The Portland daily press., 1895-11-30
A CUBAN HEROINE.

"Fire! Ffrel AS you are true soldiers
Of the crown, do not allow him to escape!'
And at the command of the Spanish Off
Ger the reports of dozen rifles broke the
stiffness of the tropical forest that bor-
dered on the northern coast of Cuba.
"On, onl He must not avoid US, or the
wrath of our general will fall upon our
heads
Quickly the machetes, or short swords,
which each man wore at his belt, were
grasped vigorously and almost torn from
the scabbards as the impetuous guard es-
sayed to hew pathway through the jun
gle.
See, see, he is woundedp' exclaimed
the officer, pointing to a few crimson
stains that had fallen upon the dark green
leaves of the trailing vines.
He is hard hit and must soon fall.
Press on, press on, my men! A hundred
piasters to the one who shall first lay
hands upon the spy, whether he be dead or
alivep'
Thus urged, the soldiers redoubled their
efforts, but they proved futile, for the flu.
gitiye threaded his way through the tan
gled maze of vegetation with the adroit-
ness and speed of an Indian warrior
When the soldiers finally gave up the
chase and resumed their watch, darkness
had fallen upon the ''Pan of Matanza,"
the mountain which rears its lofty head
few miles back from the city of Matanzas.
About the base of this rugged ELEVATION
nestled the plantations of number of rich.
Cuban sugar growers, but at this hour the
occupants of the low rooted, rambling, yet
spacious habitations seemed wrapped in
El1nI 6Qr for mr., 81 ~ 20
apparent.
But, hold There is a light streaming
from the long, iron barred windows of the
house of Senior Manuel Rodriguez, one
OF the wealthiest citizens of the island.
Within the apartment from which the
bright rays issued sat young woman, not
more than Is years of age, perfect type
of Spanish loneliness. She was alone and
seemed busy with her thoughts. Suddenly
she was aroused by quick step on the
broad veranda without and the next in
slant the door opened, and man, with
disheveled clothing, hatless and with
blood streaming from CHASTITY wound in
the side of the head, hurriedly entered and
sank we'll nigh exhausted at the maiden's
feet 81
"Felipel Felipe! Ny dear brother, what,
In the name Of the saints has happeneda''
exclaimed the Joung girl, in tone of hor-
ror, as she knelt by the side of the sufferer
'Oh, Isabel, we are lost-lost! All is
lost! The noble cause of Cuba will this
night receive, as have, her deathblow!"
What mean you, brother? What mean
your" entreated Isabsl, as she essayed to
stanch the blood which flowed from the
gaping cut. "Tell mech, tell me what
has happened?''
What has happened you see before
you," gasped the stricken man, "but its
cause and effect are secrets which scarce
dare impart even to you
What! l, your sister and Cuban,
and you will not trust mep'
True, true; it is right that you should
know. Bend your ear closer; my strength
Is fast falling
Then with visible effort Felipe aroused
himself and continued:
This night our dear father at the head
OF band OF some 500 patriots, proposes to
make landing at point near the eastern
entrance Of the harbor, providing shat no
light is shown from the Pan of Mantanza
to warn them Of danger. There is danger,
and I was threading my way through the
forest and up the steep ascent to igfite the
beacon that would warn them of their per-
II, when I, dolt that was stumbled upon
the Spanish soldiers. We caught sight of
one another at the same moment and
their commander gave the order to fire. 1t
was then that received this wouI;d in the
head, which is slight compared to the one
that is here" And the hero pressed hand
convulsively to his sice.
"Away fled, and succeeded in throw
ing the human vultures off my track and
-and-here am.
AS he finished, the young man sank
back, exhausted, in hi2 sisters arms.
But the signal, Fhlipe-the signalP'
eagerly asked the girl "Who will light itP"
'sAlas, no onel For who is there to go?'
~ will" was the unIlaunted reply.
"You--you, Isabel No, mol Your fate
would be worse than death should you fall
into the hands of our prosecutors.
"Speak not of them, brother, but tell
me where to find the spoa."
"Well, Isabel, it must be so, for should
our noble father be taken captive by the
cruel tyrants, it would be but short
short time ere we all should follow him to
the executionerl Now, bark, sister! Near
the summit of the mountain, and on that
lat shelf where we have often played in
childhood, you will find q large pile of in
hammable material. But single touch OF
an lgnite'l match and the whole mass will
spring into flame, and one which the sol
dlers can never extinguish until it has
burned down to the very stones beneath. :"
81 will find it and light it. But must
leave you alone, Felipe''-
"Oh, mind not me. What is my life
or suffering compared to our fathers and
his brave followers? Long since gave NV
life to Cuba and few hours more or less
of existence matters little. Go, sister, gol
There is not moment to lose But be.
ware of the soldiers God guard you'll"
STOPPING low, Isabel pressed kiss on
the pallid lips of her brother, and drawing
her lace mantilla closely over her raven
hair, she extinguished the light and passed
out into The darkness upon her lonely mis-.
sion.
''Ah, Lorenzo, heard you thats 1t