The Mena star., 1899-06-08
CLAREncE fiERRERT HEN.
 ICopyrght. 1897. by J. B. LIppIncott Col


 ficient quantity of good wine were un- der his skin. But one and all seemed too risky to attempt. The finding and recovering of the treasure were but minor difficulties; the secreting of and the getting away with it, afterward, constituted the most serious details of the undertaking. Sauntering along toward the plaza, became more and more convinced that I must search that box without either the knowledge or the permission of my fat ecclesias- tical friend; and the dangers involved in such an attempt so filled my mind that I scarcely heard the senorita call ing me from the portico. She must have been embarrassed by the effort to make me hear for her face was scarlet when l approached the house.
 ''Ts it because el padre would not ab- solve the senor," she said, that he has no appetite. and would walk away when the breakfast does wait? Ali, but he must be the sinful man! Perhaps he did not present el padre with una contribution for the good of the church? It is the custom"
 Well, I'm afraid did overlook that, senorita. But I'll make it all right with him later. Joking aside, though, the padre treated me very nicely showed me all over the place. He seems to be a very learned man. No; I was thinking of other matters when you called. Please forgive me-"
 Possibly it is that the senor feels sad because la Senorita Palacios has gone away in el vapor? She is muy hermosa."
 "Yes, but not more so than Senorita Dorotea. I often compared them from the photograph which you gave el capitan."
 'Ai, but how can believe the senor? Come, let us see if you have el apetito; and afterward you shall spend the day with me as you like. Come"
 often look back to those break lasts at Agana as among the most de- lightful hours of my life. Kiping has echoed the heartfelt longing of many a man to get for awhile outside the bounds of civilization-to exist where society is still in a rudimentary state, where the best is like the worst; where there ain't no ten command ments. and a man can raise thirst.' If you've 'eard the east a-callin', you won't
 never 'eed naught else.
 No! you won't 'eed nothin' else but them
 spicy garlic smells,
 An the sunshine. an the palm trees. an
 the tinkly temple bells.
 Until the wet monsoon set in the table was usually placed under clump of banana trees in the patio, opposite grilled gateway through which there was a glimpse of the sea. Sometimes we were joined by the two sublieuten- ants and their ladies. sometimes by Padre Bartolomeo and his broth CT priests. Often the colonel, Senorita Dorotea and I dined by ourselves. idling deliciously over the coffee and cigarillos as we talked. It was lazy little town The natives worked as seldom as possible, and spent most of their time day-dreaming in the shade, fishing from the proas, swimming like so many fish and occasionally going off on catamaran visits to such islands as could be seen while the peak of Tiniquio was still above the horizon. They seldom took the chance of navi- gating beyond sight of land.
 The senorita seemed to consider me her personal charge, and the gober- nador placed the entire menage at my disposal with courtesy as charming as it was rare. If l chose to stroll by myself l might have owned the island, so entirely was left to my own free will. If I wished for company had but to clap my hands and the colonePs orderly, Pope, would appear some where in the near distance, with the information that I would find the colonel or the senorita in such place. It seems, as look back upon it, that I must have idled away great deal of precious time; but this was really not the case. When they asked me what l would like to do, that first Monday morning, I mentioned being very fond of sailing, and in few moments we were in one of the proas, with a native who sailed the thing like an arrow across the smooth water and along the coast to Orote.
 (To BE CoNTINUED.)