The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-20

| again. then with a groan turned to seek
his cave.
erouched over his fire he brooded long.
Here was blow well aimed, and the
more perilous because he was absolutely
at loss to know whose hand delivered
it. The name you once bore" He re-
peated the words under his breath, and
the first fear of his reckless life erept
cold and small about his heart.
The pride of his youth and of his young
manhood passed before him. His love-
less marriage day, the birth of his chill
dren, and then the dark hour when he
knew but one way remained to carry
the honor of his ancient name clear, and
that was to give UP all his great posses
sions and to die.
And in the eye of the world he had died,
but the fierce blod in his veins had called
to him to live somehow, in some fashion
hidden and unknown for ever, but Sc
eretly building up again those fallen for
tunes of his house.
At length the brigand sighed heavily
and sank back into his seat
1T is sealed with my signed ring.
could not mistake it, the ring l gave
to--her on that evening of calamity. You
grow old Cesar" he whispered to him
self; this has shaken you. no possesses
the ring now?'
After while he brought out his au-
photography and began 10 write
My name is threatened. 1t seems an
credible, for l have been long In the
sierra; long that | myself can scarce
ly number the years. During those years
but three men have suspended the name
| once bore A name of splendid tradl-
tions. buried the third Of these men
10 years ago. When l turned from his
grave l thought l had had my last
dealings with such menace. ! felt safe
I reveled in my security. 1t appears
alas! | was mistaken, and that is why
I must now go down to Las Leehuzas
alone.
1T may be a trap for my life, and
that will mean defeat to all my hopes
and my plans. I could indeed remain In
safety here and let them guess as they
pleased perhaps. but for one thing.
am alone in the mountains, but in the
world l am not quite alone. There Is
one other of whom l must think. Il
| these animals know my name. of a sure
| ty they must know of her existence Il
| they can be base enough to bait a traI
| for me with my hearts blood, can
| imagine they will show mercy to her
| 1t may be they guess only and have M
. certain knowledge of facts, but | mus
make sure, and. further, If chance be
| friends me, take means to close for
| ever the lips that can babble so murder
ously."
| bon c. sat bleak and solitary upor
| his horse. He had come to the end OF
| his journey. For two days he had beer
riding downward through the mountain:
| to keep rendezvous with his unknown
| enemy--a terrible ride, tortured witt
memories and harassed with suspense.
| He was absolutely alone, for he had nj
| companion whom he could trust. AS
| for the men in his band, with the excep
| ton. perhaps, of Robledo he divided
| them into two easses--the first, whom
| he could rely on a little. for though
| wolfish they were fools; the rest, en-
| dowed with low cunning, he would MOI
| depende on at all
| He had come to the conclusion that hi:
/ correspondent must have in view one OBJ
| ject-gain. He would endeavor to forci
| hush-money from the brigand whose i'm
| mense fortune was the common talk ant
| envy of the plains. Such a secret, affect
| ing as it did the honor of a noble family
| could not be trifled with, and, indeed
| 1t was certain that Don Qs enem had
by some means, become possessed of rea
| information that blown abroad would rem
| der decades of solitude and self-sacrific'
| vain. The chiefs plan was a very smpl
| one. To come face to face with his ad
| versary. and to kill him. If he himsel
persisted. what matter, so long as thi
| great work was done.
| Neglecting no precaution that his Ions
| years of guerilla warfare had taught him
| he lay watching in the thcket unit
night fell. No living thing approached
| Las LechuzaS or came from 1t. Ye
] against the murk of darkness the chile
! saw a spark fly and die over the build