Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-09-21

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heavy black mustache. He stood alert
and motionless. His cloak, thrown back
over his shoulder, left the right arm
free, and his right hand. held close BY his
side, clutched o long. glittering knife.
Our cooked rifles covered him; oui
fingers were against the triggers We
would not kill him until the last mo
ment when it might become necessary
In order to save the girls life. But he
should not kill Lupita II our shots, de-
liberately aimed. could do their work
quickly enough to stop him. One thing
noticed, 80 alert are the senses OF men
who wait thus in suspense Closely
watching Sangrado's face. ready to an.
ticipate every movement Of his that its
expression might indicate, at the same
time was noting an indistinct some
thing beyond him, almost wholly con-
cealed by the house, but which to my
mind seemed to bear the semblance Of
q man pcering round the corner Of the
building.
Once more Lupita let the bar fall
back into its socket. She then ratified
and partly lifted It again.
1.-THE bar il heavy, Gaspar milo, F" she
complained. "Are you becoming impa-
tient?"
Upon Sangrado the suspense Of delay
was telling. He found il hard work to
control his voice ms he said encourag-
ingly: "Oncc more, carissima. Push
hard against the gate as you lift the
bar, and IL will open.
Again she shook the bar 30 that II
ratified in her apparent effort to lift IT.
What was the meaning Of this perform
ance? We had seen her fasten the bar
in its socket easily enough when she
had entered the corral, and IL was o
thing no more difficult TO unfasten It
Could II be that, after all, she was only
playing with Sangrado?
"Hurry, hurryr' be urged, his impa-
tience increasing beyond his power to
restrain.
She struck the bar back with a clang
into the socket. Her laugh rang forth
loud. ,exultant and mocking.
At the sound Sangrado staI .nd as IL a
serpent bad stung him.
The girls laughter continued rs II In
merriment that she could not suppress.
But such merriment! Nothing that the
human voice might utter could have ex.
pressed moIe that was taunting and
insulting 10 the man standing rs II fro
zen, disappointed and dismayed, outside
the gate.
At last the scorn Of her laughter
found expression in words:
Fooled and foiled, Gaspar Sangrado,
liar, traitor, perjured villainl You have
truly done well TO try again to deceive
me who know you. You say you love
me and came here to find me. Shall l
tell you how much you love me and
why you are hereg You followed Senor
Bustamante's party from the Santa Cruz
valley and tonight you have come to
carry away his daughter.
Again Sangrado started and his half
stified exclamation reached her ear.
She laughed.
"Ah, you vince! I have discovered
your secret, and it displeases You. You
planned your scheme well, Senor San
grado, but il would be strange II you
had devised so deeply as to hide 1t from
Lupita. Now let me tell you some
thing"
Her voice, not rising in pitch, was
becoming intenser and more vibrant in
her gathering excitement as she contin-
aed:
"You have come for Carmen Busta-
mante, but her you shall never have
Lupita, whom you lived with, pretended
to love, made to shed many bitter tears,
and at last cast off-she stands between
you and what you seek Don Ramon's
daughter is within your call. Your
voice may already have walked her She
can see you from her window should
she care to look out-and You are as far
of from possessing her a. II she were a
star in the sky"
Sangrado's rage burst forth in words;
"You lie, harlot, tiger cat, devils
daughter of Jezebelr' he shouted. un-
mindful in his passion Of all caution
about giving an alarm. II will have
her In spite of her father and Of you,
and woe be to those who stand In my
way. For you the time of reckoning
will be soon. F"
$50 you threaten me, bandit, whose
life rests on my word as you stand talk
ing. Have you made confession, Don
Gaspar, that you speak so boldly? II
were wise il you had seen a priest
Your soul may take long journey to-
night"
BE was silent and listening intently.
I could see that his arm moved beneath
his cloak. Lupita went on:
"There is something more that :.
would say for your pleasure, my loyal
and gentle caballero. The one for whom
Won have travelled so far and taken 20
great a risk would not welcome your
coming. It is not Don Ramon alone
who scorns you and laughs nj your pre-
tensions Carmen does not love you.
The dust that floats beneath her father q
carriage wheels Is Of more account to
her than you are. She does noteven
think Of you. Her thoughts are OF an
Americana. Did you not see him when
you were peering. like prowling coy.
ote, into the tent tonight? He is taller
and handsomer than you-a true and
gallant caballero. No wonder her eyes
were for him. As for YOU
Her voice was drowned in the loud
| report Of heavy pistol Crack. crack,
crackl Don Gaspar's cloak fell from hi'
shoulders as, with revolver suddenly
thrust forward, he fired three times II
rapid succession through the gate. di
recting his aim by the sound OF thu
taunting voice.
Curse you, I'll make my work sure,
he muttered and sprang like q cat to the
top Of the wall and over into the corral
Two pistol shots rang out sharply be
hind him, coming from the corner q
the house, as he rose to the crest Of th'
wall. His sombrero few from his heat
and went spinning half way across tn
corral. But he struck on his feet with
In the wall and turned, revolver II
hand, toward Lupita.
At the first report Of Sangrado's pis
tol she had darted to one side into th'
shelter Of the wall. Now she stood
facing the corral. with her back agatns
lhe wall. ny the lgns OF the moon
could see q blackened mark across he