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

mage Win OlB COuslu. ue ouUButcuou
| mel need not describe the sccne-and
I refused to stand aside. Then he threat
ened to take my life.
LAS you know, my wife is a capital
horsewoman, and it was our custom to
ride daily ON the Los Cocos road. One
morning my darling failed to meet me
at the trysting place. l dismounted to
wait, leaving my horse with Pope. Pres
emily he called me, and l found him
examining the tracks.
"'Senor,' said he in his grave fash
ion, here is the trail of the senora's
mare. 1t is fresh. 1t was made this
morning. He moved on, bent double.
"'Other horses nave halted here, have
plunged about and have gone The Sc
nora's mare went with them Again he
moved on.
"'Ah! he exclaimed presently, there
is the print Of a lasso ring which has
missed the mark. There the senora's
mare halted suddenly, like the wise ami
NAL she is. That lasso did not miss,
and she has had a fall before maybe
What on earth are you driving at?'
I cried.
1.-The sonora turned there and squirt
ed the mare, he said. The other horses
followed in a great hurry, senior. She
did not gallop far, as we have seen.
Afterward she went quietly
For the love of heaven tell me
what you nave learned! l cried.
ga mile farther on, senior, answer
ed the Indian stolidly, there is a path
which leads to Don Manuel's hacienda.
If the senOra's mare turns there, that is
where the Sonora Isabel will have gone
not willingly, senor.'
ave galloped hard to the byway
spoken Of. Sure enough, all the tracks
left the road there. The observant In
dian was right.
Il had my pistols, he his machete.
We pursued the abductors and caught
them before they reached the hacienda
AS ugly a quartet as I ever set eyes
on. The prudent Don Manuel had di-
rected the business from a safe distance.
His fellows showed fight, of course,
but I managed to wing II at the first
fire, when they all turned tail. l took
my darling back to her aunt, with
whom she was quite safe. Don Manuel
did not show up. He knew better"
Mrs. Norman came in just then, and
Jack abruptly changed the subject. Half
an hour later Jack resumed.
y
my darling was very fond of her
aunt and unwilling to hurt her, SO we
said nothing of her sons villainy. But
when Pope and l got back to our ruin
Gus palace he advised me to barricade
the door of my room. However. I didn't
think it worth while, but at nightfall I
stretched myself on the hide bed and
fell asleep, with a revolver close to my
hand.
About midnight I was awakened by
a cut on the head, which, luckily, did
not stun me, OF I shouldn't be spinning
this yarn now. I started up with the
blood streaming down my face.
don Manuel stood over me with my
revolver in one hand and an uplifted
machete in the other. There's the ma,
chete.
< "'Now you shall die, robber!' he
Kissed and aimed another blow at me,
which I avoided. Shouting loudly for
t Pope, I grappled with him and got hold
I of his wrists. / was the stronger, but
loss of blood had weakened me. He
wrenched his right hand free and cut
me across the cheek. The blow dazed
me; I staggered and fell on the bed.
Before I could rise his knee was on
my chest, the machete at my throat. ]
felt the edge. With a last effort l flung
t him from me. That instant the bee
heaved and tossed, the stout walls shook,
l the sleeping city awoke win a scream Of
terror. Dazed as I was, I knew what
had happened. So did my enemy.
1.-The earthquake shall not save you !!
he yelled, and rushed at me over tht
. quivering floor. But again the bee
heaved beneath me. Something fell from
above. There was a dull, sickening thut
n "a scream of agony-and Don Manue
S rolled over and lay still, leaving thu
s machete across my neck. All, that wa
a close shave!
II 81 staggered to my feet and grOpet
n my way through clouds Of dust to thu
y street, which was full of people. shrek
II ing, wailing, praying to the saints. Al
hour the earthquake lasted, shock fol
lowing shock.
n when all was quiet and the peopl
d had ceased to wall and pray, l returned
It to the palace. Pope lay in his hammock
d bound and gagged. Together we entered
% the room where / had so narrowly es
capped death.
The body of Don Manuel, with tn
skull crushed in, lay beside my bed
Close at hand lay the Liberator in tn
condition in which you see it. Tn
a statue had toppled over in the nick G
re- time, killed the would be murderer an
set me free. On such chances do the live
o. Of men hang. -
Don Manuel's mother never knee
ID the truth respecting his death. 1t WI
attributed to the earthquake, as ais
IN were the cuts on my head and cheek.
* left Granada as oon as I could, takin
ed my bride with me.
~ "Now you know why we treasure til