The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1894-11-21

said the young Spaniard named
Felipe, earnestly. "He is terror to
all, and now / fear he will kill Don
Mclito, for Coco never forgets. l
shall ask my father to see the project,
that they keep him away. And the
sugnr?"
Felipe, never tired of following all
the processes with grave air, as if il
all rested upon his small shoulders. A
boy who never felt that he was "help-
ing"-if such a very helpless boy ever
cXisted-has lost one of the best things
in all boyhood, and Felipe could not
have understood such boy at all. He
went on now and joined Don Melito
and the two stood together watching
the vat with professional eyes while
the two negroes piled their plashing
hoes. IL was very hot work even to
watch it, but good administrator
would never trust this to the laborers
"Now you watch it little" said
Don Melito, with roguish gravity,
looking at the boys preoccupied face.
Gas for me, l must see how are the
pailas," and he climbed the steps to
the platform where the caldrons were
kissing with their new supply of sap.
Felipe thus left alone with the
heaviest responsibility he had ever
borne, knit his smooth brows very
hard and peered into the vat as if the
fate of nations hung on his eyes. For
the first time he began to doubt them.
He wondered if it were not worked
enough-if he had not better stop the
hoes and get the molders to work. If
only Don Melito was not here, and
there were no signs of his coming.
Perhaps he was leaving Felipe to find
out the difference between knowing
how some one else does thing and
how to do it ones self. The boy fdget-
ed up and down and looked Mt the vat
first from one end and then from the
other, and grew more doubtful the
more he looked.
81 don't know and I don't know"
he cried to himself. "But sure it is
that l must do something, for he left
me in charge and perhaps is busy with
other matters, thinking | would not
let it be spoiled. Pat it in the
moldsl" !"
The men leaned their candied hoes
against the wall The molders began
ladling their buckets full and, in turn,
filling the shallow molds. The color
there darkened again as sudden crys-
tallization set in; but Felipe felt n
great load lifted off his shoulders. He
was very sure now that it was a good
color-not hint of the hateful un-
dertone black, but a soft, rich brown,
shading to gold at the thin edges.
Now he was free-the laborers could
attend to the rest, as usual-and he
would go and hunt for Don Melito.
He ran up the steps and along the
platform, and half way stopped short,
as if he had run against a wall.
The rusty irons should never have
been trusted with that giants strength
They might do for common men, but
for Coco AS soon as consciousness
came back to him, and with it the old
rage, he had snapped them, and,
wrenching out the iron bars from the
window of the calaboz, had come for
his revenge. Even now he was shak-
ing his wrists, one still hooped with
the iron band, before the old admin
istrador's face and Kissing: "You!
You did me this. And now 1 will boil
you'll"
Don Melito stood still and gray as
stone, looking up into Coco's eyes.
His hat was in his hand on account of
the heat; but now he put it on as if
scorning to stand uncovered before
the tellow-put it steadily upon the
curling gray hair that reached barely
to the level of those great naked chest
muscles.
81 did strike you down and order
you to be ironed, Coco" he said,
quietly, "and l would do SO again.
Now, / am going to send you to Lima
There is no place at Villa for people
like YOU.
But Coco leaped upon him like the
black jaguar and clutched him with
those long knotted arms. Melito was
sinewy and 1.-the as cat, but he was
no match for this huge foe. He fought
for life, but Coco, with the equal des-
peration of hate. Struggle as he
would, he was borne back and back