The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1903-02-05

when he realized that after all 1t was
only his own movements that Escude-
ra and his hirelings We're watching
AS yet Escudera did not even suspect
! the presence of his cousin in the city.
! At Mount st. Vincent they sought a
/ far corner of the restaurant. The du
emma. Maria. was given an adjoining
table. A tip to the waiter made it i'm
possible for other guests to occupy the
! nearby tables at an hour when there
were so many that were vacant In
ether parts Of the room, and thus
! Wyndham felt confident that they
would be undisturbed.
| They had been seated scarcely half
an hour and had not yet got beyond
mere generalities in their talk when
there came a most unexpected inter-
ruption.
Wyndham, who sat with his back to-
ward the door, saw Carmen make
sudden start and then turn deathly
pale and he heard her exclaim, almost
under her breath:
"Dios milo! Carlos esta aqui!"
He understood her words as well as
If she had spoken in English, but he
remained perfectly calm and unmoved.
He did not even turn his head, but he
could hear the footsteps of a person
approaching them, and his ears were
30 we'll attuned to time that he recog-
nized the step of Carlos Escudera.
BE calm. Carmen" he said rapidly
and in low voice. Remember that
you are not in Mexico now"
She recovered herself instantly. but
| the next moment Esculera was beside
| them.
This is an unexpected pleasure.
senorita," he said coldly in Spanish.
ignoring utterly the presence of Wynd-
ham. Il did not know that my fiancee
was in the city"
Wyndham saw that he was deadly
| pale and that be was struggling with
all his strength of will to speak calmly.
This man. usually so self possessed, for
! once had lost his power of self repres-
sion. His eyes seemed sunken back
in his head. His white teeth cleaned
| ominously under his black mustache.
His hands trembled with excitement.
| Craig thought, somewhat vaguely-for
| he was intent upon watching the man
how fortunate it was that Carmen had
told him that she was afianced to Es-
cudera. He realized in that moment
how appalling the statement would
have been had he not already been for
tilted against it. At the same instant
he decided that it was best to treat
the Mexican in a perfectly natural
manner Anybody who has found
himself at some time in critical
position realizes how rapidly one can
| and does think at such moments.
He sprang to his feet before Escu-
dera had ceased speaking and exclaim-
ed in a tone that evidenced both sur
prise and pleasure, for Escudera did
not know that he understood Spanish.
Hello. Escudera! This is an unex-
pected pleasure. 1 supposed you wei
sleeping the sleep of the just after last
| night. Permit me, Miss Pendleton, tc
present my friend, Senior Escudera. He
comes from your own country, by the
way Escudera, Miss Pcndleton.'
1t vas a shot that told, for it. stag
gered Escudera utterly.
If such a thing were possible, he be-
came a shade whittier than before, and
for once in his life he was outdone il
presence Of mind.
1t was clever, too, on the part OF
Wyndham, that assumption for Carmen
of the name of Pendleton, for it ex.
planned without further words theil
presence there together.
Escudera bowed with a gesture that
was truly Mexican, and he smiled with
an insolence that he did not try to con-
ceal, and While he bowed and smiled
he made another heroic effort to con-
troll himself. In that, however, he was
only partly successful, for he still ig'
nored WYndham.. He could not play
the game with, the cool. Head of bis an
tagonist. There were mileposts beyond
which he could not travel.
{. Il, do rot think that, L require an in
tloddctdon Ito you. by'tlfis fellow, or by
anybody" he said in Spanish, believing
that Wyndham could not understand
him, but l do require ain explanation;
Of your presence here =,
.*You have it, She replied calmly, ''in
T the letter youEselt to me ANNOUNCING
the >dcath of: Burr Pendlcton, in which
you RETAINED from telling me the
truth's -
l.. 1t was delicate method Of telling
him that he'.had lied to- her, and it.
I.angere3l him beyond endurance. =
Shall Il tell you why / deceived
your he demanded hotly, forgetting
that. he had demanded an explanation
and that instead he was making one.
TT was because l respected your feel
tngs; because Il believed the knowledge
of how Your half brother. came to his
death. would shock you because al
ready knew the name of the man who
killed him. and only awaited evidence
to CONVICT him of the crime, and that
man, the man who. killed Pendleton, is,
your present companion-this man who
sits opposite. you at the table, =,
| Wyndham rose Slowly from his seat
and takingia step forward, confronted
Escudera.
"Senor 'Escudera;" he said, also
speaking Spanish, lit is my .misfor-
tune or good fortune, whichever you,
choose to call it, to understand you. 1t