Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-07-09

| do you hear, EstebanT Norine
shook her patient by the shoulder.
"She's alive. Oh can't you see that 1t
always pays to believe the best?"
alive! Safe!" Esteban whispered.
His eyes, when he opened them. were
swimming; he clutched Norine's hand
tightly; his other hand he extended to
OReilly. "a reconcentrado In Ma
tanzas! Well, that's good. We have
friends there-they'll not let her
starve. This makes new man of me.
See! I'm strong again. I'll go to her"
You'll go?" quickly cried Miss
Evans. you'll goI You're not strong
enough. 1t would be suicide. You.
with price upon your head! Every
body knows you there. Matanzas is
virtually walled city. There's sick
ness, too-yellow fever. typhus-"
Exactly. And hunger, also. I sup
pose no one has taken Rosa in? Those
concentration camps aren't nice places
for girl"
"But wait! have friends in Wash
ington. They're influential. They will
cable the American consul to look after
her. Anyhow, you mustn't think of re-
turning to Matanzas," Norine faltered
her voice caught Unexpectedly and She
turned her face away.
O'Reilly nodded shortly. you're a
sick man." he agreed. There's no need
for both of us to CO."
Esteban looked up. "1Then you"
81 leave at once. The Old Man has
given me commission to General Be-
tancourt, and I'll be on my way in an
hour. The moon is young; I must
cross the trocha before"
THAT trochaw Esteban was up on
his elbow again. BE careful there,
O'Reilly. They keep a sharp lookout,
and it's guarded with barbed wire. Be
sure you cut every strand. Yes, and
muffie your horses hoofs, too, in cross
ing the railroad track. That's how we
were detected. Pablo's horse struck
rail, and they fired at the sound He
fell at the first volley, riddled. Oh,
know that trocha !"
% the trocha !" O'Reilly ex-
claimed. Eat last I've got chance to
do something. God! How long I've
waited"
Esteban drew O'Reilly's tense form
down and embraced his friend, after
the fashion of his people. "She has
been waiting, too," he said, huskily.
eve Varonas are good walters, O'Reil-
ly. Rosa will never cease waiting I'M
til you come. Tell her. for me-
Norine withdrew softly out of ear
shot. There were lump in her throat
and a pain in her breast She had ac-
quired a peculiar and affectionate in
terest in this unhappy girl whom she
had never seen, and she had learned to
respect O'Reilly's love. The yearning
that had pulsed in his voice a moment
before had stirred her deeply it awoke
throb in her own bosom, for O'Reilly
was dear to her. The pacificOs, accord
ing to all reports, were dying like flies
in the prison camps. Norine wondered
If there might not be terrible heart
ache at the end of O'Reilly's quest?
Her face was grave and worried when,
hearing him speak to her, she turned
to take his outstretched hand.
"You will be careful, won't your
she implored. "And you'll be stout of
heart, no matter what occursT'
He nodded. 'It's a long way back
here to Cubitas. You may not see or
hear from me again."
81 understand" She choked miser-
ably. "You mean you may not come
back. Oh, Johnnie %
'Tut, tut! We O'Reillys have more
lives than a litter of cats. 1 mean 1
may not see you until the war is over
and we meet in New York. Well, we've
been good pals, and-I'm glad you
came to Cuba" His grasp upon her
two hands was painful.
''You must go, know, and wouldn't
try to keep you, but" Norine faltered,
then impulsively she drew him down
and kissed him full upon the lips. For
Rosa I" she whispered. Her eyes were
shining as she watched him pass swift
ly out of sight.