The Monticellonian., 1918-08-16

Well then. l shall be Juan Villar, your brother Henceforth we shall speak nothing but Spanish. Tell me now. what was our fathers name, where was our home, and what are we doing together?"
 During the breathess interval be fore the shower the two sat with their heads together, talking earnestly As the wind came and the cooling rain be- gan to rattle on the leaves overhead they took up their bundles and set out. The big drops drenched them quickly. Their thin garments clung to them and water streamed down their bodies; overhead the sky was black and rent by vivid streaks of fire, but they plodded onward cheerfully.
 Jacket was himself again; he bent his weight against the tempest and heightened his short strides to O'Reil- ly's. He tried to whistle, but his teeth chattered and the wind interfered. so he hummed song, to drive the chill out of his bones and to hearten his benefactOr. Now that he was at last accepted as full partner in this enter prise, it became his duty not only to share it's perils, but to lessen it's hard ships and to yield diversion
 The rain was cold the briers beside the overgrown path were sharp, and they scratched the boys bare legs cru ely; his stomach clamored for a com panion to that solitary sweet potato too. but in his breast glowed ardor and pride. Jacket considered himself fortunate persona very fortunate person, indeed. Had he not found brother, and did not that brother love him? There was no doubt about the latter, for O'Reilly's eyes, when he looked down, were friendly and inti- mate. Here was a man to die for
 The downpour lasted but short time, when the sun came out and dried the mems clothes; on the whole, it had been refreshing When evening came the Villar brothers sought refuge in an old sugar mill. or rather in part of it still standing. They were on the main calzada now, the paved road which links the two main cities of the island. and by the following noon their destination was in sight
 O'Reilly felt sudden excitement when Matanzas came into view. From this distance the city looked quite as it did when he had left it, except that the blue harbor was almost empty of shipping. while the familiar range of hills that hid the Yumuri-that valley of delight so closely linked in his thoughts with Rosa Earona-seemed to smile at him like an old friend. For the thous0ndth time he asked himself if he had come in time to find her. or if fate's maddening delays had proved his own and the girls undoing.
 OReilly knew that although Matan- gas was q prison and a pesthole. a girl like Rosa would suffer in perils inf nitely worse than imprisonment or dis ease. It was a thought he could not bear to dwell upon.
 Signs of life began to appear now, the travellers passed small garden patches and occasional cultivated fields; they encountered loaded carts bound into the city, and once they hid themselves while column of mounted troops went by.
 O'Reilly stopped to pass the time of day with wrinkled cartman whose deiected oxen were resting
 "Going into the city, are you?" the fellow inquired Starved out, I sup pose. We'll, it's as pleasant to starve in one place as another"
 Jacket helped himself to a stalk of 6I T it with his teeth.
 "WiG the soldiers allow us to enter?" Johnnie inquired.
 "Of course. Why not? The old man laughed mirthlessly; then his voice changed. "Go back" he said, "go back and die in the fields. Matanzas stinks of rotting corpses. Go back where the air is clean." He swung his long lash over the oxen, they leaned against the load, and the cart creaked dismally on its way.
 It is never difficult to enter q trap, and Matanzas was precisely that. 1 There were soldiers everywhere. but beyond an indifferent challenge at the outer blockhouse, q perfunctory ques- ton or two, Narciso and Juan Vilar experienced no trouble whatever in passing the lines. Discipline, never l strict at best, was extremely lax at the brick fortinas along the roads, and. since these two refugees were too poor to warrant search, they were waved onward by the sentries. They obeyed i silently; in aimless bewilderment they shuflled along toward the heart of the city. Almost before they realized it they had run the gantlet and had Joined that army of misery, fifteen 1 thousand strong. The hand of Spain i had closed over them.