The Lake County star., 1877-05-24

window. He said then he had no
weapon. tTIsittr
/ ssdoodi You have performed your
part we'll, - you always DO. only IN
this instance you were too affectionste.
SsptOs how IL makes my blood boil
tothlnk Of his kissipg yO'.S Carnage J
but I'm sDou finish HIM. IS "A - ?
4 Freo, you can well jnaeGlhe my feel
|1hk9 ~ I lie(ened 10 tp>oh ~ Whispered
' Sideccs 1sscai 1 Snch e - ~ sdorsi
Maria i saw the whole eome now,
the .drn of The lA<ly9 artfully put
questions as to my having MANY
friends IA the city, and / determined
to thwart their plans if there was any
virtue In powder and ball, " sa
That the dwarfs had some means Of
entering the room besides tbs door ]
was. fully satisfied, and hastily arrang-
ing the bOlster beneath the bedclOthes
so that, In the darkness, IL had slight
semblance of q human form, drew
on my boots and quietly waited for
further developments.
From the position had taken / had
q full view of the bed al well as the
portrait which had attracted my at
tention. ~
/ was not at all surprised when q
flash of lightning revealed to me the
fact ofthe portrait having been swung
to one side. at.0 .r
Itwas merely a screen to q secret
recess, and soon made odt the forms
of Sanchez and Maria; the former
armed with q formidable dirk, the
woman carrying q lamp, the rays Of
which she carefully screened.
q "Now, Sanchez, be quick F; strike
sure and secure the gold. Bee, he Is
fast asleep; doubtless dreaming of his
fair Maria," and the dwarfs teeth
snapped together in savage fury as he
noiselessly into the apartment.
There was no hesitation In the mis-
shapen rascal's part as he gained the
bedside. His long, sinewy arm rose
high above his head, while Maria,
with charming nonchalance, directed
q ray Of the lamp full upon the bed.
But with the blow came yell or
CONSERVATION from the dwarf as he
drew aback apace; which cry OF sur
prise brought the senorita quickly to
his side.
"Perhaps you are looking for me ?"
and advanced boldly into the center
of the room, cOncealing my revolver
from their view. "But, Maria, am
afraid your father, the worthy army
officer, would scarcely sanction your
being here in that undress rig. You
display most too much" -
But before 1 could finish the sem
tence the dwarf, with prodigious
bound, sprang upon me. His long,
nervous fingers compressed my throat
with the grip af q vice. Though taken
by surprise, did not lose my presence
Of mind, and the muzzle Of my revOl-
yer was pressed close against the scOun-
drel's head as / pulled the trigger.
With dull thud the bOdy struck
the floor corpse, and 1 had an oppOr-
tunity to turn my attention to the fair
but frail Maria.
The creole had disappeared, making
use of the secret passage. through
which / did not care to follow her.
Leisurely I departed from the house,
and turned my face toward the city. l
had not proceeded far when Twas met
by a mounted party of patr0lmen, to
whom 1 related the adventure. In an
instant the order was given to wheel
and gallop. The house wassurrounded.
Maria, her cousin and all the inmates
of the house captured in the act Of es-
Gaping, and soon after the gang termi-
mated their long career ofcrime through
the gentle pressure of the garOtte.
And now, Fred, you know why dis
like Havana and its countless tempta-
tiOns