The Washington times., 1914-06-27
O O O O By REX BE-
By REX BEACH
-copyrisht. BY Otis F. Wood.

\ among the women Of the Cash street
| dives. On one occasion he returned
from an orgy Of this sort to find her
| talking to one Of his men, a young
Barbadian with a giants frame. It
was orly by accident. due to the
liquor him. that his hand went
wild he missed killing the fei-
low. beat the woman unmer-
cifully.
CHANGING to meet Senior Williams on
the street some time later. he said:
~Buenas dias. Senior! You see. Cap
tain Innocencio IL still alive and the
woman has not run away"
His former employer xruntsd. as II
neither phenemonon were worthy Of
I've heard how you rub Il into those
san Bias fellows" Williams remarked.
can't understand why they never
\ avenged Markeena-"
| Bah. They have heard of me-" said
| the Haytian boastfully. Then with
grin, You remember our bet. Senor?'
| never made you a bet." the Ameri-
can denied hotly. But I've mind
think know those people.
Two hundred pesos,"
| You'll never have a child by her"
| Two hundred pesos that she brings
me San Bias halfbreed within two
months. smiled the mulatto insoiently.
And Williams exclaimed: TN do IL.
| It's worth 900 silver to see q miracle"
"Bueno! I'll bring him to you when
| he comes"
Thereafter Innocencio gave over
beating the woman
4 Back at the little settlement beyond
| the swamp the coming event did not
pass without comment and, although
the black women were kind to their
straight-haired neighbor, she never
| made friends with them, nor did she
ever accompany Innocencio to town.
On the contrary she seemed obsessed
she heard that her own people were
| near she concealed herself and did not
appear again until they were gone
1nnocencio did his best to dissipate her
fears. explaining boastfully that the
mere mention of his name was ample
protection for her and did he wish il
not even the army of the republic could
take her from him. But still she would
not be convinced.
And then In the dark of the December
moon the expected came. and likewise
the unexpected
It was the season when the rains
| were at their heaviest, when rust and
rot might be felt by the fingers. A
gray ! had crept over all things In
, doors, yriad Of insect pests burdensd
the al
In tie rare Intervals between showers
| every faintest drausht deluged the
huts from the dripping palm leaves
| overhead. From the swamp arose
noxious vapor whenever the sun ex-
posed itself; the treetSads shrilled in
cessantiy. Outside. the surf maip-
tained its sullen murmur and through
] the gloom of starless nights its phos-
I phorescent outlines rushed across the
.I ~ ,;, N 49,, e.
visitors came
Even the heavy animal slumbers of
the blacks were broken by the scream
that issued from the hut Of Captain In
fighting. The negroes might have
rushed to the assistance Of their leader
had IL not been for the echo of that
awful woman cry lowering over the VII
and hung there saturatfng the breath
less night with such unnameable ter
ror that the wakened children began to
whimper and the women buried their
out. Death was among them and the
bravest covered. while through the
quivering silence came the sounds OF
mighty combat. lasting for such an
fnterminable time that the listeners be-
At length they discovered that the
night was dead again save for the sud
den patter Of raindrops on the thatehes
when the palm fronds stirred. One of
ed, but they did not venture forth.
Afterward they fancied they had heard
the thrust Of paddles in the lagoon and
strange voices dwinding away to sea-
ward. but they were not sure. Event
them more efarfully than the former
noises had and they stirred Then In
time they heard the voice OF Innocencio-
sraa, sImsei d,s,ons tarsins AMY as II from
the cracks of hut and Nicholas, the
least timid. emerged. He summoned
the rest around him then went toward
the black shadow OF Innocencio's dwell
faces at his shoulder.
The door was down and from the
threshold they could see what the front
room contained. 1t was Nicholas who.
fingers. dragged blanket from the bed
and covered the woman's figure. Il was
he who traced the feeble voice to the
wreck OF room behind and strove to
lift lnnocencto out Of the welter In which
he lay. But the Haytian blasted him
with curses for opening his wounds, so
they propped him against the wall by
his direction. and bound him about with
strips torn from the mattress. Then he
called for cigarette, and its ashes were
upon his breast when the French doctor
arrived from the hospital on the point
When the white mans work YVES done
duuTcsScQ MIN weakly.
viii m sieu do me a great favorr'
Certainly"
sieu' is acquainted with the
American. Senior Williams?"
viii M'sieu' le docteur please to tell
aim that Captain Innocencio has won
his wager"
II don't understand"
Listeni In the room yonder under
the bed M sieu' will find a little boy
baby rolled up In a blanket The
woman heard them at the door and she
was just In time"
The French doctor nodded his COM
prehension.
"But-your wife. herself?'' said he.
Perhaps when you are well again you
can have your vengeance. The soldiers
Bah, What is the use?" interrupted
Innocencio. The world Is full OF
women"
Then. strangely enough. he barred his
yellow teeth in a smile OF rarest tender
ness. But this boy Of mine, Msieu'
has seen many children. perhaps: put
never a child like this He went on
boastfully: "M'sieu' will note the back
and the legs of him And see, he DID
not even cry. the little man! Oh! he
is like his father for bravery He will
be INV yengeance. for he has the San
Bias blood in him: and he viii be
man like me, too. Bring him to me
quickly: I must see him again"
He was still babbling fondly to the
negroes about him when the doctor re-
appeared empty handed.
1.-THE child Is gone, said the Wni1e
man simply, and in the silence limo