Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-01-16

-tnere, now he looks like q real goo,
said the Americana, clapping his hands,
II say, Jose, let US make sacrifice to
him. There is the girl who ran away
last week, and whom we caught with
the dogs
mo, no, comrade,' broke in Jose;
none Of your jokes tonight; you for
got that we have visitor. Not but
what should like to sacrifice this old
demonio Of an Indian himself he
added, In an outburst Of drunken fury.
Course him! he insulted me and my
father and mother, yonder on board
the ship"
"And are you going to put up with
that from this wooden old Indian god?
Why, II were in your place, by now
would have filled him as full Of holes a.
coffee rooster, just olet the lies out. "
"That's what want to do" said Jose,
gnashing his teeth; ''he has insulted
me and threatened me, and ought To
pay for it, the black thief" And draw.
Ing large knife he fourished it in my
face
did not shrink from it; l did not 90
much as suffer my eyelids to tremble:
though the steel flashed within an inch
Of them, for knew that II once
showed fear he would strike. There.
fore l said calmly:
"You are pleased to jest, senior, and
your jests arc somewhat rude, but l
pass them by, for know that you can
not harm me because | am your guest,
and those who kill 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."
Then as Don Jose again advanced up
on me with the knife, OF q sudden the
senior sprang up from his chair and
stood between lis.
"Come, friend" he said, "a Joke is .
Joke, out you are carrying this too far,
according to your custom" and seizing
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 Don Pedro, who had Weakened,
or affected to waken from his sleep,
thought that the time had come to in
terfere.
"Peace, little ones, peacel" he cried
sleepily from his hammock. "Remem.
Dor that the men are guests, and cease
brawling. Let them go to bed; 1t Ia
time for them to go to bed, and they
need rest and by tomorrow your differ.
ences will be healed up forever"
~ 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 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
sense of some great wiclcdness 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 scaifold,
Even Don Pedro, wide awake now,
sat up In the hammock and pcercd with
his horny eyes while The Indian girl,
Luisa, her hand upon the cord, watched
our departure with some such face as
mourners watch the outbearing OF a
corpse. 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 a bottle, sat
Molas, his face buried in his hands.
Have they brought you no supper
that you look so sad?' asked the senior.
'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 floor"
II am afraid that we have been too
venturesome in coming here" | said,
land unless we can escape at once we
must be prepared to 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 o
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 abb
bot and pressed upon panel in the low
wainscoting of cedar wood with which
the wall was clothed to q height Of
about three feet.
The panel slid aside, leaving a space
barely large enough for man to pass.
Through this opening we crept one by
one, and passed down four narrow steps
to find ourselves in CHAMBER followed