The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-21

of his outfit and left for dead
on the road which the patrol
should have made safe that he sum-
moned up courage enough to cross the
gulf existing between man an officer.
When he did decide to talk he decided
to talk plainly:
Lieut.. Forbpsh, you may order me
under arrest and court-martial me If
you WILL" he began, but I'm bound
to tell you that female is wanting to
make a fool Of you. She's working
under the orders of old Castro, and
his game is to keep us from doing our
duty while his band of cut-throats are
picking up plumber"
Sergeant do you know what you
are saying!" sternly replied the officer.
IT do, sir and it may mean disgrace
for me, but I've got to speak up. That
woman is trying to bewitch you for
purpose. We are not carrying out our
orders. and it is all owing to her dew
ilment. If you'd been out here couple
of years you'd know what her smiles
and music mean to an honest soldier.
1t will not be for me or any other man
of this patrol to say word at the fort,
no matter what happens, but I'm tell
ing you as man to man that the Sonora
will lead you to hell If you follow
her"
The young officer, with the military
etiquette of West Point before him
was furious at being so Familiarity and
rudelY addressed by an inferior, and
his vanity as a man had also received
a shock He was engaged to a girl
in the East, and would marry her as
soon as he had won the bars of a first
lieutenant, but it pleased and fiattered
him to think that q woman out there
beyond civilization had been caught
by his face and figure. He had not
even stopped to reflect that she was
of another race and already a wife.
Not that he meant anything serious
should come of it. but that 1t flattered
the egotism every young man has a
fair share Of.
If the words of blunt old sergeant
angered the officer they also opened
his eyes, and there was less dallying
and more riding. The woman was
quick to see that he had been warned.
and she exerted all her influence as an
offset. Indeed she overiid it. Curl
Gus as it may seem, what she meant
for a Irritation to blind his eyes turned
out to be a case of love on her part.
She really and truly fell in love with
the young officer and suggested an
elopement She would leave husband
-4home-all and fly with him in any
direction. Then it was that he began
to realize the seriousness of affairs and
the value of the sergeant's advice. He
attempted by GOODNESS of demeanor and
sensible arguments to bring the woman
back to reason, but she was deaf to his
words and blind to all perils. There
were those hanging about the ranch
who sent word of the matter to old
Castro, and when the messenger
reached him he swore to be avenged.
The patrol had been detailed for a
month. The officer alone occupied
quarters in the abode ranch house.
while the men had their tents outside
and not far away. Three weeks
passed. Castro's wife had fiirted.
fallen in love and been scorned. That
is, young Forbush had rejected the idea
of an elopment and was no longer
playing with fire. while Castro was on
his way home TO wreak revenge on
his foolish If not faithless wife. Thus
matters stood one evening when the
woman sat down in her room with rage
and Jealousy gnawing at her heart
the rage because she had been scOrned
JEALOUSY because the officer had adj
mitted that he had a sweetheart to
whom he would be faithful. She knew
that her conduct had been open TO cen
sure. and that word had gone to her
husband and she would be held 10
account She sat IN the darkness for
hours, brooding and planning. az last
she rose. passed into another room and
took a box from a cupboard. IN the
box were four tarantuias, which had
been caught ann imprisoned 20 be ship
ped away-the howid. hairy spiders ~
TIE west whose bite means death.
WIN the boa under her arm she paused
"a ths officers door, and listened - hle
deep breathing for a tifnN. Then she
pushed ne door open and entered the