Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-08-09
THE EARTHQUAKE.

Surely no building of its size evel
contained more food for the imagination
that my friend Norman's riverside bun
galow. 1t was fairly crammed with Gu.
riosities from many lands.
Jack Norman had not only "been ev-
erywhere and seen everything" as the
saying is-he had brought home ship
load Of mute but convincing witnesses.
Capital yarns he would spin about his
treasures too, but of one object neither
he nor his pretty Spanish American
wife could be induced to speak, except
casually.
''The Liberator is sacred" he would
say when asked where he got it, Or ''The
Liberator has been in an earthquake, -
when its battered appearance was com.
mented upon.
1t was the figure Of satyr in bronze,
about 3 feet high, with the legs and
hoofs Of q goat, short, blunted horns,
huge pointed ears, grinning, lopsided
mouth and a broken nose. Its left eye
had also been in the wars-the metal
was dented as if by heavy blow, which
had changed the figures original roguish
expression into hideous leer.
Often have [ seen Jack put his arm
round its WY neck and talk to it with
all the affection that a parent bestows
Oh his offspring. But it was Mrs. Nor
man who gave me the clew to the secret.
SACK had been seriously lila return
of jungle fever. His wife came to me in
the drawing room.
"Oh, he is so much BETTER" she said,
with her dark eyes swimming. "He
soon will be we'll. All, me! What would
I do without my brave, true husband?
[ think no wife has ever been SO happy
as l. And'-turning to the hideous
satyr--S'yon gave him to me, you dear
old thing!''
She flung her arms round the twisted
neck and kissed the grinning mouth. A
dozen times she pressed her warm lips
TO the cold bronze.
could not help smiling
"You laugh" she said, "but it is
true. Some day Jack shall tell you, per-
haps We do not like to speak Of it.
There is a grave beyond the sea. A
mother tends it who would grieye if tbs
truth were known.
Soon afterward I had the good luck
80 do Norman a service
II must make you present" he
said "Look round and tell me what
you would like. bar Che Liberator, of
course. "
"Iwon't take anything, answered.
"1f you II tell me why you set such
store by that old bronze, we shall be
quits. -
u couldn't have done it a week ago
for certain reason. But the persoA
concerned is dead - I had noticed that
Airs. Norman was ia deep mourning.
He took nude, guardless sword from
the wall. "Do you know what this isl''
he asked.
'Some sort of sword, - I replied.
'Fft is a Nicaraguan machete, carried
by ak fhs men and many of the women
i'll that unquiet country. Look along
the edge. -
/ did so and perceived u dull stain
near the square point. Jack drew his
finger down long white scar on his
bronzed cheek.
''That stain is blood. It came from
here--s0me Of it. I got worse cut OIL
the head. Now I'll tell you the story"
He lit a cigaa, fnng himself into an
easy chair and began.
S'Soule years ago I had an interest in
SegoyiaG gold mine. Segoyia, should
say, is in Nicaragua, between the Great
lake and Honduras. firing of the wild
life. I resolved to visit Granada. One
might I passed in the hotel, and that
svas too long, for I was eaten alive.
Next day sought out vacant house,
found the owner and struck a bargain.
"The house [ rented was an immense
building, erected on three sides Ct Q
courtyard paved with marble. There
was not a pane of glass in it, but plenty
OF iron bars. The courtyard had a bro
ken fopntain in the center, waterless, Of
course, and half hidden by rubbish and
shrubs, run wild long since.
1.-THE time hung pretty heavily upon
my hands, SO enc morning set to work
TO clear away the rubbish that cilolzed
the basin Of the fountain. At the very
Bottom of the heap ! found the Liber
atof.
81 cleaned the statue myself. Pepe
dared not touch it at first. He said it
was Carib god. 1t wasn't in its pres
ent battered condition then, and ] con-
sidered it a great find. We set it up OF.
shelf above my bed. and in 4S hours
had forgotten all about it.
"Of course I visited the cafes, where
you may drink bad chocolate and gam
BILE to your hearts content. Everybody
does both there, and when one is in
Rome'-you know the adage?
''At a gambling house [ n,eb Don
Manuel Arguello By way of return for
the money he had won of me he took
me home and introduced me to his moth
er and cousin. After that I called every
day, for I had fallen ia toys 5yith the
Sonora Isabel
1.-The passion Of my life was returned.
But I was unaware that Don Manuel
also loved her. I did not learn until toc
late that he had long looked forward to
repairing his broken fortunes by mar
Siage witis his cousin. He enlightened
sne-~~I need not describe the scene--and
i refused to stand aside Then he threat
ened to take my life.
GAS you know, my wife is capital
hofsewoman, and it Was our custom to
ride daily on the Los Cocos road. One
morning sny darling failed to meet ms
at the tfystilg place. I dismounted to
wait, leaving my horse with Pope. Pres
emily he called me, and ] fond him
examining the tracks.
"'Senor, said he i'll his grave fash
ion, there is the trail Of the senora's
mare 1t is fresh. 1t WAS made this
morning He moved on, bent double,
Other horses have halted here, have
plunged about and have gone. The Sc
morals mare went with them. Again he
moved Oh.
Abr he exclaimed presently, there
is the print Of a lasso ring which has
missed the mark There the senora's