The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-02-04

" AuoN INC stult ~ worth u bOOu uedl
more than the price you name; and,
rather than let you have it, Ill buy it
myself on speculation"
"Oh, ye will! What's ter purvent my
layin' down my money here on thur
sand an teIlin' my men ter put it
aboard? l reckon you an that dago-
amt goin' ter, stop me- ~.
"That's where von make another mis-
take. Senior Legaspe sent for the COB
ernador an hour ago, and he'll be here
with the officers of his staff very short
ly. In the meantime, if you or your
men lay finger on those bags, I'll
shoot you without n seconds warming"
Qwas playing for millions, and meant
what sadly "Niore than that, as you
have grossly insulted the senorita, Ill
kill you If you stay another five min
utes on Shore" Z,
1 thought the maj, would have a At
ofapoplexy; even his vaststere of deep,
sea profanity failed him for Abe mo.
ment. His crew were Gef1naus, but
enough of them understood Eiglish to
.keepthe run of'what was goingron, and
I could see they were rather enjoying.
TIE situation; evidently the skipper was
thorough brute'n sen. He was
speeches. with rage; but, rs had the
advantage of him, there was nothing
to do but pull off to his schooner and
sail away. She was just standing out
past Orote when the carbonate jolted
up with the colonel and his two lieu
tenants. Dorotea saw that Lcgaspe
was likely to get a wigging for allowing
the visitors to leave before her father
Eaw them, and slrcwdly put an entire
ly different light upon the affair by say
ing-in English, for my benefit:
Padre milo, you the Senior Enrique
must thank for protecting me at the
risk OF his life. Tn brute capitano did
land from Ia goleta and did order his
men to take away the copra, telling
the Senior Lepaspe that he would pay
but mere nothing; and when did
say that he could not have it, he in
suited me. Then the Senior Enrique
did give him five minutes to go away
before he killed him, though the brute
did have seven men from his goleta."
Well, that settled the stranger, and
made me the biggest man on the is
land. The gobernador's right arm
went over my shoulder, and his left
under my right, in twinkling; then,
after three pats on the small Of my
back and moment or two Of ecstatic
silence, he reversed the arms, left over
my right shoulder, etc., three more
pats, more silence, kisses on both my
nh 81
travagant protestations concerning his
lifelong obligation to me. I had seen
the thing done many times before
among people of the Latin races, but
being kissed by man was, to say the
least, novelty. Even Legaspe ex-
pressed himself in exaggerated terms
concerning the way in which I had
called the captairr's hand; and, as no
mention was made+of his supposed
mistake, he was our very humble serv-
ant. Lest other dangers of similar
nature should threaten it, however,
Dorotea mentioned to her father Hal
.stead's assumed intention of buying
the copra at high figure, on specula-
ton, and suggested the advisability of
placing guard over it ut night, The
colonel's cupidity was aroused, and.the
guard was set; but, owing to Br'er
N1iguel's ghostly influence, the. most
he could make his men 10 was to pa
troll the shore each night in proa.
AS it was likely to be three-months'
job, the soldiers didn't relish this; but
they had to obey orders.
1t was the 9th of May when we came
so near losing the copra. On the third
morning after Halstead was to appear,
if everything had gone right with him;
and as the time approached 1 became
strangely apprehensive-so much go
that found it difficult to maintain an
air of careless ease. In fact, had it not
been for Dorotea. I might have be-
trayed my real interest in Guajan
dozen times. But with each day that
passed 1t became more evident that
had no rival in her heart. Sometimes
she would speak with dread of Hal
stead's return, and breathlessly ask
me to promise that would surely visit
them in Granada the following spring.
Still, July was yet SO far away that
my departure seemed only dim pos
sibility to her-a something which she
must not even think about. l WON
dcrcd little what she would say when
she knew, and how the colonel was go
ing to feel.>
Sebastiano had fully recovered by
this time, and had resumed his investi-
cations. Bearing the old fellow really
no i'll will, l one day suggested to him
the possibility that Santa Rosa might
be eight or ten miles to the eastward
of the charted position; and on the
evening of May he burst into the
patio, where we were at dinner, with
his oily countenance fairly shining. lie
had been out in his big proa all day,
and at last had been successful. There
were exultation, greed, many things,
in the look he cast upon me; but the
man had suffered disappointment and
illness, and the Lord knows l didn't
feel like begrudging him this bit Of
good luck. l listened to him, con-
graduated him heartily upon his great
discovery, and prophesied great
things for his book, until midnight-a
child could have seen that I had 10
personal interest in the reef-then
said goodnight and went upstairs.
Stepping quietly along to the door
OF Dorotea's room, gave a few faint
taps upon it, and in q moment her voice
asked:
"Quien LANAI"
"Soy yo-Enriquito.' Open the door