The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-07-05

vas not aomeEnlng she needed that he
could give her. but she declared that
there was nothing. This surprised
him, for never before had be met one
Of the peasantry Of the country who
would decline q gift. Indeed, many
OF them did not even confine their &C
eeptances to gifts
Hardman sent Pepita away after ex-
acting q promise from her that she
would not attempt thereafter to de-
fend him against any attack from his
enemy, but In case she suspected the
man OF being about to attack him at
disadvantage she might warn him.
Pepita made the promise with as In
nocent mien IS II she fully intended
10 keep It. Conscience was a matter
that did not concern her. She was a
child Of nature. governed entirely by
her emotions As for q truth or lie,
that was simply n matter OF require
ment How she kept her promise Is
best illustrated By the, next episode
In her eventfui childhood, though per
haps, despite her few years. she was
already a woman.
The teamster disappeared for time.
He was fighting the poison OF taran-
tula bite He recovered In time. but
he. knew who had put the viper on
him and feared her. One thing that
deferred him from making another at
tempt on Hardman's life was the fact
that Pepita was witness that be had
tried to murder the man be hated. He
had counted ON doing the deed without
the murderer being known, but now
he was aware that the little Mexican
girl was watching him He did not
often see her. but felt sure that her
eyes were constantly on him.
And so they were. One night he was
improvising hand grenade. He was
working In hut where he lived with
a ragged curtain over the window.
There was a tear in It, and through
thHt tear Pepita was peeping. When
he had finished his weapon he began
to destroy certain articles. The crafty
girl surmised that he was intending to
kill Hardman with his bomb, then
light out. He was evidently afraid Of
his grenade, for before going to bed be
took 1t outside. scooped out a small
! hole in the ground. put it in and COW
cred 1t with earth and leaves.
As soon as all was quiet in-the cabin
Pepita possessed herself OF the bomb
and carried it away. Coming to win
dow within which was bright light,
she examined her find. tobacco box
with explosive contents. She had seen
the teamster place percussion powder
under certain point in the side Of the
box and mark It with a cross. She
noted the cross, and, returning to the
cabin with the weapon which she knew
was intended for Hardman. she scrap
ed out Just enough earth before the
door to set the box In, leaving its
crossed side uppermost and nearly on
level with the ground. Then she
placed dry leaves over It
The next day report was heard
and later persons passing tho team
ster's cabin found It q wreck The oc
cupant was missing s1pposing that
he had been killed or injured by the
force that ruined his home, q search
was made for him, but neither be MOI
any part Of him was found
For a time Pepita said nothing K
any one as to her part In the explo
sion. but as time passed and the team
ster did not reappear she revealed thu
secret that she bad seen him making
bomb. Then It was surmised that 4
had been accidentally exploded. bu
that he had not been within striking
distance. How the explosion cam,
about without his being its victim wal
not known to any one except Pepita
who, remembering where she ha,
placed the bomb, was enabled to lool
more directly than others for tn,
cause. At the time OF the explosion
there had been a violent windstorm
Pepita, looking for the cause of the ex
plosion, cast her eye on the limb o
tree that had been broken. The de
tached fragment she found some dis
lance from the cabin blackened as 1
by an explosion. She felt sure tina
this fragment had been blown dow
upon the bemb. The explosion occur
red in the daytime when the teamste
was away, 50 that he was not injured
But it Is likely that when he saw hi
cabin blown to atoms he surmised tn
cause and concluded that Il was tim
for him to depart
Meanwhile Pepita was wandering
about selling fruit apparently as un
concernedly as II she were not nike
up in an affair 81 q tragic nature. Nv
cry one else In that region was dis
cussing the matter OF the explosion
but the little Mexican seemed conten
20 carry her basket about, taking In
few coppers ct a time for an orange o
a banana. paying no attention to tn
talk.
II There was one who looked upo
|. Pepifa with very different feeling
from the generality OF persons; tha
was Leonard Hardman. He had Learn
ed that she was not : child. but
woman: that she loved him with a
the passion Of girl Of the south. Fl
questioned her about the explosion an
had learned the facts. Twice he owe
her his life. What was he TO dot RI
spond 10 the passion OF Mexican ST.
but little more than a child and frul
peddleri
i Notwithstanding her ignoble posifio
The fact that eha had bAen 40 devote