Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-06-11

And are you going to put up with
that from this wooden old Indian god?
Why, if were in your place, by now
would have filed him as full of holes as
a coffee rooster, just to let the lies OUT
That's what want to do" said jose
crashing his teeth. The has insulted
me and threa tened me, and ought to
pay for it, the black thief" And draw
ing a large knife he hourished it in my
face.
did not shrink from it; I did not so
much as suffer NV eyelids to tremble:
though the steel flashed within an inch
of them. for 1 knew that if once /
showed fear he would strike. There
fore 1 said calmly:
You are pleased to jest, senior, and
your jestS are somewhat rude, but I
pass them by, for l know that you cam
not harm me because 1 am your guest,
and those who kill a guest are not gen.
tlemen, but murderers, which the high
born Don Jose Moreno could never be-"
''Stick the pig JOSE" said Smith.
He is insulting you again. 1t will
save trouble afterward."
on me with the knife, of a sudden the
senior sprang up from his chair and
stood between us.
Come, friend" he said, "a joke is a
joke, but you are carrying this too far,
according to your custom" and Selling
the man by the shoulders, he put out
all his great strength and swung him
back with such force that, striking
against the long table with his thighs,
he rolled on to and over it, falling heav-
lily to the ground on the further side,
whence he rose cursing with rage.
By now BON Pedro, who had wakened,
or affected to waken from his sleep,
thought that the time had come to in
terfere.
Peace, little ones, peace!" he cried
sleepily from his hammock. ''Remem-
Der that the men are guests, and cease
brawling. Let them go to bed; it is
time for them to go to bed, and they
need rest. and by tomorrow your differ
ences will be healed up forever"
Il take the hint said the senior. with
forced gayety, ''Come, Ignatio. let us
sleep off our hosts good wine. Gentle
men. sweet dreams to YOU" and he
walked across the room, followed by
myself.
At the door 1 turned my head and
looked back. Every man in the room
was watching intently, and it seemed
to me that the drunkenness had passed
from their faces, scared away by a
sense of some great wicl1edneSS waiting
to be worked. Don Smith was whisper
ing into the ear of Jose. who still held
the knife in his hand, but the rest were
staring at US as people stare at men
passing to the scaffold.
Even Don Pedro, wide awake now,
sat up In the hammock and peered with
his horny eyes while the Indian girl,
Luisa, her hand upon the cord, watched
our departure with some such face as
! mopyners watch the outbearing of a
| cor pse. All this / noted in a moment
as / crossed the threshold and went for
ward down the passage, and as went
| shivered, for the scene was uncanny
and fateful.
Presently we were in the abbot's
chamber. our sleeping place, and had
| locked the door behind us. Near the
washstand, on which burned single
| candle, set IN the neck of bottle, sat
Molas, his face buried in his hands.
Have they brought you no supper
that you look so sad?" asked the senior.
1.-The woman Luisa gave me to eat"
he answered. Listen, lord, and you;
| Senior Strickland, our fears are well
founded; there is a plot to murder us
tonight; of this the woman is sure, for
she heard some words pass between
| Don Pedro and a white man called
Smith; also she saw one of the half
breeds fetch some spades from the gar
| den and place them In readiness. which
spades are to be used in the following
of our graves beneath this fioor.''
81 am afraid that we have been too
venturesome in coming here I said.
land unless we can escape at once we
| must be prepared 10 pay the price OF
our folly with our lives"
do not be downcast, lord" said
| Molas, ''for you have not heard all the
tale. The woman has shown me a
means whereby you can save yourselves
| from death, at any rate for tonight.
Come here" and leading us across the
room he knelt upon the floor at spot
almost opposite the picture of the alb
| bot and pressed upon panel in the low
1 wa1nSROf1nr wood w
| the wall was clothed to a height of
| about three feet.
The panel slid aside. leaving a space
barely large enough for a man to pass.
Through this opening we crept one by
one, and passed down four narrow steps
| to find ourselves in a cham Der followed
out of the foundations of the wall, so
small that there was only just room for
| the three of US to stand in it, our heads
being some inches above the level OF
| the floor
TO BE CONTINUED