Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1914-08-14

the hills in the distance. They loomed
I'D bare and cherries in the first gray
hour of dawn. - .. -~
Another hour, and the sleepy sen.
try would come and lead him out
side to the blank wall that rose up
from the parade ground.
There he would stand and file OF
rurales would take their places ten
feet in front of him. And all would be
over.
The good priest would attend to the
spiritual things-so he had been taught
to believe-and he had no fear Of
death.
Strangely, the insurrecto hcAeht,
great, burning desire now possessed
him to be fair to the little senorita
who loved him.
The little senorita lived not far be-
yond the eastern hills, over which the
first rays Of the sun would come steal
ing presently.
Why had not the great longing come
to him until he faced the end of
things? He had wronged her. but he
knew that she would be watching fol
the sunrise.
The senorita's troubled face, which
he had kissed when he rode away for
the the last time, had haunted him
through the nights unbroken silences.
He rolled a cigarette and blew the
smoke through the narrow, iron-barred
lookout, but the little senorita's trou-
bled face would not leave him.
The breaking day was growing
brighter-not long now until the sun
rise. He could see the j; ,ged rocks
and the sparse growth on the hillsides
that had appeared so barren a while
ago.
Then it occurred to Pedro that per-
haps it might not be too late. Per-
haps, dying, he might make good
the fair promises in which she had
believed, and which would give to her
and to her unborn child his name.
It would be little enough to leave as
a legacy.
1t was only just. Yes, he would do
that if he might. The insurrecto re-
solved that when the good priest came
to mend the spiritual things, he would
make his confession and enlist the
priests good Offices to secure the con-
sent Of the commander of the rurales
to stay the execution until couriers
might be despatched over the hills to
the little, pale, troubled senorita
watching for the sunrise.
They would bring her to become his
bride and widow. Yet this would help
her, because she was to live and suf-
fer. At the most it would be but a
short hour longer. Surely, thought
Pedro, the commander would agree.
Resolved on his course, the insur-
recto found himself anxiously watch
ing for the coming of the good priest.
Presently he saw him approaching,
riding astride his little pony down the
winding highway from the village be-
yond the eastern hills where the little
senorita lived.
Why his haste? Surely 1t was not
with relish that the good priest ci;me
on such a mission. Still he hurrle
AS he drew nearer he appeared to
be excited. Certainly he was not in
pious mood.
The condemned insurrecto, looking
out through the narrow opening in
the prison wall, watched without 'un-
derstanding the great Joy he saw in
the smiling face of the priest.
When the prison door swung open
for the priest to enter Pedro under
stood.
my son." he heard, Il bring you
good tidings. There are to be no more
executions! You are free, my son!"
The insurrecto stared blankly, I'M
comprehendingly silently, for mo-
ment.
The first ray Of the morning sun
piercing the gray dawn and stealing
through the lookout at which he had
been standing called him to himself
He saw his prison door swung ajar,
but he made no motion toward the
freedom, the coveted life it offered.
He remembered that there was
something he had resolved to say to
the good priest. 1t faltered on his
lips.
Receiving the priests blessing, the |
insurrecto walked out into the sun
shine and breathed again the fresh |
open air Of the hills. 1t was exhilar-
ating after his confinement in the
musty, ill-smelling prison.
1t was life! He had not known be-
fore how precious life was.
A roadway led from the prison. Pc
dro walked along it to a point half a
league away. Here it forked
One highway led over the eastern
hills to the village where lived the
little senorita watching the rising Of
the sun.
The other led to unknown places
Beyond the western mountains, where
there might be still more fighting;
where there were many dark-eyed Sc
noritas.
And he was free.
At the fork Pedro stopped to roll
q cigarette and to choose.
Then he took the western trail.
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If you want to contribute directly to
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and pneumonia use cough medicines that
contain iodine, morphine, heroin and