Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
90 . 60 CD

ously
Z see many changes here.
''No doubt the widow agreed
Times have been hard since poor
Esteban's death"
I shudder when j think OF it," said
he. II was his guest on the nighe
previous. you remember? In fact.
witnessed his wages of the negro girl,
tragedy. Well. well. Who would have
believed that old slave. her father.
would have run mad at losing herr A
shocking affair. truly, and one 1 shall
never get out Of my mind"
Shocking. yes. But what do you
think Of rich man like Esteban, who
would leave his family destitute2 Who
would die without revealing the place
where he had stored his treasurer
Dona Isabel it Was plain. felt her
wrongs keenly. she spoke with as much
spirit il her husband had permitted
himself to be killed purely out of spite
toward her.
De Castano shook his round bullet
head. saying with some impatience:
You attn believe in that treasure. ehg
NY dear sonora. the only treasure
and your admirable self" Immedi-
ately the speaker regretted his words.
for he remembered. too late. that Dona
Isabel was reputed TO be a trife un-
treasure.
II do not believe: I know the
widow answered. with more than nee
essary vehemence. What became OF
III He never gave any to me. for he
was mirer You know. as well as L.
that he carried on stupendous bust
ness in slaves and sugar. and Ii was
peso for fear Of his enemies. Blu.
where? Where? That Is the question"
You. IL any one. should know, after
all the years you have spent in hunting
milo. Almost before Esteban was buried
you began the search. People said you
were going to tear this house down"
We'll. never found q trace. I HAD
noles dug in the garden. too"
You see? No, sonora. IT Is possible
to hide anything except money. M
man can conceal that where another
will not ind it,
1sabers face had grown hard and
avaricious. even during this brief talk:
her eyes were glowing: plainly she was
as far as ever from giving up her long
cherished conviction.
Il don't ask anybody to believe the
story" she said. resentfuliy. IAN the
same. it Is true. There are pieces Of
Spanish gold and silver coins in boxes
bound with iron and fitted with hasps
and staples: packages OF gems: pearls
from the Caribbean as large as plums-
Oh. Sebastian told me all about it,
OF course, of course. shall not
argue the matter" Don Mario dis
missed the subject with a wave of his
plump hand. Now, Dona Label
"As If it were not enough to lose
that treasure" the widow continued.
stormily. the government must free
all our slaves. Use, Use, And now
that there is no longer profit in sugar.
my plantations-'
NO profit in sugar? What are you
saying" queried the caller.
oh. you have way of prospering!
What touches your fingers turns to
an administrator
Precisely! I am my own manager.
If your crops do not pay. then Pancho
Cueto is cheating you. He 10 capable
OF IT.. Get rid of him. But I didn't
come here to talk about Esteban's hid
den treasure, nor his plantations. NOR
Pancho Cueto. came here to talk
about your stepdaughter. Rosa"
So Dona Isabel looked up ouicklys
'She interests me. She is more beau-
tiful than the stars" DON Mario rolled
his eyes toward the high ceiling, which,
like the sky. was tinted vivid ceru-
lean blue. She personifes every vir-
tue; she is-delectable." He pursed his
wet lips. daintily picked a kiss from
between them with his thumb and nm
ger and snapped it into the air.
Inasmuch as Isabel had always hated
the girl venomously she did not trust
herself to comment upon her callers
enthusiasm.
She is now eighteen the fat sutton
went on. ecstatically. 'and so altogether
charming. But why waste time in
pretty speeches. 1 have decided to
marry her.
De Castano plucked a heavily scented
silk handkerchief from his pocket and
wiped beading of moisture from his
brow and upper lip. He had a habit of
perspiring when reused from his usual
lethargy.
Rosa has will Of her own" guard
edly ventured the stepmother.
rally; so have we all. Now. let w
speak plainly. You know me. I am a
person of importance. am rich
enough to afford what I want. and I
pay well. You understand? Well. then.
you are Rosa's guardian. and you can
bend her to your desires"
II that were only So" exclaimed the
woman. She and Esteban-what chill
dren! What tempers-just like their
fathers, They have never liked me:
they disobey me at every opportunity:
they exercise the most diabolical in
genuity in making my life miserable.
they were to be their fathers heirs.
you know, and they blame me for his
death. for our poverty and for all the
other mfsfortunes that have overtaken
U.S. We live like cats and dogs"
Don Mario had been drumming his
fat fingers impatiently upon the arm OF
his chair. Now he exclaimed:
Your pardon. sonora, but am just
now very little interested in your do
mestic relations: they do not thrill me-
as my own prospective happiness does.
What you~say about Rosa only makes
me more eager, for I loathe a sleepy
woman. Now tell me, is She Has
she any-affairs of the hearth"
N-no. unless perhaps a Irritation
with that young American, Juan O'Reil-
~" Don Isabel gave the name its
Spanish pronunciation of "O'Railye."
Juan O'Reilly? O'ReiIly? Oh, yes!
But what has he to offer a woman? He
That Is what I tell her Oh, ft
hasn't gone far as yet"
Good" Don Mario rose to leave. for
the exertion Of his ride had made him
thirsty. You may name your own re-
ward for helping me, and I Will pay It
the day Rosa marries me. Now kindly
advise her of my intentions and tell
her | shall come to see her soon"
1t was quite true that Johnnie O'Reil.
ly-or The O'Reilly.'' as his friends
called him-had little in the way OF
worldly advantage to offer any girl,
and it was precisely because Of this
fact that he had accepted a position
here In Cuba, where. from the very ma
ture of things, promotion was likely TO
be more rapid than in the New York
Office of his firm. He had come to this
out-of-the-w place prepared to live
the lonely life OF an exile, IL an OrReilly
brief time he had been glum enough
But the O'Reillys. from time imme-
mortal, had been born and bred to exile:
it was their breath. their meat and