The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1905-12-18
By CYRUS TOWNSEND BRk


loved him. had been uneXampled in his
kindness and consideration to him.
lust because he reposed such absolute
Is unlimited confidence in him, the
Young man felt bound in honor by fet-
tiers that he could not break.
And there was his friendship for De
Tobar. There were many young gal
lants about the vice regal court who,
Jealous of Alvarado'S favor and en-
vious of his merits, had not Scrupled
in the face of his unknown origin to
sheer, to mock or to Slight-So far as
things to SO brave and able a soldier.
Amid these gilded youths De Tobar.
with noble magnanimity and affection.
had proved himself Alvarado's starcE
friend \ romantic attachment haa
.,.ung up between the two young men,
and the first contidant of De TObar's
owe affairs had been Alyarado him
self. TO betray his friend was almost
as bad as to betray his patron. 1t
was not to be thought of.
Yet how could he. man in whose
blood-though it may have been ig-
noble for aught he knew-ran all the
passions of his race with the Iervor
and fire of the best. a man who loved,
as he did, the ground upon which the
Senorita de Lara walked, stand by
tamely and see her given to another,
40 matter who he might be?
Spain under the last poor, crazed,
bewitched, degenerate descendant of
the once formidable Hapsburgs had
reached the lowest depths of ignOminy
and decay. Alone almost under her
flag Venezuela was well governed
from the Spanish standpoint, that is.
From the native American point of
view the rule of even the gentlest of
Spaniards had made IA he'll on earth of
the faireSt countries Of the new con-
tinent. OF all the cities and garrisOns
which We're under sway of the Vicer0y
tie Lara. La Guayra was the best ap-
pointed and cared for. But it did not
require great deal of time or at
tention from SO skilled n commander
ms Alvarado to keep things in proper
shape Time, therefore, hung heavily
on his hands.
On the other side of the mountain
range. after Il descent of several thou
sand feet to Il beautiful verdant valley
whose altitude tempered the trOpic heat
Of the low latitude into salubriOus
and delightful climate. lay the palace
of the viceroy and the city which sur
Leon. commonly called the city of Ca
racuS
Many n day had AlvaradO turned
backward from the white walled, red
rooted town spread out at his feet, bak-
Jig under the palms. seething in the
fierce heat. as if striving to pierce with
his gaze the great cor,iilleras. on the
farther side of which in the cool white
palace beneath the gigantic ceibas the
queen of his heart made her home. He
pictured her at all hours of the day; he
dwclt upon her image. going over again
in his mind each detail of her face and
figure.
He was mad. mad with love for her,
crazed with hopeless passion. There
seemed to he no way out of his misery
but for him to pass his own sword
through his heart. or to throw himself
from the precipice. or to plunge into
the cruel blue of the envelOping Carib-
bcan-the color of the sea changed in
his eye with his temper, like woman's
mood. Yet he was young: he hoped in
spite of himself. He prayed-for he
was not Old enough to have lost faith
and he planned. Besides, he was too
brave soldier to kill himself, and she
was not yet married She was not
formally betrOthed even, although it
was well known that her father look
ell favOrably upon De Tobar's suit; no
formal announcement had been made
of it as yet. So, in spite of his judg-
ment. he dreamed. The thoughts of
youth and love are long, long thoughts,
indeed.