Evening star., 1901-08-31


you enough men, think you, to overpower
the town watchmen and the palace
guards?"
The old gypsy tossed his bony hands into
the air with gesture of Incompatible con-
tempt.
The palace guards are fled back to
Madrid,' he cried; "and as to the town
watch, they are either drunk or in their
dOtage'
Singularly enough. after the sergeant had
shown the scarlet mark of the strangling
ring about his neck no one of all that COM
pany doubted for moment that he was
indeed the thrice famous Jose Maria of
Ronda. None asked a question to his
whence or whittier. He was Jose Maria.
and therefore entitled not only to be taken
at once into the secrets of Egypt, but also,
as it pleased him, to keep his own.
And very desperate and bloody some of
these We're In the present instance plum
der and bloOdShed were to proceed hand in
hand No quarter was to be given to old
or young. The plague-smitten sick man
and the watcher by the bed, the woman
feeding her fire of sticks under her puchero,
the child asleep on its pillow, the queen in
the palace, the princess in her nursery-all
were to die, quickly and suddenly.
The sergeant sat and smoked and lis
tened. He was no stranger to such talk.
1t was the way of his double profession of
Andaucian bandit and CarliSt guerrilaro,
to devise and execute deeds of terror and
death. But nothing cOld-booded this
had Jose Maria ever imagined.
Whose idea was all thiS?' he asked at
last. Il would give much to see the Gtano
who could devise such a stroke"
The grim smile on the countenance of old
Pepe of the Eleven Wounds grew yet more
grim.
mo gypsy planned it, and no man,"-ne
said. sententously. Come hither. Chica,'
And out from among the listening throng
came girl of thirteen or fourteen, dressed
neatly and simply in a gray linen blouse,
belted at the waist with a leather belt. A
gay plaid, striped of orange and crimson.
hung neatly folded over her shoulder and
she rested her small sunburnt hand on the
silver hilt of a pistol Black elf locks
capped from beneath a red silk kerchief
knCtted Saucily after the fashion of her
companions But her eyes instead of be-
ing beady- and black, with that far-away
cCntemplatve look which characterizes the
children of Egypt, were bright and sunny
and blue as the Mediterranean itself in the
front of spring.
Come hither. Chica-be not afraid" re-
peated old Pepe of the Eleven Wounds,
this is great mantle greatest of all
our race"
Tell the noble Don Jose who you are,
my pretty Chicai"
But the child stamped her sandaled foot.
1t was still white at the instep, and the
sergeant could see by the blue veins that
she had not long gone barefoot. The marks
of a child either stolen for ransom or run
away from home owing to some wild strain
in the blood were too obvious to be mis-
taken. Her liberty of movement among
more probable.
Il am not pretty Chica and I am not
little" she cried angrily. Il would have
you remember. Pepe. that l made this plan
which the folk of Egypt are to execute to-
night. But since this is the great brgand
Don Jose of Ronda, who was executed at
Salamanca. / will tell him all about it.
She looked about at the dark faces with
which they were surrounded.
There are new folk there" she said;
''men l do not know. Bid them go away.
Else | will not speak of myself, and have
much to say to Don Jose"
Pepe of the Eleven Wounds looked about
him and shook his head His authority
was not sufficient for this thing.
But that of the sergeant was.
He. lifted his MOntera cap and said: Il
would converse while with this maid on
the affairs of Egypt. But she will not speak
with so many ears about 1t is woman's
Whim. and such the wisest of us must
sometimes humor."
The gypsies smiled at the gay wave of
his hand with which he uttered this truism
and quickly betoOk themselves out of ear
shot in groups of ten and a dozen. Cards
were produced and in a few minutes half
a score Of games were in progress at diff
ferent points of the quarry-like caidron
which formed the outlaws rendezvous.
At once the humOr of the child changed.
They obeyed you she said. Il like
you for that. l. mean to have many men
obey me when | grow up. Then l Will XIII
many-thousands and thousands Now l
can do nothing-only have it in my head
here"
The elf tapped her forehead Immediately
underneath the red sash which was tied
about it The sergeant, though eager to
hear her story and marveling at such sem
timents from child. successfully concealed
his curiosity and said gently, Tell me how
you came to think of tonight"
What of tOnight?' asked the girl quick
ly and SuSpiciOuSiy.
The deed which is to be done tonight!'
replied the sergeant simply, as though he
MT ed whole
She leaped forward and caught him by
the arm.
You will stay and go with us? You
will lead us?" she hissed her blue eyes
aflame and with trembling accents, then
indeed. will | be sure of my revenge. Then
the Italian woman and her devils brat
shall not escape. Then L shall be sure
surer'
centrated fury, apparently impossible to
one of her age. The sergeant smoked
quietly and observed her. She seemed
absolutely transfgured.
Tell me that you WILL" she cried. low
and fierce, so that her voice should not
reach the men around; these will think
of nothing but plunder. AS if rags and
diamonds and gold were worth venturing
ones life fort But / desire death-death
death, do you hear? To see the Italian
woman and her paramour pleading for
their livesk one wailng against the other
on their Knees. o. l know them and the
brat they call the little queeni Tonight
they shall lie dead under my hands-with
this-with thisi''
And the girl flashed a razor keen blade
out of her red waistband. She thrust it.
hilt forward, into the sergeants hand, as
If in token of fealty.
See she said touching the edge low
ingly, lis it not sharp? VIII it not kill
, surely and swiftly? For months I have
sharpened it-ah, and tonight will give
me my desref
1t was the sergeants belief that the
girl was mad, nevertheless he watched
, her with his usual ffuiet scrutiny the DOW
er of which she evidently felt.
Why do hate them? l see the question
on your lips. Because the Italian woman
hath taken away my father and slain nv
mother-Slain her truly and with far
sharper agony than she shall know when
L set this knife to her throat l am the
daughter of MunoZ, and l swore revenge
on the man and on the woman both when
l closed my mothers eyes. My mothers
heart was broken. All, you see she was
weak-not like me! 1t would take hum
dred like the Neapolitan to break my heart
and as for the man-though he We're thrice
my father, he should beg his life in vain"
Then she laid her hand once more on the
sergeants arm.
You will lead us. will you not, Jose
Maria?" she said, pleadingly. II can trust
you. Only you must leave these three
in the palace to me. If you will you shall