The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-08-07
THE EARTHQUAKE.

cOlCdll1eu mOTe 1Oou lOT tut lIlIuS luhtlou
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 a ship
load of mute but convincing witnesses.
Capital yarns be would spin about his
treasures too, but of II object neither
he nor his pretty Spanish-American
wife could be induced to speak, except
casually.
THE Liberator is sacred,' he would
FAY when asked where he got it, or THE
Liberator has been i'll an earthquake
when its battered appearance was com
mented upon.
1t was the figure Of a satyr in bronze,
about 3 feet high, with the legs and
hoofs of a 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 denied as if by a heavy blow, which
had changed the figures original roguish
expression into a hideous leer.
Often have l seen Jack put his arm
round its wry neck and talk to it with
all the affection that Il parent bestows
on his offspring. But it was Mrs. Nor
man who gave me the clew to the secret.
Jack 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
l do without my brave, true husband?
I think no wife has ever been SO happy
as l. And'-turning to the hideous
satyr-"you 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.
l 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 grieve if the
truth were known
Soon afterward l had the good luck
to do Norman a service.
Il must make you a present." be
said. Look round and tell me what
you would like. l bar the Liberator, of
course"
"Iwon't take anything" / answered.
IF you'll tell me why you set such
store by that old bronze, we shall be
quits"
II couldn't have lone it a week ago
for a certain reason. But the person
concerned is dead" 1 had noticed that
Mrs. Norman was in deep mourning.
He took a nude, g~uardless sword from
the wall. do you know what this is?'
he asked.
"Some sort Of sword" I replied.
1T is a Nicaraguan machete, carried
by all the men and many Of the women
in that unquiet country. Look along
the edge
l did so and perceived a dull stain
near the square point. Jack drew his
finger down a long white scar on his
bronzed cheek.
THAT stain is blood. 1t came from
here-some of it. l got a worse cut on
the head. Now I'll tell you the story. .
He lit a cigar, flung himself into al
easy chair and began.
"'Some years ago I had an interest in
aSegovian gold mine. Segovia, l should
say, is in Nicaragua, between the Grea'
lake and Honduras. firing of the wild
life, I resolved to visit Granada. One
night L passed in the hotel, and that
was too long, for l was eaten alive
Next day / sought out a vacant house
found the owner and struck a bargain.
THE house / rented was an immeps,
building, erected on three sides Of
courtyard paved with marble. Their,
was not a pane Of glass IN it, but plent,
of iron bars. The courtyard had a bro
ken fountain in the center, waterless, O
course, and half hidden by rubbish an
shrubs, run wild long since.
1.-The time hung pretty heavily upo
my hands. SO N morning I set to wor
to clear away the rubbish that choke
the basin of the fountain. At the yer
bottom of the heap I found the Libe,
ator.
II cleaned the statue myself. Per
dared not touch it at first. He said
was a Carib god. 1t wasn't in its pre-
ent battered condition then, and / Col
sidered it a great find We set it up @
a shelf above my bed, and in 4S hours
had forgotten all about it.
"Of course I visited the cafes, whe,
You may drink bad chocolate and gar
BILE to your hearts content. Everybot
does both there, and when one is
Roms'-you know the adage?
"At a gambling house l met D
Manuel Arguello. By way Of return +
the money he had won Of me he to
me home and introduced me to his mot
r er end cousin. After that l called eve
day, for I had fallen in love with t
Sonora Isabel
1.-The passion of my life was returne
But / was unaware that Don Man,
also loved her. l did not learn until
late that he had long looked forward
y