Show the ha VALE OF 1 J w L ARAGON THE STORY I 1 in 1 i the city of new orleans in 18 1821 2 1 loren garde recently an officer under general Jacic jackson son la ito au surprised r PH ed by the appearance of three figures in ancient spanish costume two men and a woman whose beauty enchants him re nang the arrogance ot of the elder r of the two men gardo garde tights fights a duel with him with swords and ana wounds him ile he learns hla opponent is adolfo de fuentes euentes colonel in the spanish army in venezuela azuela garde overhears overhear a a plot to overthrow spanish rule in venezuela Vene suela discovered he lights fights but Is overpowered garde finds himself a prisoner on the san santa ta lucrecia Luc ship bearing arms and ammunition for the venezuelans Venezuela ns on board are re the conspirators the lady ot of his is love her hep brother polito and do de fuentes from the girl garde learns learna her name la Is dulce lamartina he loves her but does not reveal his love the vessel ts Is wre wretched cled and garde reaches t the he venezuelan shore hore alone he encounters a stranger and seen dulea dulco with do de puentes fuentes and po lito learning his history the stranger who la Is captain at monahan 0 na of the british legion under Do bolivar livar urges garde to join the venezuelans Venezuela ns but hla his mind Is set on again seeing dulce mo nallan directs him to friends in caracas there garde supplied by monahan with the secret sign of the patriots Is welcomed at the revolutionary headquarters with EL a companion manuel garde goes to the cathedral where the wedding of dulce and do de fuentes Is in progress dulce recognizes hin him and leaves de F fuentes at th the 0 sitar altar she Is torn from G gardea ar d as arms arm he escapes CHAPTER V 8 adios even as I 1 entered the spacious home of thomas thomaa carrasco a file of soldiers deployed and surrounded it verily morales moved swiftly aud and I 1 knew I 1 would never win free of caracas yet I 1 had held her in my arms again had lost myself in the sweet depths of her eyes had heard her call my name came had felt the touch of her fingers to my starved soul that was very much indeed so I 1 laughed gaily as the good tomas all of a tremble hurried into my comfortable quarters ado do they seek thee th ee yenor senor these soldiers aye tomas I 1 am very valuable to them for I 1 have just disarranged a wedding and I 1 have put a lasting hurt into the heart of colonel fuentes ali ah misfortune senor benor it will bring death to all of 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 money to pay for accommodations you know nothing of me I 1 shall assure them As a sergeant and five soldiers and lieutenant polito marched in from the patio I 1 chose the side of the tha room farthest from the window that I 1 might stand as much as possible in the gloom the sergeant turned to polito who shook his head and touched his bandaged throat with caressing fingers then the sub officer addressed me are you the devil senor who ha has put a spell upon the senorita lamar una there Is too much flattery in your words sergeant I 1 said you assign too much power to me and I 1 think it la Is the senorita who has cast a spell upon all of us started and stared what are you called senor timoleon lourdez So urdez saad 1 I choosing at random the first name that came into my mind a sailor raised in the indies who will work for any bo dyton dyon any ship nt at any time I 1 am a floater all how came you senor in the cathedral 1 I sat alone this morning in the plaza 1 aza san jacinto Jacl nto while people passed into the great church A swarthy sailor doubtless having sympathy for my loneliness led me in so that I 1 might view the wedding of the tha beautiful lady of spain and the wise colonel fuentes if evil has been wrought in the cathedral sergeant jt it is no work of mine yet you the rhe frenchman senor la Is ever a lover and if I 1 stared at her Is it anything a thousand others were not doing yet slie she ah ab must I 1 lot 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 hla his legs a half smile on his handsome face the sergeant shrugged his shoulders helplessly and turned toward his superior it if the lieutenant desires to question him 71 not at all said alito ills his voice was a hoarse rasping whisper yet so puny an effort sent him oft into a paroxysm of coughing y the senor lieutenant has an atrocious cold I 1 ventured whereupon he smiled at me in the friendliest manner 1 I was as in a storm lie he explained 1 I am sorry and your head Is doing nicely thank you it came in contact with a spar ile be studied my face for half a minute things might be worse senor A philosophic view indeed said 1 I and one in which I 1 cannot sha share re tor for sold lors at it this moment surround my ale biaco of abode ua B laughed a sorry effort but nut by RED FRED L mclaughlin author of the blade of Cony richt liy by bobba co service fi clent A temp temporary arrangement I 1 think thin perhaps they imagine that thae the ta tali aj sailor who has really offe offered red only the frenchmans French Frenc limans mans worship to beauty might escape like a moon wealth 11 A wild surge of joy went over me knew me lie was my friend he was telling me that I 1 would be ba freol freel I 1 could have thrown my arms around him and the guards senor lieutenant 7 leave been placed there by order of colonel fuentes and will be removed therefore only by his order I 1 shall see him however within the hour 11 1 I pray senor lieutenant I 1 said fervently that I 1 shall cause no further disturbance if indeed I 1 have been the cause of any when my guards have been removed I 1 shall take the way to la gualia guaira where some ship il now watching hla afi face I 1 saw that polito did not brighten at this prospect and I 1 was glad for or so long as the senorita dulce remained in venezuela there would I 1 remain adelos then said he I 1 heard beard in less than an hour the C 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 1 was free again yet free I 1 hesitated to leave caracas even if I 1 were permitted if I 1 were free why should I 1 go why should I 1 leave the senorita who was still the senorita and not yet the senora de fuentes I 1 could not hope to disarrange another wedding and it dulce were willing to marry adolfo today why should she be unwilling tomorrow yet she did not love him of that I 1 felt very sure why then should she marry him at all while I 1 pondered thus accomplish ing nothing a subtle fragrance filled the room I 1 fared dared not believe my senses the senorita it could not be dulce would not come to see me here I 1 was dreaming my insane worship had touched tou clied my brain and I 1 would see her doubtless all the test rest of my life I 1 had heard of su such ch a thing or read of it and had laughed A slim figure stood in the doorway a figure all in lacy black with a heavy veil that effectually concealed concen led the features one might not have known whether she were dark or light but I 1 knew again senorita I 1 said bowing aver a slim hand you find me in a prison the visit of an angel could not have been she touched my hair with trembling fingers it was light was it riot not senor I 1 have dreamed of your hair as being light 1 was all that just a dream and am I 1 dreaming now 1 I hardly know what has been real and what 11 did I 1 not see you first in the moonlight senor hatless and with a strange light in your eyes did you not come to my aid when I 1 called and did not you find me in the storm did not your eyes draw me away from the altar are you now only the spirit of the man who was lost in a raging sea I 1 tried to laugh 1 I am only a sort of shadow your majesty which will I 1 follow you everywhere wherever you go there will I 1 go for you are the star of my hope your voice you are mad senor you you came to the cathedral then to 1 I went to the cathedral jo stop the wed weddin diniz mother maryl mary I 1 she gasped and I 1 went to the altar with adolfo to save you you should have left the city eire ere this they offered to sell cell me your life your freedom why did you not go when you had the opportunity tun ity my life and my freedom belonged to me you speak in parables four your majesty 11 now isow her blue eyes a haunting fear in their depths searched my face oh I 1 am ashamed she sha sobbed ashamed I 1 would woy id save your life be cause you h have ave offered so much they told me you were a prisoner in the dungeon and were awaiting execution and that I 1 your majesty I 1 said helpless before her your majesty I 1 feel eel very very happy and very humble allt it was little enough for me to do for fo r you had saved P if you do not love adolfo it was waa too much for you to do marriages la in spain senor are a re not arranged by those most interested our parents did this long ngo ago in tho the three years that colonel fuentes has spent in venezuela vast changes have come over him and perhaps in myself as well I 1 do not feet feel so sure of myself as I 1 did some time ago now although I 1 was sure this visit of the senorita Ea martina would be my death warrant to for r adolfo would know whither she had gone I 1 laughed in the fullness of a great joy to for r I 1 knew that de fuentes had lost haa ha the a air of bof venezuela your maje majesty sty tarnished your tin soldier or perhaps the moonlight ol of new orleans T 1 can you jest so senor when you must know they are seeking you out even now you should never have come here there la Is danger here for you assuredly yet wherever the senorita goes caracas la Is filled with your enemies 11 aye and I 1 have friends here senorita the best friends that man ever had fervent patriots who are ara working for the freedom of a g great r eat empire men whom spain will never conquer soldiers who follow a man of destiny an expression of sadness touched her eyes yet you told me senor that you did not serve bolivar 1 I did not serve him then Y your our majesty but since that time i I 1 have bava looked upon the dead city of bucayan Tu cayan and a people who can sanction such an act of senseless brutality P ah senor this nightmare of murder this bolivar who b haa a brought about all the wars and th the killings would you serve this athla I 1 vulture senor she caught the tha lapels of my rough jacket in trembling fingers senor she said breathlessly my father spent his life in the service of spain and polito my brother will doubtless do the same ones country Is ones life did you come to venezuela senor to offer service to bolivar As you very well know I 1 followed the senorita lamartina Lamart lna to venezuela did you journey to caracas j to serve venezuela 1 I saw the senorita riding toward caracas and I 1 followed her as I 1 would always did you visit the cathedral today because of your love for the fervent patriots I 1 heard the sounds bounds of marching men inen and knew that the guards had returned this then was the end 1 I would not hurt you senorita yet I 1 must tell you I 1 would tell you that my worship for you has been a sort of glory in my life that your face has filled my dreams that your voke voice has seemed please senor I 1 cannot under happier circumstances your majesty I 1 could have hav offered very much but with the soldiers waiting to take me to the dungeon I 1 can only tell you that I 1 love you can only offer gratitude to you for the joy my wor ship has given me she faced me her eyes shining with tears there have been too many soldiers in my family senor for me ma to love an enemy of spain love Is not a matter of nationality no she said sadly it ts Is a madness a wretched insanity she held our her hand and I 1 pressed the fingers against my lips ali ah senorita I 1 love you sol diesl she gasped today I 1 tried to buy liberty and you need it tomorrow when you need lt it I 1 shall try again for you have offered so much you will be free then to serve ah dulce mla ala may I 1 11 adelos senor As I 1 sa sat t through the passa passage ge othe of tha leaden hours a darkness settled on my prison and on my soul as well I 1 waited with the dull fatalism of the tha condemned for the coming of him who would see to my execution having lost the senorita there was nothing more that I 1 could lose life without her would be a futile thing a vain effort empty of all that which should make a life worth while A full moon moona thrusting above the tha rim of the eastern hills had just begun to spread its golden mantle over the city when adolfo came his bis guards eight in number stationing theitis themselves elves outside my door that led into the patio the recklessness that comes to one whose hours are numbered had laid a spell upon me well I 1 cried gaily as he entered if it the stranded bridegroom 1 he stabbed me with a baleful eye you might not deem that quite so 1 clever senor if you had known I 1 am familiar with your english TO BE BB CONTINUED |