Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-10-27
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

tied power. and his orders were not to
be disobeyed.
Molina was an elderly man and the
father Of family of children, one Of
whom, Rosa, was grown. Fernandez
was about thirty years old and un-
married. Molina invited Fernandez to
his house that he might have an oppor-
tunity to persuade him to align HIM
self on the side Of the Spanish govern
ment. Fernandez accepted the invita-
ton, listened to his hosts arguments.
but was unconvinced.
Molina noticed that Fernandez cast
admiring eyes on Senorita Rosa. and
it occurred to him that what he him
self could not accomplish by argument
his daughter might bring about by
persuasion. The father therefore held
a private interview with her, at which
he said:
my child, have been ordered by
the captain general to bring Senior
Fernandez to the support of the Span
ish cause either by argument or force.
have tried the former and failed.
The latter course remains. must tell
my guest that the Spanish government
demands his adhesion or his life. At
times woman may accomplish by per-
suasion what man cannot effect by
argument. If you could win over Sc
nor Fernandez you might save his life."
But, father" asked Rosa, why are
you obliged to do this work?"
General Weyler is an autocrat in
Cuba. He may send me to prison or
to death, whichever he chooses
The girl paled. She did not speak
for some time. Then she said:
"Do you wish me to win Senior Fer
nandez's adhesion to the crown by first
winning his love?"
II do not. l would rather suffer than
have you do anything dishonorable."
Again there was a silence, at the end
Of which Rosa threw her arms about
her fathers neck and assured him that
she would do anything honorable to
save him from the consequences Of
failure.
What made this duty odious to Rosa
Molina was that she was heart and
soul for the cause Of Cuba. One morn
ing she sat on the veranda of her home
with Fernandez and began to reason
with him why he should embrace the
cause of Spain. He listened to her
while she spoke hesitatingly and with
out animation, and when she came to
halt he said:
"Tell me the truth. Your heart is
not with Spain; it is with Cuba. There
is some reason why you are endeavor-
ing to win me to cause with which
you do not sympathize yourself"
Rosa did not dare tell him what he
| wished to know. If she should do so
he might betake himself beyond her
; fathers reach, and the latter would
, have to suffer for his failure. She
would not tell an untruth. Rising from
her seat, she went into the house, leav-
/ ing Fernandez wondering what all
this meant.
Senorita Molina sought her father
and told him that she had tried to in
fuence Fernandez, but had failed be-
cause she was untitled to plead a
cause to which she was bitterly oppos-
ed. Molina sighed, but the sigh was
his only reply. Rosa was much trou-
bled. She asked him many questions.
If he reported failure to the governor
would he be imprisoned? What would
be her next move in respect to Fernan-
dez? What did General Weyler mean
by using force to secure the latter's
adhesion? She received no reply.
Whether her father was himself un-
certain in regard to these matters she
did not know. The only information
she received was that either her ia.
/ ther or Fernandez must suffer.
Rosa left her father to shut herself
up in her room that she might form
some plan of action. Would it not be
best for her to tell Fernandez of the
situation and trust to him to find some
way to save her father? This would
be trusting too much to a man whom
she had known but a short while. II
he should take himself of to the revo-
lutionists Rosa would feel that she had
betrayed her father.
| Fernandez. who suspected the source
of this pressure which had been
brought to bear upon him, would have
departed had he not been interested in
these persons who he believed were
made the unwilling tools of the Span.
ish government. More than this, he
was powerfully drawn toward Rosa.
It occurred to him to pretend to be
uncertain as to which cause he would
espouse in order that he might gain
time for observation in the hope that
he would be able to solve the mystery.
So long as there was any hope Of a
willing surrender there was no reason
to use force, and day after day passed
with no change in the situation.
Meanwhile the attorney was falling
In love with Rosa Molina. Neverthe-
less he could see no evidence that she
regarded him in the same light. For
some reason unknown to him she
seemed to look upon him with a sort
Of dread. One day he said to her:
"Senorita, you and your father have
some interest in wishing me to sup
port the Spanish government. To con-
vince you that you can safely conf1de
in me will tell you something which
you do not suspect. love you. Tell
me the source Of your efforts to con-
vert me to a cause that you not ap-
prove. swear to you not only on the