Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-29


nervous haste. tied her animal to the
branch of a tree. urging me in the same
whispering tone to fasten mine. Come.
she added.
Whoever the men are. they will have no
suspicion that we are here
Come. You must. You must"
I shook my head. There is no danger.
But / am unnerved and afraid of the
darkness. Some one may be lurking in
the trees. I am afraid to go alone" and
she shivered as If in alarm. Look. are
not those figures moving in the olive
grove yonder?" and she pointed among
the trees t. our right.
There Is no one there I replied.
My nerves are unstrung. l see danger
all about me. Come with me to the house.
1 shall never reach 1t alone
] yielded then. She was overacting this
sudden fright. but l was anxious for her
to get to the house. and as she was APP
parently resolved not to go by herself. /
saw II would save time to go with her.
AS we started We heard the horsemen
halt at the gate by which we had en-
tered. and then Masita broke into a
quick run and did not halt until we
reached the house
You must come in. she said. breath
ing hard from her running.
No" I declared. resolutely.
II insist upon 1t. You cannot escape
dressed as you are. l will give you some
again play the part of an American. But
in that dress it would be Impossible. You
can trust my servants.
Il thank you for the thought. but Will
not enter your house"
You believe / would betray your she
exclaimed. warmly.
ION my honor, no."
Then you are ashamed to be beholden
to me?'
Again, no. I can shift for myself as
am
You mean that you will not enter?
II mean that there is no necessity for
you to run such risk as might result
were to enter
She turned as If to make a hot reply.
but checked 1t. and paused to think. LAS
you will. But this l declare. If you will
not have my help in your need now. will
not accept yours" and she set of back
in the direction of the horses.
Where are you going?" 1 asked, hurry
ing after her.
Back to the island"
Are you mad?"
II am not more mad than you. If you
will not let me repay some Of this obliga-
ton. l refuse to be your debtor
II will do what you wish" l said. and
then we returned and entered the house
with her.
She led me to small room and asked
me to wait there until she returned. l
sat down in the dark. full of wondering
surprise at her conduct. Her sudden con-
Germ for my safety touched me to the
quick. Only few hours had passed
since her every thought Of me had been
inspired by loathing. every glance elo-
quent of distrust. and every word con-
temptuous and disdainful.
And yet now my refusal to enter the
house and accept her help had brought
that willful and almost passionate dec
laration to return to the island-to the
fate from which she had narrowly
escaped
That she should feel some amount of
gratitude for the help had been able to
render was natural enough. no doubt;
but from what she had told me of my for
mer conduct to her it was clear that l
owed her far more reparation than l had
made. Beltano had told me that l had
been the means Of getting her to the hut
herself had described how l had bound
her with my own hands to make her a
prisoner.
My help now was therefore but the I'M
brought upon her. and so the accounts
were nothing like squared. Yet she was
now resolved to secure my escape. l
could only presume that her heart was
large enough to forget and forgive my
other offenses against her.
Still l could not but marvel at the con-
fidence she had shown in me. Believing
me to be nothing but Beppo Serrano. the
Italian rufhan, Beltano'S lieutenant and
accomplice in his disreputable schemes.
and an assassin prescribed for deed Of
blood. she had none the less brought me
into her house at night, reckless OF all
considerations save one--the desire to aid
me in escaping the penalty Of my crime.
And this in the face Of the solemn vow
she had taken to accuse me with her own
lips.
Is it any wonder if strange. vague, will
full hopes sprang up in my mind that
there might be some other feeling than
mere gratitude at the root of this change
in her? II she could feel thus for an
Italian scoundrel whose hands were dyed
with the blood OF fellow creature and
place such confidence in him. how would
1t have Jared with her had 1 met her in
my own character, unpolluted by all these
abominable associations with Beltano
and unstained by the deed of which she
and others believed me guilty?
Was / really guilty? AS I sat waiting
for her in the darkness the horrors Of my
position forced themselves upon me with
maddening intensity. That one deed
stood between Masita and me AS an in
superable barrier. The very hopes in
spired by her thought for me now made
ms realize more wildly than ever before
the cruel injustice OF the burden fate had
laid upon me. But for that. l might have
encouraged those hopes. instead of re-
pressing and scouting them as wild and
tantalizing Representatives,.
And from that mood sprang a new re-
solve. At all hazards ] would search out
the truth about Vicino's death. 1t was now
all in ALL to me to know 1t. On the island
had been too engrossed >by thoughts
for Masitas safety to follow up the
doubts which Breva had raised as to my
part in the matter.
But now that she was safe I would do
it. My course was Gear. Let the risk
be VII at it might, / would return to the
island and ascertain the truth.
AS l came to this conclusion l heard
the rustic of skirts outside the door and
Masita entered. carrying shaded lamp
the bright rays of which FELL like the
halo of a fair saint. around her shapely
head and lovely features.