Courier Democrat., 1918-08-29

pewter or some base metal, but he saw
that it was Of solid silver. Evidently
he had uncovered a store Of old Span
ish plate.
In one corner of the chest he saw
metal box of the sort in which valuable
papers are kept, and after some effort
he managed to break it open. Turning
back the lid, he found first bundle of
documents bearing imposing scrolls
and heavy seals. Despite the damp
ness, they were in fairly good condi-
tion, and there was enough left of the
writing to identify them beyond all
question as the missing deeds of patent
to the Varona lands-those crown
grants for which Donna Isabel had
searched so fruitlessly. But this was
not all that the smaller box contained.
Beneath the papers there were numer-
Gus leather bags. These had rotted;
they came apart easily in O'Reilly's
fingers, displaying miscellaneous as
sortment of unset gems-some of them
at first sight looked like drops of blood,
others lie drops of purest water. They
were the rubies and the diamonds
which had brought Isabel to her death.
O'Reilly waited to see no more.
Candle in hand, he crept out into the
we'll to apprise Rosa of the truth.
"We've got it! There's gold by the
barrel and the deeds to your land. Yes,
and the jewels, too-a quart of them,
guess. II can't believe my eyes" He
showed her handful Of coins. "Look
at that! Doubloons, eagles! There ap-
pear to be thousands of them. Why,
you're the richest girl in Cuba. Rubies,
diamonds-yes, and pearls, too, 1 dare
say" He choked and began to laugh
weakly, Historically.
'I've heard about those pearls" Rosa
cried, shrilly. "Pearls from the Carib-
bean, as large as plums. Isabel used
to babble about them in her Sleep"
''I found those deeds the first thing.
The plantations are yours now, beyond
any question"
Rosa drew back from her precarious
position, for she had grown limp from
weakness and her head was whirling.
AS she rose to her feet she brushed
something, somebody, some flesh-and-
blood form which was standing almost
over her. Involuntarily she recoiled
topping upon the very brink of the pit
whereupon heavy hand reached forth
and seized her. She found herself
staring upward into face she had
grown to know in her nightmares, a
face the mere memory of which was
enough to freeze her blood. 1t was a
hideous visage, thick-lipped, fat-fea-
tured, black; it was disfgured by a
scar from lip to temple and out of it
cleaned a pair of eyes distendeG and
rinsed with white, like the eyes of a
man insane.
For an instant Rosa made no sound
and no effort to escape. The appari-
, ton robbed her Of breath, it paralyzed
her in both mind and body. Her first
: thought was that she had gone stark
mad, but she had felt Cobo's hands
upon her once before and after her
hrst frozen moment Of amazement she
realized that she VAS in her fullest
senses. A shrek sprang to henr: n: lips,
she tried to fight the man off, but her
weak struggle was like the futterlng
of bird. Cobo crushed her down,
strangling the half-uttered cry.
Terror may be so intense, so appal-
ling as to be uncomfortable. In Rosa's
case merciful oblivion overlook her.
She felt the world grow black, fall
away; felt herself swing dizzily
through space. $500:
O'Reilly looked upward, 1nqulrlng,
Sharply, "What's the matter?" He
heard scuft1ing of feet above him, but
received no answer. "Rosa! What
frightened you? Rosaw There was
moment of sickening suspense, then he
put his shoulder to the timbers he had
displaced and, with violent shove,
succeeded in swinging them back into
place. Laying hold of the rope, he be-
gan to hoist himself upward. He had
gone but little way, however, when,
without warning, his support gave way
and he fell backward; the rope came
pouring down upon him. "Rosa!" he
called again in a voice thick from
fright. Followed an instant Of silence;
then he flattened himself against the
side Of the we'll and the breath stuck
In his throat.
Into the dim circle of radiance above
head was thrust-a head, pair of
wide shoulders, and then two arms.
The figure bent closer, and O'Reilly
recognized the swarthy features of that
man he had seen at the Matanzas rail-
road station. There could be no doubt
of tit was Cobo.
The men stared at each other silent. |
ly, and Of the two Cobo appeared to be
the more intensely agitated. After
moment his gaze fixed itself upon the
opening into the treasure chamber and
remained there. AS if to make entirely
sure Of what he had overheard, he
stretched his body farther, supporting
1t by his Outflung arms, then moved