Show 7 THE V VALE A L LE OF ARAGON ky by FRED mclaughlin author of the blade of copyright by bobba merrill co service THE STORY at nightfall in the old city ot of now new orleans in the year 1821 loren garde recently an officer und under e r general jackson la Is surprised pris ed by the appearance of three figures in ancient spanish ens cob tume two men and ft a woman whose beauty enchants him resenting the arrogance of the elder of 0 the two men garde fights a duel with him with swords and wounds him afterward he ha learns his opponent la Is adolfo do de tru puentes entes colonel in the spanish army in venezuela Vens zuela gar car do de rees flees from gens darmes tak ing refuge in a garden where ie I 1 e overhears a plot to overthrow spanish rule in venezuela discovered he ha flights but la Is overpowered recovering consciousness to find himself a prisoner on the santa lucrecia Luc spanish ship bearing contraband arms and ammunition for the tha vene under bolivar CHAPTER II 11 continued 3 we go to la gualia guaira said francisco solemnly and there god willing we join forces with simon bolivar who will be some day the savior of his country just as your own george washington was A thing said 1 I which I 1 hope will come to pass for the western world should bo be free of spain and will be some day I 1 am sure that however interests me less at this moment than my safe return to new orleans where my father and my mother will be waiting for me you think then francisco francese Franc lse 0 urged that for certain compensation you could not add to the experiences of your life iffe by joining compensation my father senor la Is the richest man in the lower valley what can a campaign in venezuela add to my life I 1 have spent two years with gen andrew jackson 1 yet we cannot set you free senor you yon know too much you cannot hold me francisco smiled we have arranged it you are mad a violent insanity has possessed you and the good doctor santini nl whom in one of your fits of madness you have already attacked must attend you at all times we are taking you to your our home near caracas you have told the captain all that assuredly it was gentler by far than dropping you into the ra river vor tor for gur ur plans birns must not go astray bah 1 I 1 cried suppose I 1 get word to the captain that the coils of tobacco conceal firearms that the kegs of tobacco are powder that the corn contains bullets and that machetes may be found in the pork francisco laughed softly while san tint swore out of the side of his mouth if you managed to get such word to captain alvarez senor and he should look and find nothing he will be assured that you are mad if he should find contraband he would have no proof against us for shipment has been made in proper form from diego martinez Martl nez to another merchant in caracas Cara caa if the captain questions our innocence and even becomes so suspicious as ai to confine us pending examination amIn atlon at caracas there Is yet manuel and the mixed crew of this ship we cannot do things by halves only spanish ships may trade with venezuela therefore we put them to our use I 1 marveled marv elod at the during daring of the thing and marveling I 1 was filled with admiration simon bolivar must depend upon you greatly senor I 1 said francisco bowed ile he has offered me that signal honor and you may rest assured that nothing shall swerve me from my service to him and through him my service to venezuela one life senor or a score of lives shall not stand in my way we baroug brought ht you alive to this ship instead of killing you as we should have done because I 1 harbored a faint hope that a man of your courage might see his way clear to aid us but as you cannot offer service I 1 shall eee to it that you do not interfere 11 iii 1 I think of the two of us francisco the charge of madness should not be laid against me mel I 1 the days went by slowly enough while the santa lucrecia Luc skimmed the quiet waters of the gulf and my head bead healed and the face of santini became less like that of a gargoyle sd we touched at vera cruz where a letter I 1 had bild written to my father and mother was posted a letter telling them that I 1 had gone to venezuela with friends lende fr and would return to new orleans at a later date this I 1 knew would relieve their worry over my con bon arrival from france at coatzacoalcos in the tranquil harbor 1 sf I which we spent a night the wily offered mo me a chance to escape but having experienced a change of beart I 1 refused to take ad of it for foi I 1 had bad heard beard a tole in the night a voice as aa clear and as aa pure as the note of a mocking bird it brought bick to me remembrance of all the mad things of that wild new orleans night algat that I 1 hat voice had transformed the santa lucrecia Luc from a prison ship into a paradise As the days daya and nights went by I 1 listened for her footsteps on the afterdeck I 1 pictured again and again the exquisite face in its ita frame of dark curls the soft curve cune of her cheek the sweetly pointed chin and I 1 lost myself in the immeasurable depths of eyes anat could change to purple the silver glory of moonlight ona night I 1 heard tier her voice olce lifted in an old french song that I 1 knew and loved and one that my m mother used to sing francisco and santini were out I 1 tried the door an and d found to my great surprise that it was unsecured for they had been in the habit of locking mo me in I 1 slipped out my heart thudding in my throat and seeking the protecting shadow of the mizzenmast crouched listening looking scarce thirty feet away she stood beside the starboard after rail a golden tan mantilla over her hair and across her slim shoulders iler face was raised toward the stars and the music that came from her lips was such as I 1 had always imagined the angels might produce A slim boy polito was near her and on her right stood the massive figure that I 1 had ad last seen dressed as charles V one of his arms was strapped against his side ills his rasp ing voice broke into the middle of the melody why do you sing in french Carls lma Is not the spanish language sufficient no one language dolfo Is sufficient for a night like this every language has its own love songs never does a translation quite suffice I 1 found myself laughing softly in the gloom she would sing a love song in french to her spanish over lover I 1 even polito was laughing now adolfo he said in gentle raillery console thyself that she does not sing in english which might bring to her mind the moon madness of that tall amert amerl cano with the fair hair and the clever wrist adolfo uttered something in his beard that must have been an oath for her voice was gently clil chiding ding poor dolfo he has had an evil time and we should be good to him during this ills his first hour on the deck I 1 think the americano Amerl cano must have had a touch of the moon which does amazing things to us I 1 suppose he Is laughing somewhere over the of that night unless said de fuentes I 1 lamely melar there have been other nights now I 1 wanted to deny that I 1 wanted to tell her that her image had filled my dreams I 1 had a wild desire to cast myself at her feet and to cry my love aloud to the world yet I 1 knew that such an act of insanity would only add confirmation to francisco Francis cos s charge of madness against me while I 1 waited hot and cold by turns listening to her voice and de louring her with eager eyes es two fig ures came along the rail and stopped the taller one francisco bowed boned and adolfo jerked his heavy body awkwardly when she spoke to francisco and santini there was an easy frank ness in her manner as aa though she had been in the habit of talking with them often that mysterious patient of yours vours doctor villard 11 she said has filled me with a consuming curiosity la Is it forbidden that I 1 satisfy it santini laughed uneasily and fran cisco answered her it lias has been or dered senorita that our patient be left in the strictest privacy his peo pie in caracas will hold us now do de fuentes laughed hushed laughed harshly laughed long and loud a huge cufr guffaw aw that beat out over the quiet sea caracas lie he cried how will you two reach caracas ah adolfo she said what do you mean lifts has the close confinement and the pain of your wound no adolfo yelled aled a hundred nocal lie ile went off into another paroxysm of unholy glee in which I 1 fervently hoped he might expire of OP apoplexy hut but he survived doctor villard 11 he jeered doctor villard indeed he Is santini nl the soldier find and hollar bolivar Is going to lose a patriot I 1 and as 03 for you francisco perez ther will be a rope francisco emitted a shrill whistle and figures running swiftly emerged from the gloom I 1 dashed toward the milling group caught sight of sin tint with a knife upraised and threw myself upon him the evil ell blade clattered to the deck and the soldier turned to face me lie ile rasped a bitter oath swinging his fists the while which crashed against the side of my head and filled the heavens with shooting stars before santini could strike I 1 again the lithe form of polito later inter lie he threw ills his slim body like a lance at the soldiers throat and the two went down a grotesque figure of writhing arms and nd legs now I 1 saw the dark manuel a 8 pistol Is his hand and hla his mouth open in an expectant grin before he could raise the weapon I 1 closed his mouth with a driving fist list behind which I 1 had bad put all the power of my muscles with the sailors pressing around us I 1 turned to find francisco there was no enmity in hla his eyes and he be made no move to attack me francisco I 1 said in one of sudden unaccountable hushes that every battle large or small will develop you have committed a grave blunder trembling hands caught my arm and whirled me around the senorita lamartina Lamart lna raised on tiptoe and her pale face was less than eight inches from my eyes your your majesty I 1 faltered mother alother of V 0 d she whispered the moon wraith I 1 0 A western sun filled the upper half of my tiny cubicle with a lurid glow a still oppressive heat presaging a storm bore upon me bonds that cut me cruelly held my arms and legs and black thoughts of injustice filled my brain I 1 had fought to save him and her and I 1 had come to this prison cell was tills this the spaniards Spaniard 3 idea of gratitude could there be in the heart of adolfo de fuente so perverted a sense of right and wrong in his plan of life so poor a picture of sportsmanship ali ah I 1 was to learn many things about the spaniards I 1 wondered what had become of manuel I 1 wondered what they had done dolle to francisco and santini nl for I 1 remembered that spanish justice was swift but one ray of light showed in the gloom of my despair riding upon that fervent whisper of the moon wraith 1 had come so I 1 believed a definite note of joy I 1 heard the grating of a key in the padlock and vie aie rattle of a chain the door opened and two armed sailors came in they loosed my bonds and I 1 stood up moving my arms and legs so that the numbness passed away the sailors eased out in single file and stationed themselves to in alij the channel guns ready for any attempt that I 1 might make to escape I 1 stood wondering eyes upon the un even floor until the consciousness of a presence came to me I 1 was afraid to raise my eyes until I 1 heard her voice and there has never been another voice like hers never another face so exquisite nor a form so graciously fashioned will the senor moon wealth now a palsy seized me I 1 was afraid afraid that I 1 was dreaming I 1 heard her light step as she crossed the narrow way and I 1 felt the touch of a tentative hand upon my arm I 1 raised my eyes and drank deep of the beauty of her face Sen senoriah orith I 1 said ah senorita you have come thus to my poor prison she turned her head bead and glanced over her shoulder where in the gloom of the channel dim outlines of the sailor guards were visible monsieur you know the french perfectly I 1 said it Is my mother tongue your mother tongue I 1 thought you were americano Amerl cano yes though my mother Is french standing close to me she raised her face toward the glow of the tiny porthole will you tell me Mons monsieur leur w who ho you are tell her I 1 would tell her anything anything to hold her here to give me further time to fill my eyes with her loveliness and my soul with the joy of her presence my name Is loren 11 loren she repeated accenting as she should have done the last syl syllable lafile loren what loren garde the good norse name that my father a youth just out of ills his teens brought to new orleans after ills his campaign under the brilliant gen nathaniel greene with faith in himself and the ne new nation to which he had offered vallant valiant service sen ice he has managed by hard work and careful saving and investment to gather vast acreage of mississippi valley lands if your father Is wealthy hy then why in the name of il all I 1 the saints monsieur did you thus throw away your life by serving that arch rebel and conspirator simon bolivar now a bit of Francis cos patriotism touched me so so that I 1 refrained for the moment from telling tier her that I 1 had spurned the offer of the revolutionists zionists ts the rebel of today your majesty may be tomorrows liberator do you not know that already they are calling this bolivar the washington of south america TO DO BE CONTINUED |