Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-06-29

window belden kne trap throuMA WIaich
bad entered tE chamber.
Dressed al 3 was, I threw myself
upen the Low bed J, but nOt o sleep; foz
strange thoughts same over me, and
I heard the hum ofvoioes, and thronnh
q crack I'm the naeR discovered in one
room below 3 half dozen h0ce Iookina
men IN earnest conversation.
"At enCe / knew. ALL was IN the
house q band Of robbers, and well
knew my fate.
While looked, the men started
forth, and distinctly lizard the words
"WeH frst fnish The guide Ia the
'sRisiug % my feet. IsCltIy felt ss0und
the room until found tho door 4 had
observed, and after q few af6oras IL
opened and discovered that &c led dvwn
narrow passage-Way, which following
some distance I came upon q window
opening ont upon shed. which slaniad
OF toward the ground at the back Of the
house.
stHere was q chance 20 escape: butt
unwilling to leave my guide in danger
without some effort TO save him, I III q
match and glanced around me. and 70.
the right discovered o door, which /
judged led into room commanding q
view Of the stable-yard.
The latch. raised easily and en-
tered, and lightinG another match, what
was my horror to discover the forms of
three men lying upon the floor but be-
heving them asleep was about to with
draw, when . voic6 said quickly
/" Great Heaven you here p
ssInstantly i turned the blaze upon
the speaker, and with amusement dis
covered one 0fsthe young oficers-I had
met IN the Inn, bound hand and foot,
while by his side lay two others, the one
I was 60 meet the next morning in
deadly combat, and he that was 70 have
been my second.
'sBut no need had I to dread that
meeting, for both my enemy
and the one that was to have acted as
my friend were dead"
dead ?"
sYes, Juanita, they had been eruelly
put to death BY the very band thAtwas
soon to seek my life; for, like my guide
and myself, the other party had become
lost in the storm and had happened
upon the same house.
''This was quickly told me by the
young officer, whose life the bandits had
spared, to torture from him on the NOR
row q confession as to when the richly
laden commissary train was to Cross the
INSTANTLY Isevered the bonds Of the
young officer. and rising to his feet he
took the pistol ] offered him, and to-
gether we were consulting as TO our
future movement TO save the poor guide,
when, from the stable-yard, CANA loud
cry for mercy, q few shots, and g. gr0an
Of agony, and poor Pope, we knew, had
been cruelty murdered.
Let rs away from here, or our fate
viii be suchas his; see, there are dozen
Of them, cried the Spaniard.
''And leading the way I dashed
through the window opening upon the
shed, just az . cry arose amongthe ban
dis to seek me.
"Out upon the roof, of upon the
ground, We hastily scrambled, and at
full speed rushed on in the darkness,
mile after mile, until my poor companion
was broken down and coald 20 no
further; bat then daylight broke, and
q small cot near by, and
arousing the inmates, we asked for
shelter, which was cheerfully given, al
though death there met our gaze; for
upon q Bnow-white bed lay q young and
beautiful woman, who haa been thrown
lrom her horse the evening before and
killed.
1One glance, and my companion ree-
Ognized her. She was the wife Of the
young officer with whom ] was To- en-
gage In o duel.
'sHer story had been told to the in
mates Of the cottage ere she died, which
was, that her husband had gone to fight
. duel, and she was fastening after
him to prevent it, accompanied only by
. guide, when her horse had fallen and
her beneath his weight.
sJuanita, never did / suffer az then,
and to atone for my having been the
cause Of all this misery, had the body
Of the beautiful woman borne back 20
her home, and from there buried in state,
beside the grave Of her beloved hus-
band, for the following day the young
officer had taken with him Q number
Of soldiers and gone to the house Of
the bandits, and though he had found
the place deserted except by the dead,
be had brought back with him the
corpses Of his friends and my unfortu-
nate guide.
''And, Juanita, to atone yet the more
for my sin. took 10 my heart the baby
little girl Of one year-of the
dead parents, and bringing her with me
70 America, reared her as my ward"
ssAnd ] am she that was that little
orphan girl 2" asked Juanita, in low
whisper.
Eyes, Juanita; and each year, Is you
have grown to womanhood, the tendrils
Of my heart have cIung more closely
around you, until, now, my future with
out your love must be q dreary blank;
bat yet fear It must be SO, for now that
yOu know the story 81 your life, ! feel
that you will"
s'Love you tenfold more, my dear,
noble guardian; and never, never leave
you r.
And with the passionate vehemence
Of her nature, Juanita sprang forward