The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-04-19

80 --sau1as ~ Az1XI4upy
THEY FOUND THE NEST, BUT THE BIRD HAD
FLOWN.
The excitement which swept through
Carthagena when it was announced that
the prison had been broken into and the
Indian girl stolen was very great. Not
only had great hole been dug from the
adjoining housefo moments glance
showed the bits of stone and piles of dirt
filing up the whole ground floor of the
place--by methods which no one under
stood. but the work itself appeared to be
simply impossible. Even with the evil
dence before their eyes that it had been
accomplished, those who examined the
tunnel could not believe men had dug it.
Great stones in the wall had been loos-
aned, drawn out and placed in holes dug
to receive them. a timbered slide had
been put in on which the stone block
from the floor had been lowered out Of
the way. The cleverness of the engineer
ing feats accomplished excited the won
dering admiration of Don francesca Car
doza, engineer Of the walls, who de-
clared that the man who planned and
executed them was easily his master. A
big tube made Of large bamboos had
been carried along the top of the tunnel.
and through this air had been forced in
from two of the rude blowing machines
the Indian smiths used Chambers had
been followed out at intervals, strongly
timbered and rooted with bamboo fat
tened out, while between them these
bamboo boards had been placed to pre-
vent the light sandy soil from falling on
the workers. It was small wonder that
some one whispered sswitchcraft," and
the word was repeated from one to the
other with paling cheeks.
Added to all this, the girl had vanish
ed. There Was no clew to her where
abouts any more than any information
could be obtained of who had rented the
house. The place had been empty for a
long time, the owner said; it was only a
tumble down sort of hut any way, and
SO far as he knew no one had lived in it.
Fooled in this direction, the alcalde made
inquiries about people leaving Cartha-
gena No one had left that night, the
guards said. Then the search for Nechtla
in the city began, but this was equally
fruitless. AT the end of a week Don Ro-
berto was forced to acknowledge that he
could do no more; the devil the Guajeros
worshiped probably dug the hole and car
ried the girl away. 1t was au affair for
the mquisition, he thought, not for the
civil powers.
In the meantime francesca listened to
what was said with am indifferent air
too indifferent, the captain general
thought. He pointed out to his father
that If he had been permitted to marry
the girl nothing Of this kind would have
happened, but having said this he had
nothing more to say. His attitude
toward his father was one of half yelled
defiance, and there was no more of that
cordial comradeship which had existed
between them, and which was SO mex
pressibly dear to the older man. For Don
Alphonso had loved that young bride he
bore away from the ancient castle of the
counts of Luna SO many years before,
and he looked back with feeling he
never spoke of to the short year and a
half they had lived together. Constancy
was one Of the strongest attributes Of
the Medina blood, and Don Alphonso re-
membered as if it had been yesterday
ahe whom in his heart he still called his
"QneriditaT' She had died, leaving him
francesca, and from that time the boy
4 l. <f4ec nd 7,nrx 1I.4<
all the husband had left of the wife he
loved There was wealth Of sentiment
in that courtly soldier, statesman and
gentleman Of old Spain never suspected
even by Frey Raphael, to whom the
count had made confession for many
| years. In his heart Don Alphonso sym.
pathized with his SON. he was sometimes
even tempted to tell Francesca he could
marry the girl But an Indian, a slave
No, it was iinpossiblei Isabella herself
his wife, would never have consented
| What, place an Indian slave in her place
In the old hall ct hoine Never Better
francesca died and he himself follow
than thatsuch sacrilege be accomplished
DON Alphonso shut himself up great
deal at this time; he feared that mer
might see the struggle going on withir
him.
But the clever diplomat who had beer
sent to the court of France to watch ths
interests of his sovereign before tn,
throne of Louis XIV, and who had beer
| successful in his delicate mission, hat
never bent the powers of bis mind as h
bent them now. He consulted his son OF
matters which he knew would compli
Inent the younger man to give his opinion
Of; he even modified the regulations gov
erning the slaves at Francesco's sugges
ton and against the advice Of oil his coun
Gil Too clever to overwhelm the yonnge.
man with presents, he however present
cd him on his birthday with his own
4 swords-a weapon he had CARRIED eve
since he had inherited it from Frances
or,tsfJ.c5r <<<.u,,