, 1909-04-15
CHAPTER IL.
In Which Meet His Lordehip.

In Which ! Meet tbs Io'e
Chilean officers, largely naval. 10
iudge from their rather re~sp'ehdeht
uniforms. occupied this second taD'e'
and II was evident that they had been
drinking TO excess. 1t vas their lolu
voices and boisterous laughter "hicn
first attracted my attention. ana !
soon caught sufficient of their incau
iious speech TO discover they were
bantering one among their number 10
carry into execution a tiEsy boast ne
had lust made over the VINE. ms
special officer thus singled out as ou''
for the bois eruus wit OF his reckI,"
companions was a naval lieutenant
a rather tall, cadaverJGS fellow, salo"
faced. his short black hair standilt
erect and bristling. his mustache"
drooping sc as to shade the corners u
his mouth. His cheeks were ms
With temper from the rough sa!iie+ at
his and his lips utter'h d
burning Castilian curse, as he i ost
somewhat unsteadily to his feet. ANA
| glared about into the expectant faces
| of his laughing tormentors.
"Sacro Cristo! you will see. CANA
| IulS, you VIII Stts lV '
| cling himself for the effort. "Carampa!
what sa Tor fears in presence OF beau
ty?-plf! not l."
He turned short about, his sword
chains rafting. and strobe directly
across toward the unconscious Briton,
who stared up al him over his roasl
beef in petrifed advertisement. Fun
bling awkwardly at his belt, the III
trudine officer finally brought forth Ii
card, and placed II %ostentat. ously upon
the table. bowling low as he did SO.
II would myself TO introduce TO the
senior" he announced with runke
gravity, and in amazingly broken Eng
lish. II Teniente Lootenant Sanchez
Chilean navy; one of the first family
in this country. Maybe Won know me.
hey? vas with de Almirantc Cocli-
rane. when the capitano call on you
in the leelle ship. Now ] would the
bettar-r acquaintance make with the
gr-reat ln"les. an the ladies, the most
| boot'sul ladies' and his sunken eyes
, rested clGatingly IN the surprised face
of the girl, who had half turned. the
better to observe him.
1t was all so swiftly, so %impudently
done that the a%stounded Briton could
only stare. his lean face %rcddenins
with This hesitancy. l.
well as something in the constrained
attitude of the younger woman
seemed to encourage Sanchez; his eX.
preston changed To a satisfied smile
while his lank figure bent in another
c%eremonious bow, this time directed
toward her.
"Ah, / knew it would so be-" he said,
insinuatingly. at vas so | told II TO
my bravas camaradas. 81. 81, 1t vas so
ever-the uniform make us welcome
With the ladies. They lofe the BRAY:
is 1t not so, senorita?"
By this time the outraged pater
familias had stiffened into rock. his
eyes cold and hard behind their glass.
es. In frigid contempt he deliberately
turned his back upon the fellow. say.
ing Jelly:
you impairment scoundrel! | am
accustomed to selecting my own
guests. and you are certainly not one
Of them"
The Chilean laughed. perhaps not
wholly compromising the words. and
remained twisting his mustache be.
tween long white fingers. He was far
too drunk for fear. besides being up
held by "A military contempt for civil
ians.
"Pah! it's a pig OF a papa" he sput-
tered, half turning to witness the ap.
prevail of his Laughing companions be.
hind. But the smile OF beauty still
invites, and Juan Sanchez fears not
before man or devil"
He strobe around the table, his scab.
bard clanking IN tie stone foo drew
out the single vacant chair and planted
himself in It, his back toward me, his
impudent face leering across the
white cloth toward the startled, indig.
nant woman seated opposite. ! watched
her gray eyes widen from astonish-
ment, only to darken with Indignation.
She pushed back her chair. half rose
to her feet, and sank down again, her
cheeks flushed, her bosom rising and
fallinH tumultuously. Her evident con
tempt for The fellow would have utter
~ crushed any one less b%efuddled into
embarrassed silence. But SANCHEZ
merely grinned, his hands still towing
with his mustaches.
"Sangre de Cristo. was II not so.
mees?" he questioned, insinuat.ngly.
utterly ignoring the helpless man suut
tering at the head of the table. who
' - - -'"-~ 90 h'm With oman