The Press., 1891-10-22

1ItSB JOttIIU ULS TISSC, DUb LtG DCTU HttU
 tOaDa.
 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 house-for moments glance
 showed the bits of stone and piles of dirt
 filling 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- ened, 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 hollowed out at intervals, strongly timbered and roofed with bamboo flat tened ont, 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 "witchcraft," 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 long time, the owner said; it was only Q tumble down sort of hut any way, and so far as he knew no one had lived in 1t. Rolled 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 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. It was an affair for the Inquisition, he thought, not for the civil powers. -H
 In the meantime Francesca listened to what was said with an 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 inex- 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 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 she whom in his heart he still called his
 "Queridital" She had died, leaving him Francesca, and from that time the boy had been not only the son and heir, but all the husband had left of the wife he lovedl 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 Aphonso sym pathized with his son; he was sometimes even tempted to tell Francesca he could marry the girl. But an Indian, slavei No, it was impossible! Isabella herself, his wife, would never have consented. What, place an Indian slave in her place in the old hall at homel Never! Better Francesca died and he himself follow than that such sacrilege be accomplished! Don Alphonso shut himself up great deal at this time; he feared that men might see the struggle going on within him. ~ss-s~s- .-t-s--= ~.l
 But the clever diplomat who had been sent to the court of France to watch the interests of his sovereign before the throne of Louis XIV, and who had been successful in his delicate mission, had never bent the powers of his mind as he bent them now. lie FCunsu1tel his oo.a on matters which. he knew would compli- ment the younger man to give his opinion of; he even modified the regulations gov erning the slaves at Francesco's sugges- tion and against the advice of all his coun- cil Too ocleyer to overwhelm the younger man with presents, he however present ed him on his birthday with his own sword-a weapon he had carried ever since he had inherited it from Frances co.'s grandfather, another Francesca Medina, who had won it when only twenty, in battle against the Moor. So delicate were the attentions, so consum- ate the tact shown, that Francesca in spite of himself was softened and partly won. - ..
 The suggestion that the matter was one for the Inquisition to take hold of, as made by Don. Roberto Patricio, the al- calde, was not likely to fall to the ground in Carthagena then. It was re- peated to the Frey Carlos Gonzales by dozen persons before nightfall, and that grim old man moved at once. To defy the civil authorities in Carthagena was one thing; to defy the Inquisition was very different. Francesca had not trusted many persons, but he had been forced to call in the help of some.
 HEIGHT OF CRUELTY.-Nervousw women seldom receive the sympathy they de- serve. While often the pictures of health,