The San Francisco call., 1904-08-14

when her feet touched the ground the
touch of the mans hand was loathsome
to her and she drew away from him,
clinging to the horse. Please leave
me-" she exclaimed. please leave me
alone. 1 do not want your help
He laughed loudly, and breaking in
to Spanish, addressed her in a long
speech of which she could not under
stand a single word. When he remem-
bered his broken French again 1t was
to excuse himself upon a pretense Of
necessity, but with the air Of one who
would say, II do what please!"
THE ropes were tight? yes, would
you fall down the mountain? 1, AlonZo,
I make it my business to save your life.
You are cold, but the wine will warm
you. Here is the posada Of Vic-Des-
SOS. We shall eat and drink, senorita-
aye, can you eat and drink? Well,
can, if you will notI'
The sunshine and the softer air of the
valley brought the blood back to Es-
Tiers tingling limbs, and although she
felt very sick and giddy and her heart
sank at every word, she did not answer
the man nor again appeal to his pity.
The place they had come to was little
grassy knoll above the bed of a noun
tain cascade. Here was a rude inn
built of planks. Peasants sat at a little
table beneath the shelter of a clump Of
pines. The valley itself spread out far
and wide upon her left hand, disclosing
a pleasing scene Of field and pasture
and nesting villages. Now that she
could count the number of her escort,
she perceived that the company was
five in all, and that one of them was
the man who had struck her befriender
down last night. Not d shred of ro-
nance could she now permit these
rowing bandits. The less kindly sun
light declared many a rent In their tat
tered uniforms and showed their accOu-
terment as but metal sham. They
were indescribably dirty, ferOcious in
mein and obviously drunken. Whittier
they were taking her or to what end
she knew no more than the dead. Wild
stories of the Pyrenees and it's noun
tain bands had been told her often in
Doctor Xavier's house. She believed
that her story was the simplest-she
had fallen into the hands of the hillmen
and would be lucky to escape them
with her life.
They led her to a seat before the inn
weary limbs. A Spanish woman, fat
but not unkindly, set a bottle of harsh
wine before her and a mess of kids
flesh from which she turned with
Ioathing. Her escort, meanwhile.
drank deeply and quarTeled no less lib
orally The leader himself, the man
they named Alonzo, appeared to Es-
ther to have a genius for long speeches
which was altogether remarkable.
From time to time he addressed her as
though she had been an audience Of ten
thousand, in a tongue entirely foreign
to her and with an emphasis absolute
ly unnecessary. His fellows, mean
while. played a game with greasy cards
and pointed their remarks from time to
time with a fine display Of Spanish
knives. The intruding peasants, taking
in the situation at a glance, went off
one by one, and left the robbers in
possession of the inn. No scene of con-
trasts more picturesque could have
been discovered or imagined. Yonder
on the heights was the glory and the
solitude of sternest winter; here in the
valley the murmur of streams, the
rustling of leaves, the pasture land,
the first fruits of a southern spring.
When the believing voice permitted
her to hear it, Esther was conscious of
that buzz of insect life which ever fol-
lows abundant sunshine. The cascade,
leaping down from bowlder to bowlder.
gave a weird music whose note was
plaintive and not little melancholy.
Esther's brave demeanor both per-
picked and angered the leader of the
band. He had sent the landlord hither,
thither, in quest of such meager enter
tainment as the inn could afford; and
when Esther would do no more than
sip her wine, and turn sick and faint
from the mess of food they offered her,
he was alternately threatening and
persuasive
"Ah," he said, " we must teach you
to be obedient, senorita. You wish to
frighten us. Lcok at me, Alonzo Della
raz-am ] one to be afraid? BY the
Virgin of Cadi, am not frightened ct
all. Here is little whip, senorita- If
you make me, 1 shall know how to use
it. Observe my features; do you de-
tect any weakness there? Holy irnagel
1 have known some obstinate females
in my time. 1t is like a woman to die
for spite-but you shall not die, not just
yet, senorita, so please to eat. Do not
compel me to forget myself"
She did not look at him, did not say
a word. He carried a riding whip in
his hand and he gripped the leather of
it tightly. while with the other hand he
pushed the dish toward her.
do you hear?" he repeated, II am
ordering you to eat!"
Again she did not answer, did not
make q rnovement ChaErfued at her
obstinacy, he caught her by the wrist
and raised his whip suddenly.
None Of your fine airs here!" he ex-
claimed with the bully's delight at her
helplessness. "Will you eat that meat
or will you not?"
She believed that he would strike her,
and she did not shrink from the blow
The others applauded him, crying,
well done, old Alonzo!" The woman
of the posada stood with folded arms
watching the scene indifferently. The
question had been put for the third
time; Esther believed that nothing