The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-04-23

third; besides you seem to forget,
my dear little sister has claim as
well as 1. 2
"lil not touch my part, exclaim-
ed Toma, with enthusiasm. II give
it to the lovely Kosara"
But cant accept your present, .
returned the girl, quietly.
Right yon are" !" interposed Stan
ko. @kosara's heart is not to be
won with ducats.'
who said it was2'' retorted Toma,
in angry tone. HDo you think I'd
try to win Kosara with money!"
at looks little that way re-
piled Stanko, his face disfgured
with hideous sneer.
Toma, now thoroughly enraged
was about to turn upon his rival,
when Minko interfered and restor-
ed peace.
"Let there be no quarreling," he
szis' ~ ) c9neiiatory tone. s.The
deed we have 10 day committed was
perhaps rash aud ill-considered, but
it cant be helped now, and we shall
have to stand together, and the best
thing we can do is to consider how
we can avert the evil consequences
of our act. For when the Aga is
missed the Turks over yonder in
Trebinje will commence an investi-
cation, and if they discover the real
state of the case we'll have to pay
dearly for it."
The long consultation which fol-
lowed brought the friends to no
other conclusion than to quietly
await developments.
The disappearance of the Aga
was soon remarked in Trebinie, and
his friends became uneasy. Learn
ing in neighboring village that he
had set out for Uvjece and had
never returned the Turks directed
their their march to that place.
The approach of one hundred troop
ers naturally awakened the greatest
alarm in the hamlet There was no
doubt that the Turks were coming
to avcnge the murdered Aga. The
terrified villagers were on the point
of flying across the Roumanian bor-
der, but Minko urged them rather
to draw the Turks into ambush and
receive them with bullets. His
counsel prevailed, and all the able
bodied men in the place, about
twenty in number. hurried out 10
meet the enemy.
About quarter of mile from
the village the peasants secreted
themselves behind the rocks which
lined both sides of the road, and, as
the Turks approached, opened upon
them with deadly volley. Before
the Moslems had recovered from
their astonishment the Christians
had reloaded and fired a second
time, then followed two volleys
from their pistols, and finally the
attacking party rushed out from its
ambush, and with drawn scimitars
fell upon the thirty Turks who
were yet able to fight. In the hand
to-hand conflict which followed our
three friends fought side by side.
Toma, after cutting down three of
the Turks, was shot while closing
with the fourth. With secret Joy
Stanko saw him fall, for he was
now rid of a rival whom he had
begun to fear While in this mo-
ment he thought of Kosara he saw
directly in front of him a Turk
springing forward to strike Minko
from the rear. One quick blow
from Stanko's flashing steel and the
Turk would have fallen before he
could accomplish his deadly pur-
pose. but Stanko never dealt
that blow. He waited until the
Moslem had given Kosara's father
a mortal wound, and then avenged
his comrades death on the body of
his destroyer.
He glanced furtively around to
see if there had been any witness to
his treachery, and breathed more
freely when he perceived that the
few remaining Turks had taken to
fight and the villagers were all oc-
cupied in pursuit.
After a moments reflection Stan
ko turned and fastened back to the
village and to Kosara.
"Where is my fatherP" cried the
girl in an anxious voice.
Stanko forced his evil countenance
into grimace, which he intended
should express deep sorrow, and
sighed, in reply, "Poor Kosarai"
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