Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-07-17

9s cuban pLanter.
| "Sir. can you tell me the name OF
that lady. the one by the wall conyers
Ing with the otiicerY' he inquired.
"From her figure" wns the courteous
reply. ~ am satisfied that she Ii the
Senorita Inez Carajo."
"The daughter Of Juan Carajo. the
merchantT
..The same"
81 was not aware that he had q
daughter" said Quin.
"Then you must indeed be stranger
In Manila. senor. The Senorita Carajo
Is the jewel Of our fair capital-the
Pearl OF the Philippines, she Is called.
She has rejected numerous offers OF
marriage aud Is said TO be still heart
free. Her father guards her very close
iy. and am surprised that she should
be here tonight"
Just then Quin's mask slipped down.
and for brief instant his features.
which were bronzed to the color OF q
Spaniard's. were revealed. He quickly
replaced the mask. thanked his inform
ant and passed on. II was his inteu-
ton TO seek out the girl and beat her
at her own game by challenging her
Identity. But after searching vainly
for half m hour he gave up the quest
and stood leaning against the wall.
A few minutes later, when he was
on the S,oint Of leaving. he heard .
sudden commotion at the far end Of
the room. mingled with loud voices.
The turmoil increased. and the dance
music stopped. Quin would have gone
forward to. see what had happened.
but Just then the object Of his recent
search glided up to him.
"Come this way" she said. And to
Quin's surprise she drew him behind
q nearby pair Of curtains into n dark
passage.
"It Is well; none saw US" she whis-
pered as she peered out. "You are In
great danger. Senor Quin. You must
escape from the house at once"
Quin was too bewildered to reply.
"It Is said that the rebel leader, Pc
rez, Is present tonight daringly cos
TUNED In his own uniform" the girl
continued In an agitated voice. 'You
are under suspicion, and the soldiers
have come to take you-hark! They
are approaching"
"But can easily prove my Identity"
'Not In time. senior. The crowd
would kill you In their passion and re-
gret their haste afterward. Quicki
You must escape at once"
"But howY' asked Quln, who was
now con<inced Of his peril.
This passage leads to the dressing
room. from which window opens on
the garden. Thence you can gain the
street II the grounds are not surround
ed. Leave the town at daybreak. as
you intended. and do not send back the
clothes that my father lent you. else 1t
may give him trouble. I will explain
to him
''Then you are the daughter Of Juan
CarajoT"
"Yes."
"will you lift your mask. that may
remember you with gratitudey
The girl instantly acceded to the re
quest. and by the dim light Quin saw
face of such regal beauty as he had
never beheld In the course Of bis wan
dering life.
"Now go-go at oncer' the senorita
whispered. and with that she slipped
between the curtains and vanished.
Quin heard the commotion swelling
to a roar within the ballroom. and he
did not hesitate an instant. He darted
to the end Of the passage. opened
door and found himself In the empty
dressing room. In trice he had don
ned his coat and cap and flung the reb-
el headpiece into a corner. The window
was open. and he dropped into the gar
den. Under cover Of the thick shrub
berry he gained the farther end. and
after making sure that no soldiers were
about he scaled the wall. He was
now In n dark and lonely quarter Of
the town. with little to fear. The out
cry soon faded behind him. and 20
minutes Of brisk walking brought him
to bis own little villa on the outskirts.
He was convinced that he was wen
out of the scrape. and he slept soundly
through the remainder Of the night
At the first flush Of dawn he started
for the interior at the head Of his little
procession Of natives and pack mules
The Senior Carajo's costume was stow
ed away with the luggage. He was
stopped at the guardhouse beyond the
town; but, on showing his permit, he
was at once allowed to pass on. and
one of the soldiers presented him with
a Manila newspaper that was still
damp from the press
He examined II little later and read
with interest an account Of the excit-
Ing affair at the commandants ball,
which told of the unsuccessful attempt
to arrest Francisco Perez.
"The rebel leader was denounced"
the article concluded, ''by the Senorita
Carajo. who recognized his face when
his mask slipped down by accident
She led the soldiers to where she had
seen him. but be had escaped by way
Of the dressing room and the garden.
II is believed, however. that bis cap
ture Is only a question Of few hours.
as he cannot leave the town."
So the senorita herself was the In
formant! This was puzzler for Quin,
and he thought about It all that day
without getting anywhere near to So
luton of the mystery. But In time. AZ
he marched deeper into the jungle
grown heart Of the Philippines, he al
most forgot the affair.
"a few hours more. and ! should be
IN sight Of Manila. Karl Hamrach has
given me q lot of tough contracts, but
this has turned out the worst I'm
done with the Philippines. Another
time I'll take the south pole for
choice"
The speaker-he talked to himself
because he relished the sound Of hu-
man voice-was Matthew Quin. Alone.
with matted hair and dilapidated
clothing, with 4 rine on bis shoulder
and few ounces Of food In his pock-
ct, he was trudging wearily through .
dense forest. It was m April morning
in the hot season, more than three
months since his departure from the
coast. Behind him lay the grave OF
his hopes and ambitions-the memory
Of quest that was fruitless and fore
nrdsI Inod IN faflune