The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-06-19
An Episode
OF Mexico
Bv ESTHER VANDERVEER

City of Mexico. Hearing a footstep on
the stairs. she started. A woman en-.
tered out of breath.
"Inez!" she gasped.
"Oh, Pepita! What is it,"
III you have anything to compromise
you with the Constitutionalists get rid
OF it at once. This man Manuel Coral.
whom you have trusted. is q spy of the
dictator. He has Informed upon you"
Then what use to get rid Of evi.
dence? The dictator does not need EVIL
dence to get rid of his victims"
"Corars brother. Enrique, came to
me and said to me: 4 have just learn.
ed that Manuel is In the secret service
of the dictator and has informed the
tyrant that by searching 1nez's room
he will find papers revealing the plan
Of the revolutionists.' Enrique assured
me that If no such papers are found
you will not be troubled. II they are
found it will go hard with you. even
though you are a woman"
Inez burst into tears. The man she
loved had turned traitor to her. But
her friend urged her to waste no time
in getting rid Of any compromising
documents she might possess. She did
possess several important ones. for her
brother was one Of the revolutionary
chiefs. and he was using her to lay
plans for a rising against the dictator
in the City Of Mexico. But Inez had
received too terrible a blow in the
treachery Of her lover to keep her mind
on what she was doing. After she had
destroyed every document. as she sup
posed. she remembered m she had
not destroyed that gave a list OF per
sons in the city who could be relied
on to desert the dictator and join the
revolutionists as o o as fighting com
menced. But this did not occur to
her till the sound of heavy footsteps
was heard on the staircase. She had
only time to unlock a drawer. take out
the paper and slip it under her dress
at the neck when the door was thrown
open and Manuel Coral with a man
and a woman entered.
II am sorry to disturb you, senOrita.''
he said 70 IneZ. but the government
has received news that you are in pos
session of plans of the revolutionists.
and | have been Sent here to get them
You mean" said Inez. whose indig-
nation by this time had got the better
of her grief. that you have accus-
ed me-"
What matters itY" Pepita broke in.
since you are innocent of the charge!
Let them search the ROOM"
II shall also be obliged to have you
searched" said Coral. Il have brought
u woman for the purpose"
Coral and the man he had brought
with him began to search the room.
Pepita asked permission to leave. and
it was granted. Before doing so she
embraced lnez and. slipping her
thumb and forefinger in under the neck
of her dress. drew the paper hidden
there into the palm Of her hand. Then
she disengaged herself. but before do
ing so transferred the paper into her
sleeve. Then. with a few words Of en-
enlargement for her friend. she took
her departure.
As soon as Pepita had gone Coral
ordered the woman to take lnez into
another room and make a thorough
search Of her person. promising the
former a handsome reward If she
found what they were looking for.
rnez left with Il mingled glance OF de-
fance and contempt for the man she
had loved. She felt perfectly safe.
Pepita having taken away the com
promising document. Coral showed
no feeling whatever at her treatment
In due time the two women returned.
the searcher announcing that, though
she had made a careful investigation
of the senorita's clothing and her hair.
not a scrap of information had been
found. Then Coral. making a cere-
moniOus bow to Inez. left her alone.
Inez was moved by two conflicting
emotions. She had saved her brother
and the cause he was engaged in from
a serious setback. and. far more i'm
pOrtant than that, many a man who
would have been implicated and lost
his life had not Pepita carried away a
list of their names that had been saved.
On the other hand. she had received
a bitter thrust in the treatment of sher
lover.
Her usefulness to the cause had end
| ed and she determined to slip away
| from the city of Mexico and rejoin her
brother. She was engaged in getting
together the things she would take
with her when the door opened. and
| Manuel Coral entered. Placing his fin
ger to his lips, he looked about him
to satisfy himself that no one else was
present. Inez looked at him wonder.
ing what he would do next. Then he
spoke hurriedly:
II found it necessary to deceive the
dictator, whose confidence l have. he
had received indirect information that
you were here In the interests of the
revolutionists. l at once sent my
brother to inform you that you were
suspected and persuaded the dictator
to permit me to make the search
knew you would be subjected to. |
saw Pepita take q paper from the mech