Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-02
to straighten out the tangle which had
brought her and himself to such strange

to straighten out the tangle which had
brought her and himself to such strange
pass.
II thought you had forgotten me when
no word came from you after 1 landed In
New York, PHIL she said. glancing up
with eyes that told their own tale.
Il was at Stephan Florian's funeral
that day." he answered gravely 81
wrote and called repeatedly thereafter"
Poor Fif!' BeatriZ whispered, visit
fully. What a sad life hers has been
since that dreadful duel
II was to blame. OF course" Corbyn
continued. presently. for believing that
you thought my poverty sufficient rea-
son for closing the door against me-
''Phil!' she cried, in a grieved voice.
you thought that of me! Oh! how could
you?"
He pressed the hand he was holding.
tenderly, and had no excuse to make for
himself. But she returned the pressure.
1T has all been my fault" she asserted
again. Il should have known that you
would not slight me as-as / supposed
you were doing. 1t was my own pride
that kept me from sending for you till
it was too late-tiIl got the note Joaquin
Gonzalez had fabricated to say that you
were lying dangerously hurt in that place
where he made me a prisoner. 1 have
thought I had lost you altogether until
you came thrusting into the chapel here"
II, too. have suffered much because of
my unworthy suspicious. and I was to
ungenerous, Gonzalez would not have
found it SO easy as he did to carry out
his internal plot. How he must have
congratulated himself on my simplicity!
All he had to do was to get your woman
to intercept my letters and tell the hotel
people that I was to be turned away IL
called. And 1 believed blindly that IL was
all due to my poverty
She said no more for a moment. 1t hurt
her to hear his honest confession, till in
her own generous heart she found cure
for that hurt. He had done what he
could. while she had done nothing-until
too late.
why did you quarrel with your father.
Phil?" she asked. presently II didn't
even know that You were on such terms
with him tall Fiji told me.''
HE Quarreled with me. not with him, -
replied Corbyn, very regretfully. He
he had chosen a wife for me, sweetheart.
and wanted me to join him in his bust
ness. / couldn't see things his way in
either direction, and-and he lost his
temper"
That's my fault. too. then said
BeatriZ. her eyes suffused. She had
brought this bold lover of hers naught
but trouble.
He stopped in the shadow of the water
less fountain which had once formed the
green heart Of the gardens and with the
hand he had slipped round her shoulders
lifted her. chin SO that he could look
squarely down into the troubled depths
under her long lashes.
Say that again." he dared her, land
see what will happen to you.
She smiled mistily up at him and opened
her lips in defiance. but ere she could re-
means to close them most effectually
And in that brief, blissful moment they
buried all that was past. She flushed
rose-red and her eyes were as twin stars
then. She lifted two white hands to his
broad shoulders and there was no more
debt between, them when Fiji came to call
them in to breakfast
The men-folk fumed and fretted all
forenoon in forced inaction. 1t would
have been sheer madness to attempt a
sortie. and yet each man among them
itched to propose that, to take part
therein. But common sense prevailed
and no one annoyed his neighbor by sug
costing an impossibility.
Their business was to get the women
safely to- the coast. and at all costs they
must attend to that
A sudden idea struck O'Dare and he
communicated 1t to Corbyn. who jumped
at it with concentrated eagerness.
Where did you say they signaled
Come along. Well find the tackle If it's
anywhere about the hacienda
They had not far to look. for under
loose plank In the piazza there they dis
covered all the Telegraph equipment used
for communicating with Alta Cruz when
his excellency happened to be at the ha
cienda.
Corbyn carried the tripod out and
O'Dare the leather case containing the
two mirrors. They set the apparatus up.
sighted II on the main guard at the ridge.
and Corbyn, to whom such matters were
as an open book since he had qualified
In army signaling, sent an insistent call
across to the enemy. Within ten minutes
there came back an answering fash. and
he was soon holding conversation with
Don Ygnacio.