Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10

| door of the room, and, rising to my feet.
darted into the safe and crouched there
with outstretched hands.
had not long to wait. Alarmed at the
noise, Rivas threw the packet into the
vault. In my haste to pick 1t up / forgot
that my life depended on the rapidity of my
movements. The hinge creaked again.
thrust out my leg, intending to interpose
my foot, but too late. The heavy door
closed with a clang and l heard the bolts
shoot into their places.
So great Roadway may man get to-
ward a certain end that even the dreadful
crash of that iron did not imme diately take
my mind from the packet. / continued to
feel about until ha' asxlna tia little roll
containing three or lEzr letters bound with
a rubber band Once had that roll in my
hand my mind flew back to the plight in
which l had gotten myself. Only the de-
termined use of all my mental force pre-
vented my yielding to despair and throwing
| myself against the door. IF you do that"
l said to myself 1.-The president will hear
you and you will be shot at once. If you re-
| strain yourself you have left at least an
| hour of life. In that hour some one may
| open the safe"
| Waiting grew very hard, however. The
| air that l was able to draw into my lungs
| seemed to do me good and both my
| head and my chest began to ache fright
| fully. l grew dizzy too, and put the letters
| into my pocket so that 1 might not let them
| fall. An instant later / heard voices. The
president must have rung for lights.
Some one has cut the wires! l heard
| him exclaim loudly. 1t was only when he
| spoke at the top of his voice that L could
| distinguish what he was saying.
After a time 1 heard him rage: Didn't
| come out Then there was some one here!
The sentry had reported my passing, PROB
| ably even the fact that l had entered the
| bed room. What an accused fool had
| been not to look behind me as l came into
| the building! But then l had been an ac-
cursed fool from the beginning-fool and
knave. 1 deserved to be smothered like
stray cat In a box. 1 had undertaken 10
| barter a woman and was about to pay the
| penalty. Ah If there were way out
never again. never again!
Rivas was speaking knew that, but his
| words were no longer intelligible. be-
| gan to be faint. 1 felt myself falling, and
reached out to support myself against the
! wall. The wall receded. 1 reached still
| further. Then I saw that l was grasping
a patch of light and that In the middle OF
| the light stood President Rivas. He was
| holding a revolver in his bandits eye
| was staring me in the face. %,
"Mr Danford." said the president. Il
hoped to find the diamond snuff box you
| told the man / had sent you for. l did
not hope to find you. This is indeed an
unexpected pleasure"
For a second did not think that should
be able to answer. Then l rallied my
strength. "Your eXcellency, the pleasure Is
mine" 1 replied and fell forward to my
| full length.
I do not believe that I could have been
unconscious more than minute or two,
for President Rivas still held the revolver
in his hand when 1 came to my senses. The
look on his face convinced me that he
would be glad of reason to use it suffi-
GENTLY valid to satisfy the diplomatic Of
ficers of the United States.
We'll" he remarked when he saw me
open my eyes, now perhaps you will eX-
MI hat doing in Saf62"
when you have explained what you
| meant by thrusting me in there and lock-
ing the door," 1 REPLIED.
1t was thin argument. but observed
that both of the officers in the room be-
lieved it. and knew that his excellency's
opportunity for killing me as a common
thief had been lost. Rivas realized this,
too for he did not even take the trouble to
deny the charge.
You came here for packet of letters"
he said, "andl think you have it. want
it back
ITO what letters can your eXcellency re-
fer?" l asked.
ITO three letters written by you to Senior
Alvarez promising to aid him in his plans
against me by obtaining certain private
correspondence of mine"
At the time 1 thought it merely good
guess and Rivas a clever man, so to avoid
cor firming the suspicious his men must
have felt, and which, confirmed, would
soon have been communicated to the entire
populace, I felt sure that he would never
venture to have the soldiers look Tor that
bundle.
Il have no letters of any kind" I return
ed therefore. Does your excellency care
to have searched|'
Search him." was the order given In
reply. Then to me: "If the packet is found
on your person I give you my word that L
will have you shot before morning"
The words had scarcely left his mouth
when one of the men drew that accursed
cy," he reported, here is the packet"
Those are from my sweetheart In
eTG tia f yoa open them
open them" ordered Rivas.
The soldier did as he was told. For an
instant which seemed an hour long I wait
ed, and when the man spoke I closed my
eyes as though the bullet were already on
its way What he said penetrated slowly
to my brain.
Your eXcellency, these are blank pieces
of paper"
And blank they were, Mechanically 1
pocketed them, and, walking between the
soldiers, went to the outer door, where the
command of the president was fulfilled and
was released. The night air and the
moonlight seemed very good Across the
narrow street 1 made out a figure in skirt
and mantilla, and l felt my heart grow
sick again as 1 recognized her. She was
Mrs. McLemore, the woman who had
tricked me- and whose trick had saved
me, who had sent me on wild goose
chase for roll of white paper while
her letters rested God knows where, the
woman 1 loved and who doubtless was even
then on her way to the White House to
meet Rivas.
But she came to me and stopped. Her
face was white and she looked Ill, though
she smiled when she identified me. Dan
ford.' she eclaimed THANK God you are
safe!'
You thank God" I retorted, land yet
you send me to stick my neck in a halter
for packet of bare sheets! Why did you
do that?
because 1 saw that you meant to take
the letters from me- My only chance of
gaining time to destroy them was in max
ing you go after the bogus bundle.
'And you wanted to destroy them?'
She hestated.
"The TRUTH 1 cried. "The truth! Why
did you want to destroy them?"
She hung her head
Because they were your letters, to
Alvarez" she answered. Il stole them
out of his desk last night and gave them
to the president, who returned them to me.
You heard Alvarez ask my business. l am
the paid spy of the republic of Salvador"
"a woman who hunts down men!'
'You are a man who hunts down wo-
men. Which of US is the better?"
But l.
Regret? So do l. From the bottom of
my heart l regret everything in my life
that has been evil. One of those things
has not been my association with Rivas.
He paid me to incriminate you. at my re-