amerl cano who has merely full followed owed the lure of a lovely lady does the lady then bring him here no said L I 1 tor for I 1 had brought the lady did the lady send the spanish 0 officer meer with you colonel plat laughed this dauphin Daup liin whose safety no colonel my companion was the senorita dulce lamartine Lamart lna 1 mother of G d I 1 francisco gasped and peals high laughter beat out over the hills A builder of fairy tales said plat could the americano Amerl cano have entered ente reil caracas and ridden away with the th lady whom F centes intended to marry 1 can you believe so wild a story I 1 waited sly lly colonel said francisco lit al last this young americano Amerl cano Is not the th type of man who lies easily though the tale la Is hardly credible it if he has hai tent sent back to safety the lady whon whom he followed to caracas he must havi have bad good reasons for so doing why wh tha era crany fly manuel has directed them I 1 to the tha lines of the revolution we do di by FRED mclaughlin author of the blade of copyright by br dobbs merrill co service 11 not know nor can we question manuel manual who sho enjoys the falth faith and ami the love of bolivar I 1 think therefore the safest move will III be to take him to the general who mho hearing his story will decide hla his fate colonel pint smiled very well francisco but if bolivar approves his execution the horse Is 13 mine kemem her 1 I shall not forget francisco said and if the great simon does not approve I 1 fear for thee my colonel because the viking nurses a healthy hatred CHAPTER VII simon bolivar As the three of us rode slowly down the beach toward camatagua Cama tagua where bolivar had hla his headquarters I 1 gave t to 0 francisco an account of all that had befallen since the waves had cast me into the jungle the sun was high when we approached at last the insignificant t town own of camatagua Cama tagua which because of the presence of the liberator had assumed an aspect of great importance bolivar had become in my imagination a sort of superhuman influence a mortal barrier reef upon which the attacks of spain had broken and spent their force I 1 wondered what manner of man he was this being to whom the eyes of venezuela were turned in fervent hope for whose safety and success prayers had been offered up in many thousands of humble e bo homes wes whose ranks were filled with patriots eager to spend their lives in his service and who has been called by our own brilliant henry clay the washington of south america there he Is I 1 francisco cried before us lay a spacious brown rock house with red tiled root roof and pillared lared porch the home no doubt of some prosperous spanish planter the liberator a tiny figure indeed stood beside one of the massive stone columns just why I 1 had expected to he radiated a vibrant sort of energy that seemed to deaden my faculties find a person of enormous size I 1 do not know unless it be that I 1 could not imagine so many units of greatness so many talents in a man of normal proportions Is that bolivar I 1 asked and I 1 had come to offer service to this man francisco smiled at the evident concern in my voice the bullfrog my young garde judges one by the length of ones hop or the resonance of ones voice for the bullfrog only hops or slugs sings the giant mind my friend may not seek the body of a giant too true francisco I 1 agreed for had bad I 1 exercised my muscles less and my brain more I 1 should not have spent my life in foolish dismounting I 1 walked between the republican officers toward the hie hoose and bolivar descended the two tn o rock steps and stood waiting on the flag stones they released my arms and I 1 offered unconscious salute ills keen black eyes went over me in swift scrutiny ile he radiated a vibrant sort of energy that seemed to deaden my faculties at last he spoke and I 1 noticed that his voice though a trifle harsh was musical it would seem binl that tile the soldiers of spain are Irn improving provin 9 aye general said colonel kinf lie ile considered my bay awkward height and I 1 suspect the comfortable breadth of rny ray shoulders then he turned to francisco if we had a thousand like that X exactly what I 1 have said to him excellency replied francisco bolivar sighed and colonel plat began the tale of my misadventure which lost nothing in III the telling As I 1 had only to wait I 1 studied the man who was to be my judge tile the man whom hom south america now calls the greatest military genius of the ages gen simon bolivar was waa slim with narrow chest and a spare boily body ills legs were too thin for the grenadier boots that he wore his hands were tiny and his teeth were white and well formed llis his hair was black his skin sallow and his eyes were a piercing black ills head was very large and his nose like the nose of able men was long there was a calmness about him hies that might have been considered mental and physical repose or it may have been complete control I 1 never knew when binl had finished hla his story the general whose eyes showed no hint of friendliness addressed roe me who Is this spanish officer senor whose safety seemed so dear ft a thing to you alloo allo o je life you value above your ower own senorita dulce lamartina Lamart lna bolivar pinched a long upper lip b between e thumb and forefinger would slie she be the lady whom colonel adolfo do de fuentes journeyed to new orleans rl eans to meet and whom he expects to marry yes excellency slay ilay I 1 assume then that though you come presumably to offer service to me you would aid the fiancee of colonel fuentes menace the world seemed suddenly filled with it I 1 was lost not because she Is the fiancee of colonel fuentes E excellency I 1 essayed a faint smile but because she was his fiancee I 1 had hoped if bolivar smiled it was so swift a transition that only imagination might have caught it in time of war senor may the regard that a soldier bears for a lady be sufficient inducement 3 no excellency I 1 admitted it Is difficult to explain a sudden terror seized us Francis cos clear incisive voice broke in slay I 1 speak a word for this man general who because of an overwhelming love tor for the senorita lamartina Lamart lna has blundered into trouble and ol 01 out again a dozen times I 1 have told you about garde the young americano and capt monahan I 1 am sure there Is monahan SIo nahan now ile he will tell you also the red haired irish soldier turned at the two two stone posts that had once been a gate and approached it was good to see sea that freckled smiling face again lie ile saluted general bolivar then he took ray my hund hand in an iron grip the viking he cried 1 I knew you would come to us some time wheres the girl glair the girl sure the senorita Larn lamartina Lamart artina lna you tell me that bring bring her I 1 laughed so I 1 did monahan and sent her back again monahan turned to bolivar whose knowledge of english was limited and went back to spanish again 1 I met this mun man on the maracay karacay road general and showed him a way to enter caracas because as a rival of colonel fuentes he could help us I 1 even gave him money lie he promised with typical american boastfulness 9 the that he would not only disarrange the wedding of de fuentes Fu entea but that when lie he left the city he would bring the lady with him lie ile tells us that he did said collar var grimly yet the tale that he brings now Mon monahan aban looked at me with wonder in ills his eyes eye garde he gasped can such a thing 1 I did disarrange the wedding said I 1 and the senorita disguised as her brother accompanied me why manucl should have sent her Is a thing I 1 cannot fathom yet I 1 know she desired to leave caracal caraba 3 if I 1 cannot find belief I 1 shrugged my shoulders hopelessly A silence fell upon us a deep significant ant silence that was broken suddenly by the swift drumming of a horses hoofs boots upon the liard hard road the speeding mount came to a sliding h hilt la it and a swarthy figure dr dropped 0 aped t to 0 the ground TO BE BB CONTINUED y Y y y ita t ii |