Show the JL h vale aale W V r ise of aragon TO Frea ha ff at IT 1 I fl isy by if red McLaughlin author of the blade of 9 br bebla morrall co service THE STORY in the tha city of new orleans in 1821 loren garde recently an officer under general jackson Is flu reprised by the tha appearance in an ancient c lent spanish costume of two men man and a woman whose beauty enchants nc hanta h him resenting re enting the arrogance roganue I 1 of ME the elder elser of the two men man garde gard 1 fights with him and wounds hi him m ile he learns his opponent to Is adolfo de fuentes colonel in the spanish army I 1 in n venezuela garde ov overhears h ears a plot to overthrow spanish span fir s h rule in venezuela discovered he fights but to Is overpowered and made prisoner on the santa lucrecia Luc belp bearing arms tor for the Venezuela ns on board are the conspirators the lady of 0 his love hor her brother polito and do de fuentes from the girl garde learns her name Is dulce lamar tina ila he loves her but does not reveal his love the vessel Is wrecked and garde reaches the veno venezuelan zue ian shore a alone I 1 one ile he encounters cou n stranger and sees dul dulce c e the the stranger who Is captain cap tain monahan Blo nahan of the british legion under bolivar urges gar de to join the venezuelans Venezuela ns but his mind Is set on again seeing dulce Mon monahan ahari dire directs eta him to friends friend s in caracas cara c as there supplied by monahan with the a secret sign of the patriots he I 1 Is welcomed at the tha revolutionary headquarters garde attends the wedding of dulce and do de fuentes dulce recognizes him and leaves defuentes de fuentes at the altar she Is torn from gardes arms he ha escapes finding garde dulce tells him her wedding to do de fuentes was to have been the price of gardes life they reveal their mutual love garde to la made mad 0 prisoner CHAPTER V continued you offer doubtful compliment it would rould not have been clever at all your tour majesty if you were unfamiliar with the language of my native land then you tire are not lourdez So urdez t he said christened Tl moleon of course not timoleon moleon Tl was only a 1 screen I 1 am loren garde and my father owns plantations near new orleans yu you have followed the senorita from crom new orleans not so senor yet you tire are here aye but by no wish of mine did I 1 leave new orleans now he be brought another charge against me you have made a fool of mo me before the people of caracas 1 I have arrived upon this earth too late to make a fool of you senor anger blazed in his eyes died then he smiled yet hla his smile was a less pleasing thing than his anger the recklessness of the condemned ch I 1 ba have e seen it in men who are looking upon death it if the dead city of bucayan Is a fair example I 1 am sure you have seen much of it bucayan Tu cayan Is only a hint of what we intend to do to revolutionary venezuela they understand only the rule of force yet the rule of force senor said 1 I has always been a rule of fal failure luTe that Is a lesson spain has never learned he showed white teeth in a grim smile what lesson then do you gain from bucayan Tu cayan an which we we destroyed st etroy cd the last man in that dead city a graybeard patriot died in my arms and with his last breath he cried viva Boll varl it if a lesson is de elred alred carrascal Carr Carra acal calt adolfas Adol fos face went pale and his manner for an instant was that of a hunted animal carraca barraca Car raca indeed senor the reign of murder in venezuela is nearly over and your judgment tells you that it is though ambition speaks another language spain has destroyed the wealth of bolivar a passing thing in any case but this spirit adv ah I 1 A rebell rebel 1 cried adolfo some day we will hang him in the plaza san jacinto Jacl nto spain has sought bolivar now for just ten years senor and failed you will have to deal with bolivar and when you do when we shoot you senor amerl cano tomorrow morning in the plaza before the great cathedral simon will lose another patriot is it not so my aly fa fathers hers arm Is long I 1 said he has powerful friends in america chief among them being gen andrew jackson who will doubtless be our next president I 1 have sent a letter to my father and if aught befalls me bah I 1 spain in venezuela can ill III afford to lo lose sethe the friendship of the united states adolfo grinned we stand to lose no friendships by executing a revolutionist ti a man chug caught tit in the act of mutiny a half mad french sailor named timoleon lourdez So urdez who brought a sacrilege upon the church we know nothing of loren garde son of the wealtny senor garde of now new orleans friend of n andrew andrdw jackson I 1 was silent for uie the simple reason that I 1 had nothing to say for I 1 knew that hla his stand might seem a logical thine for what purpose did the senorita lamartina visit you t today oday she came to offer me an invitation to her wedding ile he snarled does the droll amerl cano imagine that the noble lady of spain might love him one never knows yet loving you why should she wed me A question colonel which you yourself might answer adolfas Adol fos laughter rang through the house assuredly slie she does not love you she must have her sport and the lovelorn americano Amerl cano offers himself you do not understand women eh fenorl he combed his black beard with heavy fingers the poor loco carries his heart upon his sleeve yet it required a gorgeous ile he to bring her to the altar with you adolfo swore softly she she told you that aye said 1 I filled with a large conceit when the senor fuentes tried to stab a stupid ladrone in the city of new orleans he lost his ladylove Carra barraca carraca Car raca calI he reaching for a weapon as I 1 swung upon his jaw the bitterness that was in my heart find tz s S Z he cried out in pain at my blow ing full expression in violent action ile he fell back against the wall his right hand came up swiftly bearing a pistol but I 1 struck his elbow and the gun clattered to the floor now holding him against the wall with my left hand at his throat I 1 drew back my right arm 1 I have dreamed of a time when I 1 should get my fingers on that fat neck of thine adolfo and hold them there until the breath shall leave thy body I 1 have pictured that cynical face of thine as a punch ing bag for my list sol he cried out in pain at my blow the senorita told me this afternoon adolfo that tomorrow she would wed thee I 1 laughed 1 I shall see to it that thou dost not make a handsome bridegroom but my little minute was over all to too quickly for the guards rushed in and dragged me away from him he caressed a bruised jaw with tentative fingers tried a couple of teeth that were doubtless loose spat a crimson blob upon the floor and filled the air with a sulphurous flow of profanity I 1 laughed aloud this day adolfo has had the falness of a lifetime and tomorrows sun will find me ready yet life he lie said thickly might still be sweet to you there Is yet a way to win freedom you may save your life on conditions I 1 waited that you leave caracas tonight and la gualia guaira tomorrow and 11 what else senor I 1 nm am waiting that you tell me now where the senorita lamartina Lamart lna Is name of G d senor 1 do you mean I 1 the americano Amerl cano Is doubtless a clever actor if he will tell m me where I 1 may find the senorita lie he will see the way made open for a safe journey to new orleans it came to me then that adolfo hesitated to bring about my execution and hoped thereafter to win the Seno senoritas ritas love you and she must have had some understanding he ha continued for within the hour after she had bad returned to the home of the senora mendoza we discovered that she had disappeared as completely as though some mythical air god had carried her away polito greatly agitated because of her vani aided in the search but to no avail we have combed the city for hours with no success if you would win your freedom you will tell us whither she has gone if not the morrow shall find you facing a firing squad I 1 knew adolfo would never keep his word even had I 1 been able to give him any information if the senorita does not care to keep you advised of her plans surely you cannot expect me mc very well he said we will place you for the night in a safe little cage that we may count on finding you tomorrow morning so with four guards on each side and colonel fuentes bringing up the rear we marched out of the house of tomas carrasco crossed the patio and bent our steps toward the gloomy pile of weathered stone whose dun geon geon like ilice chambers had bad held so ao many unfortunates CHAPTER VI A silver night As we marched along my mind was filled with sad uncertainties grim forebodings bo dings regrets for half accomplished tasks I 1 would have like to live to see the independence of venezuela and I 1 found myself wishing that I 1 might have been spared to meet the liberator simon bolivar the extraordinary man who had instilled in the hearts of his people a deathless love of independence and I 1 wanted to see the senorita again to tell her of my love how could she have covered up so completely all the signs of her escape the city of caracas was new to her to have left caracas would have been to leave n trail that anyone might have foll followed awed and to have secreted herself in 10 the city the tiling thing was impossible for the men of la torre could have searched every corner of it in an hour even polito was in the dark As we approached the menage of pedro ca carrizal Carrl brizal zal sounds of hilarity came from the interior loud laughter and snatches of song we had come opposite when the door flew open and a man stood swaying in the lighted way when he saw us he uttered a wild yell and toppled forward to the sidewalk even as the soldiers roared in high glee over the fall of the tipsy celebrant a torrent of men poured from the opened doorway and fell upon my guards before they could bring their guns to bear I 1 turned to meet adolfo whose pistol pointed tit at my hend head my fingers found his wrist and thrust his arm high as he sent a harmless bullet into the air then I 1 drove a fist into ills his broad face ali ah the tingling joy it gave me mel I 1 he went down and I 1 threw myself upon him fingers groping for his throat adolfo cried aloud he swore he gasped he writhed he clawed vainly at my wrists and kicked and twisted his unwieldy body I 1 heard a shrill voice shrieking anathemas ana themas a rasping voice that was my own and it gave me a grievous shock that I 1 had fallen so low hands were laid upon my shoulders dragging me from my victim let me alone I 1 cried let me kill him no senor manuel fanuel I 1 I 1 leaped to my feet come come quickly ile he caught ray my arm and led me away but we must help them ile he laughed shortly not at all they need no help it is the soldiers who will be crying for aid we ran swiftly for three oliree minutes and stopped in a darkened alley where II manuel anuel opened a package which had been secreted under a shed disclosing a uniform put it on quickly senor in two minutes you must be a captain in his maje service TO DM CONTINUED |