Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-16
CHAPTER w.

foot. for long time; for quite long enough
to allow me to collect my senses and see
that l had been a fool to threaten OBrien.
i had been nobly indignant, and behold! l
had a sack thrown over my head for my
pains, and was put away safely somewhere
or other. 1t seemed to be a cellar.
/ was in search of romance, and here
were all the elements; Spaniards con-
spirator and a kidnapping; but l couldn't
feel fool and romantic as well. True
romance, suppose, needs whirl of emo
lions to extinguish all the senses except
that of sight, which 1t dims Except for
sight, which l hadn't at all, had the use
of them all, and all reported unpleasant
things
1 waited, and my fury grew in dead ST.
lence. How would it end-with what out
rage? / would show my contempt and pre-
serve my dignity by submitting without a
STRUGGLE despised this odous plot At
last there were voices, Footsteps; FOUND
II very hard to carry out my resolution and
refrain from Stifled cries and Kicks. L was
lifted up and carried, like corpse, with
many stumbles, by men who sometimes
growled they FASTENED along. From
tune to time somebody murmured, Take
care" Then l was deposited into boat
The world seemed to be swaying, splash
ing, jarring-and it became obvious to me
that / was being taken to some ship. The
spanish snip, OF course. SuuueHly L plohC
into a cold perspiration at the thought
that, after all, their purpose might be to
drop me quickly overheard. Carlos. L
cried. l felt the point of knife on my
breast silence, senori" said a gruff voice.
This fear vanished when came along
side a ship evidently already under way;
but l was handled so roughly and clumsily
that l was thoroughly exhausted and out of
breath by the time | was got on board. All
was still around me- / was left alone on
settee in the main cabin, as l imagined.
For long time | made no movement;
then door opened and shut. There was
q murmured conversation between two
voices. This went on in animated whispers
for a time. At last l felt as If some one
We're trying, rather Intellectually, to remove
the sack itself. Finally, that actually did
rub its way over my head, and some thing
soft and silken began to wipe my eyes with
surprising care, and even tenderness.
This was stupidity done,' came a discon-
tented remark, you do not handle ca
balero like this"
And how else was it to be done, to that
kind OF caballero?'' was the curt report.
By that time had blinked my eyes into
a condition for remaining open for minute
stretches Two men were bending over me
Carlos and O'Brfen himself. The latter
said:
Believe me, your mistake made this nee
essary. This young gentleman was about
to become singularly inconvenient, and he
is in no way harmed"
He spoke in a velvety voice, and walked
away gently through the darkness. Carlos
followed with the lantern dangling at
arm s length; strangely enough, he had not
even looked at me. l suppose he was
ashamed, and / was too proud to speak to
him with my hands and feet tied fast. The
door closed, and 1 remained sitting in the
darkness.
1 turned my head to click. saw a
door open little way, and the small blue
name or a taper hoated into the room The
light shone redly through protecting fin
gers, and upward on to small face. 1t
came TO a halt, and l made out the figure
OF girl leaning across a table and looking
upward There was click of glass, and
great blaze of light created a host of shin
Ing things. A large silver lamp she had
iighted kept on swinging to the gentle mo-
ton OF the ship.
She stood Just In front of me: the girl
that l had seen through the door; the girl
j had seen play with the melon seeds She
was breathing fast-it agitated me to be
alone with her-and she had a little shining
dagger in her hand.
She cut the rope round my ankles and
motloned me imperiously to turn round
Your hands-your handsr'
l turned my back awkwardly to her and
felt the grip of small. cool, very firm fingers
upon my wrists. My arms fell apart numb
and perfectly useless; was half aware of
pain in them, bu- Ii passed unnoticed
among cloud of other emotions. 1 didn't
feel my finger tips because l had the agi-
tation, the fiutter, the rehabilitation of look
ing at her.
land is not far yet. You can escape. Car
los thought. But no! You would
only perish for nothing. Go with God"
She pointed imperously toward the square
stern posts of the cabin.
"Go-go-go with God" the girl whisper
ed urgently. There is boat
l made q motion to rise; l wanted to
go But 1 could not stand, though the
blood was returning, warm and tingling, in
my legs and hands. She looked at me
with sharp frown puckering her brows
little; beat a hasty tattoo with one of
her feet and cast startled glance toward
the forward doors that led on deck
Your life hangs on a thread she MUIR
INJURED
l answered. You have given it to me-
Shall j never" / was acutely conscious
of the imperfection of my language.
She looked at me sharply; then lowered
her lids. Afterward she raised them again.
Think of yourself. Every moment is"
II will be as quick as l can" l said.
THAT man thinks he can destroy you
/ hate him--I detest him! You have seen
how he treats my father
1t struck me like a blow that she was
merely avenging o Brien's insolence to her
father. / had been kidnapped against Don
Balthasar Riego's will. 1t gave me very
well the measure of the old mans power
lessness In face of his intendent-who was
obviously confident of afterward soothing
the resentment
/ was glad had not thanked her for TAX
ing an interest in one. was distressed. too,
because once more | had missed Romance
by an inch.
Someone kicked at the locked door. A
voice cried-I could not help thinking
warningly "Seraphina! Seraphinai" and
another voice said with excessive softness,
"Senorita! Noyons quelle foile.
She sprang at me. Her hand hurt my
wrist she dragged me aft / scrambled
clumsily into the recess of the counter and
put my head out The night air was very
chilly and full of brine little boat towing
by a long painter was sheering about in the
phosphorescent wake of the ship a little
astern of us. on our port quarter, a vessel
under a press of canvas seemed to stand
still; looming up like an immense pale.
ghost. She might have been coming up
with us. or else we had just passed her-I
couldn't tell.
The sound of another kick at the door
made me swing myself out, head first with
out reflection. l got soused to the waist
before ] had reached the bows of the boat.
With frantic effort l clambered up and
rolled in. When 1 got on my legs, the
Jerky motion of tossing had ceased, the
boat was floating STILL and the light of the
stern windows was far away already.
The girl had cat the painter.
The other vessel was heading straight
for me, rather high on the water broad
beamed, squat and making her way quiet
ly. like shadow. The land might have
been four or five miles away-I had no
means of knowing exactly. 1t looked like
high black cloud and purply-gray mists