Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-23
HEART Of THE WORLD.
by Fl. RIDER HAGGARD.
Strange Story Taken Bequeathed by an old
Mexican Indian to His Friend an
Engishman Named

the ship"
and are you going to put up with
that from this wooden old Indian god?
Why, if were in your place, by now I
would have filled him as full of holes as
coffee rooster, just to- let the lies out"
"That's what want to do" said Jose,
crashing his teeth; she has insulted
pay for 1t, the black thief" And draw
ing large knife he hourished it in nv
face.
did not shrink from it; I did not so
much as suffer my eyelids to tremble:
though the steel flashed within an inch
OF them, for l knew that If once l
showed fear he would strike. There
fore said calmly:
"You are pleased to jest, senior, and
your jests are somewhat rude, but I
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. It will
save trouble afterward."
Then as Don Jose again advanced up
on me with the knife, of sudden the
senior sprang up from his chair and
stood between us.
Come, friend" he said, "a joke is
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 Don Pedro, who had Weakened,
or affected to walken from his sleep,
thought that the time had come to in
terfere.
"Peace, little ones, peace!" he cried
sleepily from his hammock. eRemem-
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"
II take the hint" said the senior, with
forced gayety, "Come, Ignatio. let ue
sleep off our hosts good wine. Gentle.
men, sweet dreams to you," and he
walked across the room, followed BIZ
myself.
At the door l turned my head and
looked back. Every man in the room
was watching intently, and it seemed
to me that the drunkenness had passed
q
sense of some great wicl1edness waiting
to be worked. Don Smith was whispers
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 scatfold.
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
mourners watch the outbearing of
corpse. All this noted in moment
as I 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
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,n
he answered. Listen, lord, and you,
Senior Strickland, our fears are we'll
founded; there is plot to murder us
tonight; of this the woman is sure, for
she heard some words pass between
Don Pedro and 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"
81 am afraid that we have been too
venturesome in coming here" l said,
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
means whereby you can save yourselves
from death, at any rate for tonight.
Come here" and leading us across the
room he llnelt upon the floor at a spot
almost opposite the picture of the alb
bot and pressed upon panel in the low
wainscoting of cedar wood with which
the wall was clothed to height of
about three feet
The panel slid aside, leaving 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
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.
GLOW can we save ourselves by
crouching here like rats in a wall?"
asked of Molas. Doubtless the secret
of the hiding place is known to those
| who live in the house, and they will
drag us out and butcher u.s.
''The woman Luisa says that it is
known to none except herself. lord, for
she declares that not two months ago she
discovered it for the first time by the
accident of the broom with which she
| was sweeping the floor striking against
the springs of the panel. And now let
us come out for while, for it is not vet
eleven o'clock, and she says that there
will be no danger till after midnight"
| "IIas she any plan for our escape?" l
| asked.
"She has plan, though she is doubt
full of it's success. When the murderers
| have been and found us gone they will
| think either that we are wizards or
that we have made our way out of the
house, and will search no more till
dawn. Meanwhile, if she can, Luisa
will return and, entering the chamber
| by the secret entrance, will lead us to
the chapel, whence she thinks that we
may fly to the forest"
"Where is this secret entrance,
MolasF"
81 do not know, lord; she had no time
to tell me, but the murderers will come
by it, She did tell me, however, that
she believes that man and woman
are imprisoned near the chapel, though
she knows nothing of them and never
visits the place, because the Indians be-
lieve it to be haunted. Doubtless these
two are Zibalbay and his daughter, so
that if you live to come so far you may