| Show the VA VALE L E OF 0 F A R A 1 0 N THE STORY in the city of ne new w orleans in 1821 loren garde recently an officer under general jackson Is surprised by the appearance of three figures in ancient spanish costume two men and a woman whose 0 beauty enchants him resenting the arrogance of cheeld the elder of I 1 the he two men garde fights a duel due with iv ath h him im with swords and wounds him ile he learns earns ills his opponent la Is adolfo do da fuentes Fu entea colonel in the spanish army in venezuela garde overhears overhear a a plot to overthrow spanish rule in venezuela discovered he lights but it 14 overpowered garde finds himself a prisoner on the santa lucrecia Luc ship bearing arms and ammunition tor for the venezuelans Venezuela ns on board are the conspirators the lady of his love her brother polito and do de fuentes prom from tile the girl garde learns her name Is dulce lamartina lie ile loves her but does not reveal his love the vessel la is wrecked and garde reaches the venezuelan shore alone ile he encounters a stranger and sees dulce with do da fuentes and po PD alto ito learning his history the stranger who la Is captain monahan of the british legion under bolivar urges urges garde to join the venezuelans Venezuela ns but his mind Is set on again seeing dulco dulce monahan directs him to friends in caracas there garde supplied by monahan with the secret sign of the patriots Is welcomed at tile the revolutionary headquarters with a companion mnnuel manuel garde goes to the cathedral where the wed ding of dulce and de fuentes Is in progress dufoo duloe recognizes him and leaves do de fuentes at the altar she Is torn from cardes arms lie esen escapes pes CHAPTER V 8 adios even its as I 1 entered the spacious home of thomas carrasco a file of soldiers deployed and surrounded it verily morales moved swiftly and I 1 knew I 1 would never win free of caracas yet I 1 had held lier 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 to my starved soul that was very much indeed so I 1 laughed gally gaily as the good tomas all of a tremble hurried into my comfortable quarters do they seek thee senor these soldiers soldier sl aye ai tomas I 1 ara 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 all ah misfortune senor it will brin bring death to all of us I 1 not so tomas this will bring death only to a poor french sailor who would feast ills 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 aud and five soldiers and lieutenant marched in from the patio I 1 chose the side of the room farthest from the window that I 1 might stand as ag much as possible in tho the gloom the sergeant turned to polito who shook ills his head and touched ills his bandaged throat with caressing fingers then the alie sub officer addressed me are you the devil senor who has put a spell upon the senorita lamartina there Is too much lattery flattery in your words sergeant I 1 said you assign tou luo much power to me and 1 I think it Is the senorita who has cast a spell upon all of us polita started and stared what are you called senor timolion con lourdez So urdez said 1 I choosing at random the first name that came into my mind a sailor raised in the indies who will work tor for anybody on oil any ship nt any time I 1 ani am a floater all how camo came you senor in tho the cathedral 1 I sat chlone this morning in the plaza san jacinto Jacl nto while people passed into tile great church A swarthy sailor doubtless having sympathy for ms loneliness led me in so that I 1 might view tile wedding of the beautiful lady of spain and the wise colonel fuentes if evil has been wrought in the cathedral Sergent sergeant if it Is no work of mine yet you the frenchman senor Is ever a lover anil and if I 1 stared nt at her Is it anything it a thousand others were not doing yet she ah ah must I 1 lot let her fall fainting to the carpeted aisle would that have been the act of a frenchman we pro iwo a chivalrous race senor and we refer our arms and our hearts at times may alay one do less polito swung his legs a half smile on his handsome liand some face the sergeant shrugged ills hla shoulders helplessly and turned toward ills hla super superior for if the lieutenant desires to io question him not lit at all alj I 1 sald ills hla voice wi waa a Ilo arst nipping whisper yet so hyfred by FRED mclaughlin author of 0 the rhe blade of by gobba dobbs merrill co TU service puny an effort sent him oft off into a paroxysm of coughing the senor lieutenant has an atrocious cold I 1 ventured whereupon he fie smiled at me in the friendliest manner 1 I was in a storm ho he explained 1 I am sorry and your head Is doing nicely thank you it came in contact with a spar he studied my face tor for halt half a minute things might be worse senor A philosophic view indeed said 1 I and one in which 1 I cannot share tor for soldiers at this moment surround my place of abode lie ile laughed a sorry effort but sufficient fici ent A temporary arrangement I 1 think perhaps they imagine that the tall sailor who has really offered only the frenchmans French Frenc limans mans worship to beauty might escape like a moon wraith A wild surge of joy went over me polito knew me he fie friend he was telling me that I 1 would bo be free I 1 I 1 could have thrown my arms around him and the guards senor lieutenant T have been placed there by order of colonel fuentes and will be removed therefore only by ills his order I 1 shall see him however within the hour 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 gualda Ou Gu alra where some ship now watching his face I 1 saw that polito did not brighten at this prospect and I 1 was glad for so long as the senorita dulce remained in venezuela there would I 1 remain adelos then said he I 1 heard in less than an hour the crisp bark of orders and the sounds ot 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 0 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 if f dulce were willing to marry adolfo today why should site 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 accomplishing nothing a subtle fragrance filled the room I 1 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 my brain and I 1 would see her doubtless all the rest of my life I 1 had beard of such a tiling 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 the features one might not have known whether she were dark or light but I 1 knew again senorita I 1 said bowing over 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 wag light was it not senor I 1 have dreamed of your hair as behig light 1 was all that just a dream and am I 1 dreaming now 1 I hardly know what has been real ans and what 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 lid 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 langh 1 I am only a sort of shadow your majesty which will 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 th the cathedral then to 1 I went to the cathedral to stop the wedding mother mary I 1 she gasped and I 1 went to the altar with adolfo to save you you should have left the city ere tills this they offered to sell roe me your life your freedom why did you not go when you had the opportunity tun ity my ilie hie and my freedom belonged to me you speak in parables your majesty now her blue eydi eyes n haunting fear in their depths searched my face oh I 1 am ashamed she sobbed ashamed I 1 would save your life because you have 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 isaid helpless be fore her your majesty I 1 feel very very happy and very humble it was waa little enough for me to do for you had paved 1 if you do not love adolfo it wa was too much for you to do marriages in spain senor are not arranged by those most interested our parents did this long ago in 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 feel so sure of myself as I 1 did some time ago now although I 1 was sure this visit of the senorita lamartina Lamart lna would be my death warrant for adolfo would know whither she had gone I 1 laughed in the fullness of a great joy tor for I 1 know knew that de fuentes had lost has the air ot of venezuela your lour majesty tarnished your tin soldier or perhaps the moonlight of new orleans can you jest so senor when you mu must st know they are seeking you out even now you should never have come here there thare Is danger here for you assuredly yet wherever the senorita goes caracas 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 working for the freedom of a great 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 inot serve him then your majesty but since that time I 1 have looked upon the dead city of bucayan Tu cayan and a people who can sanction such an act of senseless brutality ali ah senor this nightmare of murder this bolivar who has brought about all the wars and the killings would you serve this this vulture senor she caught the lapels of my rough jacket in trembling fingers senor she said breathlessly my father spent ills his life in the service of spain and rolito polito my brother will doubtless do the same ones country Is ones life did you come to venezuela senor to oker offer service to Boll bolivar vai As you very well know I 1 followed hollowed tile the senorita Lamart lamartina lna to venezuela did you journey to caracas to serve venezuela f 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 of marching men 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 alf life that your face has filled my dreams that your voice has seemed P Pl please edse senor I 1 cannot under happier circumstances your majesty I 1 could have offered very much but with tile 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 worship has given me she faced me her eyes shining with tears there have been too many soldiers in my family senor tor for me to love an enemy of spain love Is not a matter or of nationality no eho said sadly it is a madness rr a wretched insanity she held our her hand and I 1 pressed the fingers against my lips all ah senorita I 1 loye love you sol diesl she gasped today I 1 tried to buy liberty and you need it when you need it I 1 shall try aguill tor for you have offered so much yo rou will willbo be free then to serve 11 ali ah dulce mia may I 1 1 adios senor a As I 1 sat through the passage of the leaden hours a darkness settled on my prison and on my boub as well I 1 waited with the dull fatalism of tho the condemned for the doming 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 jeffort effort empty of all that which should make a life worth while A full mon thrusting above the rim of the eastern hills had just begun to spread its golden mantle over the city when adolfa came ills his guards eight in number stationing themselves outside roy my door that led into the patio the iho recklessness that comes to one whose kours hours are numbered had laid a spell upon me I 1 cried gaily gally as he entered it if it the stranded bridegroom 1 ile he stabbed d roe me with a baleful eye you might not deem that quite clever senor if you had known I 1 am familiar with your english TO no DO |
