Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-07-30
CHAPTER xvlII-continued.


feSsed. 81 have you, and-well, with
you at my side 1 can face the worst"
NOh, we won't give up until we have
TO-" he assured her.. eff | had money
i would be a simple proposition to
SFibe some guard to pass US through
the lines. but / have spent all that Gen.
eral Betancourt gave me-" He
SmOothed back Rosa's dark hair and
smiled reassuringly at her. swell. TIL
manage somehow; so don't worry your
pretty head. I'll find the price, If l
have to waylay old Don Mario and rob
him. Don't you think look like a
bandit? The very sight of me would
terrify that fat rascal"
ITO me you are beautiful" breathed
The girl. Then she lowered her eyes.
ia, la! How spoil you! I have
quite forgotten how to be ladylike. Isa-
bel was right when she called me a
bold and forward hussy. Now, then,
please turn your face aside, for wish
to think, and so long as you look at
me l cannot-I make love to you bra
zenly. Seel Now, then, that is much
better. / shall hold your hand, so.
When / kiss 1t you may look at me
again. for a moment" Drawing her
self closer to O'Reilly. Rosa began
fhoughtfully: Before you came I more
than once was on the point of appeal
ing to some of my former friends, but
they are all Spaniards and we are no
longer-simpatico, you understands
Rosa paused for his answer.
Perfectly; I'm In the same fix. OF
all the people / used to know there
isn't one but would denounce me IL /
made myself known. Now that I've
been fighting with the insurrectos, /
daren't even go to the American consul
for help-if there is an American con-
sui"
Rosa nodded, then continued, hest
tatingly: 81 had vivid dream last
night Perhaps it was portent. Who
knows? 1t was about that stepmother
of mine. You remember how she met
her death? l wrote you"
Eyes, and Esteban also told me-"
TT was he who recovered her body
from the well. One day, while we
were in hiding away up yonder in the
Tumurl, he showed me an old COIN"
81 know" O'Rei1iy said quickly. ''He
told me the whole story. He thinks
that doubloon is a clue to your fathers
fortune, butt can't put much faith in
u In fact, 1 didn't believe until this
RDOment that there was a doubloOn at
an"
''Oh, indeed there was! l saw It."
There was moment of silence dur
ing which the lovers were oblivious to
all but each other, then Rosa muir
INJURED: "How strange! Sometimes
your eyes are blue and sometimes gray.
Does that mean that your love, too,
Gan change"
Certainly not. But come. what
about Esteban and that doubloon?"
With an effort the girl brought her
self back to earth. "Well, it occurred
10 me, in the light of that dream last
night that Esteban may have been
right. OF course nobody outside of
our family credits the old story, and
yet my father was considered a very
gich man at one time. Pancho Cueto
believed in the existence of the treas
ure, and he was in a position to know"
true! Perhaps, after all
O'Reilly frowned meditatively.
Rosa lifted herself upon her elbow,
her eyes sparkling. wouldn't 1t be
UReilly, cases Of Spanish gold, silver
coins in casks, packages of gems. Oh,
I've heard Isabel talk about it often
enough"
Don't forget those pearls from the
Caribbean, as large as p,ums," Johnny
smiled. 81 could never quite swallow
that. A pearl the size of a currant
would buy our freedom right now
After moment he went on, more seri.
eusly: i've notion to look into that
old well this very afternoon. II
dare say I'm foolish, but-somehow
the story doesn't sound so improbable
as 1t did. Perhaps it is worth inves.
Nfgating-" He made up his mind
swiftly. "I-rm off this very instant
When O'Reilly emerged from the hut
he found Jacket industriouSly at work
over fragment of grindstone which
he had somewhere unearthed. The boy
booked up at his friends approach and
held out for inspection long, thin file
WHICH he was slowly shaping into a
knife-blade.
What DO you think of that?" he
aaeried proudly. at may come in
handy when we are ready to clear out
gd this pesthole."
where did you get itT
'-Oh. 1 stole it. / steal everything ]
can lay my hands on nowadays. One
can never tell when he may have q
throat to cut, and file has good steel
In it.r
Since you are such an accom-
Pfishad thief. do you think you could
steal something for me?" O'Reilly in
CURED. "A piece of roper"
Roper" Jacket was puzzled. "Rope
Is only good for hanging Spaniards
My friend in the fish market has a
solandra, and-perhaps l can rob him
Of halyard." Laying aside his task
jacket arose and made off In the direc
zion of the water front. He was back
within an hour, and under his shirt
he carried coil of worn but service
able rope. Without waiting TO explain
his need for this unusual article
O'Reilly linked arms with the boy and
set out to climb La Cumbre Wher
ut last they stood In the unused quarry
and Johnnie made known his intention
30 explore the old well, Jacket re
Earded him with undisguised amaze
ment.
''what do you expect TO find down
steref" the latter inquired.
TO tell you the truth. !, don't really
expect to find anything" the man con
Fes.ed. "Now that I'm here, I'm he
ginning to feel silly; nevertheless. Tn
going to have p look for the hidden
treasure of the Varonas."
SHidden treasure From Jacket: