Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-09-27
CHAPTER xVIII-cOntInued.

fessed. 81 have you. and-well, with
you at my side l can face the worst"
"Oh. we won't give up until we have
b." he assured her. "If l had money
q would be q simple proposition to
bride some guard to pass US through
the lines, but l have spent all that Gen
eral Betancourt gave me-" He
Emoothed back Rosa's dark hnir md
smiled reassuringly at her. "Well, I'll
manage somehow: so don't worry your
pretty head. I'll find the price, II l
have to waylay old Don Mnrio and rob
him. Don't you think l look like II
bandit1 The very sight OF me would
terrify that fat rascal"
ITO me you nre beautiful" breathed
The girl. Then she lowered her eyes.
ia, lai How ! spoil you'll I have
quite forgotten how to be ladylike. lsa-
bel was right when she called me n
bold and forward hussy. Now, then,
please TURF your face aside, for wish
to think, and so long as you look at
Ult IHNJllliIl IIuh' l'NN w f'N ''"
Eenly. Seel Now, then. that Is much
better. I shall hold your hand, 80.
when / kiss It you may look at me
ngain, for a moment" Drawing her
self closer to O'Rellly, Rosa began
thoughtfully 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-simpntlco, you understand"
Rosa paused for his answer.
Perfectly I'm in the snme fix. OF
all the people l used to know there
isn't one but would denounce me II I
made myself known. Now that I've
been fighting with the insurrectos, I
daren't even 90 to tho American consul
for help-if there IL IN American con-
sui"
Rosa nodded, then continued, hest
tatingly: II had a vivid dream last
night. Perhaps II was q portent. Who
knows2 1t was about that stepmother
Of mine. You remember how she met
her death2 I wrote you
eyes, and Esteban also told me-"
cit wns he who recovered her body
from the well. One day. while we
were in hiding. away up yonder in the
YumurL- he showed me Al old colin"
81 know" O'Reilly said quickly. "He
told me The whole story. He thinks
thut doubloon Is a clue to your fathers
fortune but-I can't put much firth In
n. In fact, I didn't believe until this
moment hat there was a doubloon Mt
all"
"Oh, indeed there wnsl I saw It."
There was a moment Of silence dur
ing which the lovers were Obvious to
all but each other, then Rosa muir
INJURED: GLOW strnngel Sometimes
your eyes are blue and sometimes gray.
Does that mean that your love, too,
can change"
"Certainly not. But come, what
about Esteban and TINT doubloon1"
With nm effort the girl brought her
self back to earth. "Well, 1t occurred
to me, in the light of that dream last
night. that Esteban may have been
right. or course nobody outside of
our family credits the old story, and
yet my father was considered n very
rich man ut one time. Pancho Cueto
believed In the existence OF the treas
ure, and he was In a position to know
True! Perhaps. after ALL
O9sellly frowned meditatively.
Rosa lifted herself upon her elbow
her eyes sparkling. wouldn't 1t be
wonderful II 1t were true2 Just think
ORellly, cases of Spanish gold, silver
coins In casks, packages Of gems. Oh
I've heard Isabel talk about 1t Otter
enough"
Don't forget those pearls from thu
Caribbean. as large as plums," Johnn,
smiled. II could never quite swallow
that. A pearl the size of q curran
would buy u freedom right now.
After a moment he went on, more serI
ously: i've q notion to look into thu
old well this very afternoon. l.
dare say Tn foolish. but-somehoy
the story doesn't sound so improbabl
as 1t did. Perhaps It Is worth inves
t1gnting-" He made up his min
swiftly. Tim off this very instant.
Ween O'Rellly emerged from the hu
he found jacket industriously at wor
over a fragment Of grindstone whic
he had somewhere unearthed. The bo
looked up at his friends approach an
held out for inspection u long, thin nj,
which he was slowly shaping into
knife blade.
what do you think Of that?" h
queried proudly. "Tt may come 1
handy when we are ready to clear on
of this ~pesthole." d.
"Where did you get III"
"Oh. I stole II. 1 steal everything
.<an lay my hands on nowadays. On
can v tell when he may have
throat to cut. and a file has good ste,
In It."
Since you are such an accom-
tpiished thief. do you think you coul
steal something for mel" O'Reilly II
CURED. "A piece of roper"
Roper" jacket was puzzled. "Rop
- only good for hanging Spaniardl
NY friend In the fish market has
tvoiandra. and-perhnps 1 can rob hir
o. Q halyard." Laying aside his tasl