The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-14
scoundrcll If it woro not for himl If he

| snuggle Madrid into Franco"
Merltas was a smuggler, as Valgenod
was custom house officer, from tenn
permanent and instinct. 1t was his voca-
ton. Numerous were the tricks that no
invented, tho schemes that ho devised,
and he was never caught In tho caves
of tho mountains were hidden bales Of
tobacco, cloths, skins, Spanish laces and
liquors In some way or another all this
merchandise was gradually smugglod
INTO Franco, but how, no one, not even
Valgenod, knew
1t was the third day of tho epidemic,
just about twilight, that Valgonod,
scouting tho winds and looking around,
saw cart, drawn by n broken winded
mule, entering tho valley and going
straight toward tho gates of the town.
Behind came Meritas and q few i'll clad
fellows of his tribe, who wero singing
psalms i'll harsh patois The cart was
arailcd one, and i'll spite OF tho approach
ing darkness the sergeant made out the
long shape of coffin
"Ah, F" he moanod. There is suffer
ing up there too Honest people arc not
tho only ones to die, 1 SEQ. Z"
He drew himself up to let tho process
sion pass and gave tho military salute
IA corpse deserved such salute oven
though it was ono of those reprobates
Before the walls of the custom house,
Meritas, whose eyes cleaned like two
fires i'll his pale face, raised his long,
lean arms TO heaven and sobbed:
My wife! My wifel My wifer'
Poor old man." said Valgenod, and
h,, fl1,pIt- fn1, 70 l.,
he felt an unusual tenderness creeping
over him
Two days later another procession
was seen winding around tho mountain,
and Mcritas was walking behind This
time there We're three collins in the cart.
"Wcll, now" thought Valgenod,
these cannot all DO his Perhaps it is a
subscription.
But the old smuggler was tearing his
beard and shrieking III broken tones at
the top of his voice:
My SONS! My sons! Who can give
me back my sons?"
The sergeant saluted three times, and
the entire post, drawn out ie line along
the open gratings, uncovered piously
before the bitter grief of the distracted
father.
Every evening at the setting of the
sun funeral procession passed through
the town, and Nleritas invaribly formed
| part of the cortege. He walked with q
| friend on each side supporting him, call
ing aloud on God. blessing the dead and
lGlnentinS his fate He buried in order
his wife, his sons, his daughters. his
nephews his cousins One dny I've be-
sought Valgcuod to kill him and end his
suffering.
He is getting silly, and there is
some reason for it.. said the sergeant,
Struggling his shoulders
Finally, 80 strong is pity, he felt his
former respect grow into lovp for his old
enemy.
These funerals continued for three
weeks Then the people in the town be-
gal to wonder. Querterac awoke from
its stupor, and the epidemic seemed to
have disappeared The deaths became
| fewer and fewer; the windows were
| opened; every one would have regain
| ed confidence if it had not been for those
| mournful professions that came down
every evening from nbo5c, "a lamentable
proof that the epidemic was still rag
ing if not III the city, at any rate in
the outposts-
| One cvcning-it was the last-tlrec
carts, us usual, were crossing the city
bridge One of them, the foremost,
struck against u milestone. The mule
| backed. and the cart upset, throwing its
| contents, two collins, at the feet of Val
| gcnod. III the fall the lid of one of the
collins fell of. Immediately Meritls
and all the mourners, spreading out
their arms like the wings of birds fed
to the mountains Falgcnod was aston
ished TO SEQ instead of the corpse, before
which he was already preparing to flee,
rolling between his legs four bales of
merchandise carefully marked
ITO arms, he cried
The post ran up, but it was too late.
The smugglcrs had escaped The other
carts We're seized and tho collins opened
They We're all filled with merchandise.
| Vnlgcnol tore his hair
| This then was the key to the mystery,
tho explanation of those numerous
deaths, of those pious burials Not orc
of those ''r;scals up above had died
from cholera Mcritas had not lost IL
| WIZ VI Spiis, thSilttIS VI COtiSiilH All
the collins that had entered Querterac
and had been saluted by the custom
house officers had been loaded with
lace, liquors and tobacco. They had
| been taken through the deserted streets,
and the contents stored in house ut the
gates of the cemetery. When tho house
was searched. it was empty. The mer
ohmdise had been sent away every day
to the large towns
The villagers smiled Valgenod swore