The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-12-10

The jaunty red Basque hat had roll
ed to one side, and the tape strings
which had held the rope scand ais
were rotten, and they, too had fallen
aside.
The dress of the other showed he
had been nothing more than a
Spanish peasant and poor one at
that
And now he was ruined, was RAJ
mon No one would stop at his
house now, and he wrung his hand at
the thought, apparently, as hebacked
up against the corridor wall Would
the good kind American gentleman
say nothing about this affair, that he
might save the reputation Of the
house?
They had promised readily enough.
and he had gone down stairs to the
! little room to sit and think He had
fixed up the fireplace in the kitchen
but he must think. The red sunlight
came boldly through the east
window, and it saw him still think
| ing.
He was ruined.
.... Nv
"Pack up" said Ramon to Dolores
'"This house has curse on it now
and we will go away"
chow could they have come there,
think your" asked the woman, mean
ing the skeletons.
ed. And then they set to work to pack
up. Ramon was IN a feverish excite
ment to get away. It seemed to him
as If he could not bear the thought OF
stopping in that house another night.
BY the time the sun was ready
to shine Oh the other half
OF the world the laden mules
We're in front OF the door stand
ing like statues, waiting for the word
Of the driver. The bush over the
door swung carelessly on it's string.
The stars began to come out.
"You're a fool, Ramon, to take us
off like this" said Dolores. "The
mountains are not pleasant places to
sleep on when one has been used to a
He glared at her, yelled at the mules
and the little train had started. They
went down the narrow street toward |
the south, and when they had passed
the last gaping villager and left the
last adobe house behind, Ramon
plucked up courage He whistled a
gay chansOn and drove his heels into
the sides of his mule as if to urge him
to faster gait.
1--WE will 60 to the SOUTH" he was
just saying, when Pope, the servant,
who had sharp ears for boy, ex-
claimed:
Here comes the guardia civile. We
shall have company"
LET them come" returned Ramon
recklessly. "Who cares? But may the
blessed Madonna save us from the
brigands." -
The hoof beats sounded near and
nearer: until before long the leader of
the rough looking troop was neck and
neck with Ramon's mule. The cap-
tain reached over, and with a dex-
trous touch twisted the rope bride
from Ramon's hand. ....
"Not so fast, good friend. One would
think you were going to leave us, " and
he laughed.
"What do you mean?" asked the
lnn-keeper.
"Nothing. But the bones of the
Carlist captain and of Antonio want
company. You must come back"
In front OF the posada was q eroup
OF excited villagers, and when the
party rode up they. greeted Ramon
with cries Of
'Here he comes, the assassin"
Kill the man who killed Antonio,
who never harmed a cat," and
"Ah! the murderer'
Ramon would have fallen from his
seat had there not been a guard on
either side. He was taken to the iail,
while Dolores and Pope went inside
the lonely inn and the mules were
taken to the stable and unpacked,
WhHe Ihe guards were taking Ramon
away Dolores stalked up and down
the vacant room and walled:
,"Why have they done this? OF
what great crime is Ramon gu1lty?v
her question was answered sooner
tnan she thought, for she had scarcely
taken dozen turns about the weeD-
ing Pope when Padre Vinciente, the
GOOD priest, entered. He told her
that Ramon was accused of killjno
and robbing the Carlist Captain and ]
later OF killing Antonio.
HtShC IHefe was a. maniac. at ;
the jail, mailman who shrieked and
cursed and who at intervals covered
5rembllngly in a corner of the cell and
oegged the good Captain, the kind
Captain not to hurt him. ]
VI d1d not mean it. Antonio, nv
rlend. did not mean to choke thee
10 hard. Go back, I tell thee. 90 !
pack, there! Oh, Holy Mother, save
ne from him." Thus he went on ali
hight, and thus bit by bit, he told
With the ring of truth in his frenzy the |
story Of the murders. "= '
Paganinrs Shoe-Violin.
A Paris newspaper recently an