Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-12-06

you please. now wish to make you
witness of great reparation."
They stopped and looked at the gen
eral with the greatest surprise as he
walked up to Valentine.
"Caballero," he said to him, az know
all the motives of hatred you have
against me, and those motives l allow to
be just. l am now in the same position
in which l placed Count de Prebois
GRANGE, your dearest friend. Like him,
| shall be shot tomorrow at daybreak,
but with this difference, that he fell as.
martyr to a holy cause and innocent
of crimes of which l accused him, while
l am guilty, and deserve the sentence
passed on me. Don Valentine, l repent
from the bottom of my heart the iniquit-
Gus murder of your friend. Don Valen-
tine, do you forgive me?"
General Don Sebastian Guerrero, I
forgive you the murder of my friend"
the hunter answered in firm voice.
You forgive mel"
Il forgive you the life Of grief to which
I am henceforth condemned by you"
You pardon me unreservedlyT
"Unreservedly l do"
Thanks. We were made to love In
stead hate one another"
You think so now"
Il misunderstood you; but yours Is
great and noble heart. Now let death
come, and l shall accept it gladly, for I
feel convinced that heaven will have pity
on me on account of my sincere repent
ance. Be happy, niece, with the husband
of your choice. Senores, all accApt my
thanks. Don Valentine, once more I
thank you. And now leave me, all, for
l no longer belong to the world, 80 let
me think Of my salvation"
But one word" Valentine said. Gen
eral, I have forgiven you, and 1t Is now
my turn to ask your pardon"
What can you mean?"
II have deceived you"
Deceived me!
Yes; take this paper. The President
OF the Republic, employing his sovereign
right of mercy, has, on my pressing en-
treaty, revoked the sentence passed on
you. You are free"
His hearers burst into cry Of admira-
ton. The general turned pale. He tot.
tered, and for moment 1t was fancied
that he was about to fall. A cold per-
spiration stood on his temples.
Fathers" he said, turning to the
monks, lead me to your monastery.
General Guerrero is dead, and henceforth
l shall be monk of your order"
Two days after the scene We have de-
scribed Valentine and his companions left
Mexico and returned to Sonora. On
reaching the frontier the hunter, in spite
OF the pressing entreaties Of his friends,
separated from them and returned to the
| desert.
Don Martial and Dona Anita settled
in Mexico near the Ralliers. A month
after Valentines departure Dona Helena
returned to the convent, and at the end
of year, in spite of the entreaties Of
her family, who were surprised at 30
strange resolution, which nothing ap-
parently explained, the young lady took
| the vows.
When l met Valentine Guillois on the
banks Of the Rio Joaquin some time after
the events recorded in this long story, he
was going with Curumila to attempt a
hazardous expedition across the Rocky
Mountains, from which, he said to me,
with the soft, melancholy smile which
he generally assumed when speaking to
me, he hoped never to return.
l accompanied him for several days,
and then we were compelled to separate.
He pressed my hand, and followed by his
dumb friend, he entered the mountains.
For long time l looked after him, for
| involuntarily felt my heart contracted
by sad foreboding. He turned round
for the last time, waved his hand in fare
well and disappeared round bend Of
the track. l was fated never to see him
| again.
Since then nothing has been heard Of
him nor of Curumilla. All my endeavors
to join them or even obtain news of them
were vain.
Are they still living? No one can say.
Darkness has settled down over these two
magnificent men, and time itself will,
in all probability, never remove the veil
that conceals their fate. For all, unhap-
PLY, leads me to suppose that they per-
ished in that gloomy expedition from
which Valentine hoped, alas never to
return.
L. II