The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-03-17

terror to the possibility or his even
drawing near her. Now she was begin
ming to wonder if he never would again.
Five days before she could have sobbed
her heart out, praying not to be subject
ed to the possibility of his asking her q
question Now she was wondering if he
did not even care to ask, if indeed she
would ever have chance to tell.
She did not know, poor little maid,
chat late the previous evening, after
consultation between Turnbull and Lor-
ing, the latter had asked MIR Traynor
to place packet of his within the safe,
and that then and there Traynor had
permitted him peep at the valuable
parcel to be delivered to Escalantes'
representative in San Francisco. Loring
had been allowed to ''heft' it in his
hand, to curiously study the seals and
superscription, to satisfy himself it
could not be the tin case stolen from
him as Sancho's, for this one was
smaller. yet not to satisfy himself it
did not contain the missing waite. aud
diamonds. for it was big enough to mold
them
Pancha did not know that the two
,officers had agreed upon a plan of action
TO be put i'll operation the moment they
We're within the Golden Gate She did
not dream that the thoughts of the ST.
lent officer dwelt on her and her past
intently as did hers en- him She was
heart sick. lonely and oppressed with
1a.t 70 10 .>S
OF maidens OF l6, yet her heart was
bearng with the hope that lives in
buoyant health and youth She had left
the father whom she devotedly loved
and had believed ell that father could
or should be. had received his parting
blessing Ct Hermosillo and his falter-
ing promise to soon be with her-at
Guaymas She had been radiant with
the thought of soon again springing to
his arms when the Idaho stopped there
on the northward trip She had been
stunned and stricken when told it was
his wish she should go with her cousins
60 San Francisco. dwell with them
there. be educated there and without
hope of again seeing him until he could
come to her. perhaps late in the sum
mer She had then been told that his
lite was threatened. and that hated
eirlngos and suspicious compatriots,
both, were thirsting for his blood
She had been told that she herself
was Ill danger of arrest for completely
Ill robberies at Gila Bend-she, who
had overheard the plot to meet the
stage. murder the passengers and rob
the mails-at least that was what the
woman whom she was hidden to respect
as her stepmother had fearfully told
her and asked if there were no way in
winch she could warn Blake How was
she to know. poor child, what would
result! How could she help shrinking
from sight of the officers she had watch
ed with such eager interest at Sam
cho S, when she was later told they
were seeking her fathers life-told
that could they force confession from
her nothing on earth could save him?
Yet here was the gray haired colonel
devoting himself to Inez and being kind
to her own trembling self. Here was
the Teniente Loringwho had been love-
ly to her,, said the stewardess, until he
saw her terror, her shrinking from him,
and now when she longed to tell him
her simple story he would not come
near her of the packet and its con-
tents she knew next to nothing OF
| their intention to secure it and, if need
be, her arrest with it, the moment they
reached the wharf at San Francisco she
could not dream. That that fated packet
was destined never to reach the Golden
Gate, that every plan and project based
on the safe return of the Idaho to port
was doomed to die. no one of her pas
sengers or crew could possibly have
predicted this beaming April morning
as she cleft the pillows on her north
ward way. Pancha was only wonder.
ing how and when Loring's silence
would end when within the minute the
end came.
IT he Continued.)