The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-13


How recklessness got the upper
hand Of me would be hard to say; but,
without giving the danger second
thought, l lifted my lantern to the
aperture and turned on the current.
! would have given large sum to have
seen the effect from the church side;
it must have been more than startling.
could tell the exact instant when the
lay brother raised his eyes to the top
of the crucifx by the way his MUIR
muring stopped short. There was a
louder articulation, SILVER of ecstat-
ic fear; and when squinted through
the hole, after shutting off the cur
rent, he was groveling, face down,
upon the chancel floor.
This was my opportunity. Calculat-
ing that he wouldn't dare raise his
eyes for several moments, no matter
what strange noises echoed through
the church, I slipped around through
the postern and succeeded in restor-
ing to Padre Bartolomeo's snoring
torso his bunch of keys without being
seen. Once back in my room, locked
the door and put chair against it;
for was considerably shaken up, and
looked as though had spent week
in the internal regions.
Breakfast was fortunately late, so
had time to battle and make myself
little more presentable, but must
have looked seedy even then. This,
however, was naturally laid to the
dinner party of the previous evening,
none of the gentlemen feeling very
positive as to when or just how he had
parted from the others. thought
that when the padres got thoroughly
walked up and had time to get the lay
brothers experience through their
heads there was likely to be more of
sensation than the little town had
known in many moons; so, complain
ing of severe headache, invited the
colonel and his daughter to sail with
me in the new proa. Having to hear
few cases at the tribunal that morn
ing, he politely declined, but assured
me that Dorotea would be pleased
to go.
This was better than Ihad bargained
for. Knowing the strict ideas in re-
gard to chaperonage which regulate
Spanish society, it never occurred to
me that such tete-a-tete would be
permitted; but I found that Guajan,
like steamer at sea, was more or less
outside of social restrictions, law
unto itself.
The senorita seemed to have perfect
confidence in my seamanship and was
evidently glad of such an opportunity
to ask questions. AS we skinned
along the blue water satisfied her
curiosity regarding American women
and gave radical opinions on men of
various nationalities chief among
which was a caution against believing
what any man said to her unless she
knew him very we'll, because theywere
not all truthful andhonorable like my
self. I wonder how many men have
solemnly worked this gray-bearded
old warning on girls whose society
they selfishly wished to monopoli-e.
And also wonder what curious train
of thought must run through wom-
ans mind when she hears it from the
hundredth man.
1t is unnecessary to detail the pro-
gressive steps by which our talk be-
came more confidential, or to describe
the periods of satisfactory silence
when we floated along in delicious idle
ness under shortened sail, the north
east trade wind gently tanning our
cheeks and the cottony clouds reflect
ed in the broad Pacific. We two were
alone between sky and water, and the
| island was mere bank upon the hor;-
zon. Under such circumstances it is
exceedingly difficult to keep ones
thoughts from showing in the face,
and began to feel that could trust
| this girl as had never trusted wom-
/ an before.
She knew that 1 had some Interior
object in remaining at Agana, and her
manner led me to believe that she
would further it as far as lay in her
power, at least while showed a pref
i erence for her society over that of
other women. This wasn't expressed
in so many words, but she confessed to
the knowledge that had left the
house on some adventure during the
night, and to an impression that
wanted the padre out of the way,
though her surmising went no fur
ther than that.
We had taken lunch with us, so it
was well toward evening when we re-
turned, to find the town in commo-
tion over the strange and terrible
miracle which had been witnessed by
lay-brother Felipe. I've often thought
that 1 was an innocent means of Civ
ing the Holy Roman church deeper
root in the Ladrones than it ever had
before. Even Padre Bartolomeo, who
was too willy bird, and too well edu.