Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-02-05

Monita lay sleeping through the early
morning hours, the fringe of her long
lashes lay on the rounded flush of her
cheeks. and blotted out that crimson
hued shadow that had fallen with the
New Year dawn upon her life.
OF all San Antonio she was the only
one who did not go to look at the print
of the crimson hand. Of all San Antonio
Tasca was the only man who could not
see that the contour of the red palm and
housekeeping fingers was that OF Ras-
chal Quito.
The next day Miser Quito was buried
i'll his own grounds. for no money could
be found for q burial elsewhere, and the
expense that the town went to was paid
out of the sale of some of his handsome
effects. They were sold at a mere trife,
for, the people said, "Raschal will never
come back to be hanged" and they
did not scruple to make good such a
change for acquiring the heirlooms of
the Quito family, though Miser Quitos
avarice had not left any too many for
sale.
The hunt for Raschal was savage
one, but fruitless, and finally it was
abandoned.
''He must have drowned himself" the
people said: perhaps when the river is
low in the fall we may find his bones"
You remember that cry?' asked Pitr0
of Tasca; sat first | thought it was old
man Quito's voice; now | know it was
that of Raschal as he plunged into the
river.
Perhaps" assented Tasca
The miser's house was locked, and
time wore on until the wild flowers of
Texas made q coverlet of blue and gold
over Miser Quito's grave. and the mark
of the crimson hand grew less vivid in
hue
Monita chung to the belief that Ras-
chal was innocent; that he would send
for her some day when it was safe to do
so, and she never questioned her intent
to go when the time came. Tasca alone
learned her belief, and it was wonderful
how, after Tasca had assured her that
it was also his own, she bloomed again
into the lovely. merry maiden she had
been before this tragedy had swept
across her life.
The roses came back to her cheeks
and she no longer refused to see her
friends. But she grew quiet and staid
as year after year went by without a
sign from Raschal and all San Antonio
was talking about the sound of loud
voices that were heard after nightfall in
the Quito house, aud every New Years
eve along the course of the river there
rang a muffied cry which chilled the
blood in the veins of the hearers and
FASTENED them away from the dark,
haunted stream.
Time never hushed these cries; years
never wiped away the imprint of that
scarlet hand beside the door. nor turned
the love of beautiful Monita into another
channel.
1t was nearing Christmas one day
and as they filed into the open door of
San Fernando a man waiting beside it
stepped forward at the approach of Juan
Tasca and said:
You are Sheriff Tasca %
Tasca nodded.
Then you are wanted at once to take
the deposition of a dying man.
That is not business" began Tasca.
mo matter" urged the latter she
says you are the only friend Raschal
Quito had, and"
L will GOMEZ cried Tasca. growing
white at the sudden thought of Raschal
within reach, living-dying!
He hurried the man on his way till he
paused at the door of a ranchman's
house on the outskirts of the town. Fritz
Van Miester, a man of unsocial habits,
but not lacking friends.
'Here?' cried Tasca. as he followed
his guide into the house.
Yes, here" answered the man, usher
ing him into Van Miester's bedroom and
pointing to his dying form upon the bed
The shock of seeing the unexpected
rendered Tasca dumb.
L am dying" mOaned Van Miester:
Il must confess. The priest has Shrived
me-but you are RaSchalS only friend
l murdered his uncle. He does not
know it,
"Whatr' yelled Tasca, with a flyer
like spring toward the bed.
The dying man shrank.
eyes, murdered him. but l never
meant to. He owed me money; l tried
a long time to get tin vain. That
night he was alone. | threatened him.
All, but he WAS bad and cruel. [ struck
h IL
him, but he fell dead at my feet. Then
the devil got into me. You know how
| crushed him. No one was there-I
took all the money l found-not much,
for he had hidden his wealth we'll When
got out into the fresh air the devil
had done. | leaned against the wall
to keep from falling. l heard the sound
of RaschaFs voice humming q love song
i hear it now-that and old Quito's
cry when he fell. ran down the stairs
and hid IN their shadow as Raschal
cry out. | heard him afterward say, No
one will believe I did not do it, They
Will hang me without shrift. Oh, my
little Monita, and [ must leave your
heard no more. Those words stead
led my brain. l went home, no longer
fearing the brand of the murderer, safe
to live on with my family. Now" he
ended. spent with the exertion of his
recital, Il am ready to die"
Tasca looked at the men who had fol-
lowed him into the room
You heard all?' he asked.
"All," they replied
.'Then help me to find Raschal," he
said, and left the house without one
backward look at the man who had
wrought SO much evil
1t was strange to find how many men
found excuses for Raschal's unsociabili-
ty in the past How could a penniless
man. tied fast to q lonely old miser, find
time or money for friends or society?
They remembered that it was pity for
the feeble, friendless creature that had
Kept Raschal beside his uncle. They
remembered his kindnesses. His cold
ness and pride were forgotten What a |
welcome they gave him when he re-
turned ere the end of the week, a man
with a resolute face his black hair
threaded with gray, with a comfortable
business in another state, where he had |
adopted another name and prospered.
If Monita was no longer in the first
bloom of her youth, she was in the full |
flower of her beauty. and it was right
royal wedding they had, while the plaza