Evening star., 1901-07-13
Copyright, 1901, by S. R. Crockett.)

the daughter of the wine-groWer of Mont
pIahcn, who farmed the revenues Of the
great aooeyD He could not marry little
Doiores! 1t was a pity-yes, but-she had
Ieellng heart, this Manuela the priests
hCusekeeper, and the trade had been a
paying one since the beginninp of the
world
Padre-Padre Mateo" she cried, rails
ing her voice to the pitch calculated by
ltns experience 10 reach the father in his
Ruuy. Rono Come down quickly. Here is Don
isaIioh .h TO speak with your reverence"
Don Ramon what Don Ramona"
sroWIed voice from the stafrhead rich
iItohe organ, unguented with daily dole
tar - oii ana VINE, not to speak Of wer-but-
teleu trout In lordly dish, and with rap
pee coiored red with the umber of Cartha-
Seha 10 give timbre and richness thereto.
II was the voice of Don Mateo Balm, most
plous and sacerdotal vicar of Christ in the
township village of Sarria
Don Ramon Garcia, most reverend
iather. said Manuela, somewhat impatient
~. II you will tap your snuff box a little
less often you will be all the sooner able to
hear what he has to say to your
Don Ramon, indeed, There's advance
meht, grumbled the priest good -humored-
~, descending the staircase one step at a
time. TO do this he held his body little
Sideways and let himself down as if uncer-
tam OF the strength of the presbyterv
stars. which were of stone of Martorel,
soild as the altar-steps of St Peter
Good-goodn' he thought to himself
Manueia wants something of this chuckle-
head that she goes don-ing him, and.
wager. battening him with compliments as
saeasy as an OLD Wife's cookery the first
day after Lent.
w nile Don Mateo thus spoke, and talking
All the time, moved lightly for so gross a
man TO and fro on his veranda Manuela
W. MN d quiGk mitch of her muffiing mantiila
ABOUT the lower part of her face took her
way swiftly up the village street
ramon had seated himself on a chair at
Soroo,S o. SotneT s OF the priests veranda-a deep
screen screen OF leaves was over them. The mos
'quitoes and gnats danced and lit hummed
ana DIT, but neither the priest nor vet Ra-
mon minded them in the least. They were
men OF Sarria; bred of the reed-fenced viii
"a ,astS tS Oh tne Arragonese border, blooded
10 the gray-backed white-belIied mosuui-
toes Wnlch took such sore toll alike of the
stranger within the wall, and through the
SKIN OF the prosel lyte of the gate.
But as the priest doomed his good -hu-
mored gossip in voice monotonous and
Soothlns as the coo-rooing of a rock pigeon
suuueily there rose out of the tangle of
roses and vine leaves behind him an evil
thlng against which Don Ramon's birth
fled. "'i7 anu
Go home, fool." hissed a voice in his
ear, as ne sat silent and spellbound in the
DUSK; go home. Shamed one Your wife
warn themr e'o -
Inc good priest hummed on, plating and
REPEATING his fingers and pursuing his lips.
Missing whisper lifted itself again. Ramon
mad not moved His great hand Law along
the stone balustrade. A MOSQUITO was
gorging himself at a vein unon tbe bai
wrist. -o iiei'S
There is a broken bar on the lower win-
DOW, Ramon. the fool, They are kissing
each other thereat and calling sweet names
DaRese two the cousin whom she loves
Ra1ael the pretty boy, and little Dolores
"nom you have made your Wife"
Gods blood. for this 1 will have your
Ille! crleo Ramon so suddenly that the
worthy priest tumbled backward before he
had even time to cross himself And Ramon
was over the parapet with his long knife
pare In his hand. 1t had gone.ill with the
traitor II Ramon Garcia had caught him
then. -A'-'
But even as he had arisen. exhaled from
the underground like an evil breath so he
vanished into the night, blown away by
lannon's rush over the edge of the balcony
Ike fly before mans hand
Il will follow the liar to the worlds endr,
sald Ramon between his teeth furiousIv
ana ne threshed through the tangle as an
Gephant charges through young Jungle
But even as he went the words Of tho
viper fermented in his brain till he went
mad. |
He would go. Yes; he would know. If
TINS thing were false. he prayed God.
he would kneel and kiss her little white
feet.
But-that cousin-Rafael de Flore.ah.
the rich youth He remembered once upon
lme, "nen ne was young man going
to market, driving his fathers oxen. seeing
Rafael rushing about the orchard playins
with Dolores. They had been together
thus for years, more like brother and sis
ter than cousins
Was it not likely? How could 1t be other
wise? He knew it all now. His eyes were
opened Even the devil can speak truth
sometimes. He knew a way, quicker
road than Manuela dreamed of-up the edge
OF the raVlne, across by the pine tree which
mad fallen In the spring rains. He would
go and take them together in their infamy
mat would be his homecoming.
You dog of dogsr'
In the darkness of the night Ramon saw
window from whose grille, bent outward
at the bottom like so many hoops one had
been slipped cunningly aside.
Lola, my dearest-my belovedw
The face of the speaker was within, his
body without.
Uprose behind him the great bulk of
Ramon Garcia, the vine dresser the man
of means, henceforward to be Ell Sarria, the
outlaw
between the shoulder blades The Young
1.-the body drew itself together convulsively.
as clasp knife opens and shuts again
There was a squirt of something hot on
lannon's hand that ran slowly down his
sleeve, growing colder as 1t went A Shrek
came from within the regas of bowed iron.
And after this fashion Ramon Garcia be-
came Ell Sarria, the man without a home,
without friends, the outlaw of the hills.
CHAPTER III.
The Man without a Friend.
Saf fhn ctr 49,