Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-06-07

tOl. NIlllc lie SISpt--Oul u 1iSi eAAoeseoi-e
revealed appalling risks and difficult
ties. and she decided to wait. Poison
was far safer.
Constant brooding over the treasure
had long since affected Donna lsabels
brain, and as a consequence she often
dreamed about it. She dreamed about
ii again tonight, and, strangely enough,
her dreams were pleasant. Sebastian
appeared, but for once he neither
cursed nor threatened her; and Este
ban. when he came, was again the
lover who had courted her in Ha-
bana. It was amazing, delightful.
Esteban and she were walking through
the grounds of the quinta and he was
telling her about his casks of Spanish
sovereigns, about those boxes bound
with iron, about the gold and silver or
naments of heavenly beauty and the
pearls as large as plums. AS he talked
Isabel felt herself grow hot and cold
with anticipation; she experienced
spasms of delight.
Then of sudden ,Isabel's whole
dream-world dissolved. She awoke, or
thought she did, at hearing her name
shouted But although she underwent
the mental and the physical shock of
being startled from slumber, although
she felt the first swift fright of a per-
son aroused to strange surroundings,
she knew on the instant that she must
still be asleep; for everything about
her was dim and dark, the air was cold
and damp, wet grass rose to her knees.
Before she could half realize her con
dition she felt herself plunged into
space. She heard herself scream
hoarsely, fearfully, and knew, too late,
that she was indeed awake. Then
whirling chaos A sudden, binding
crash of lights and sounds Nothing
more
y
Esteban Varona sat until late hour
that night over letter which required
the utmost care in it's composition. 1t
was written upon the thinnest of pa
per, and when it was finished the
writer inclosed it in an envelope of the
same material. Esteban put the letter
in his pocket without addressing it.
Letting himself out into the night, he
took the path that led to the old
sunken garden. He passed close by
the well, and it's gaping mouth, only
half protected by the broken coping,
reminded him that he had promised
Rosa to cover it with planks. In it's
present condition it was a menace to
animals, if not to human beings who
were unaware of it's presence.
Seating himself on one of the old
stone benches, the young man lit a
cigarette and composed himself to
wait. He sat there for a long time,
grumbling inwardly, for the night was
damp and he was sleepy; but at last
figure stole out of the gloom and
joined him. The newcomer was a rag
ged negro, dressed in the fashion of
the poorer country people.
''Well, Asensio, / thought you'd
never come. I'll get fever from this"
Esteban said irritably.
cit is long way, Don Esteban, and
Evangelina made me wait until dark.
tell you we have to be careful these
days"
"What is the news? What did you
hear?"
Asensio sighed gratefully as he seat
ed himself. "One hears a great deal,
but one never knows what to believe.
There is fighting in Santa Clara, and
Maceo sweeps westward"
Taking the unaddressed letter from
his pocket, Esteban said, 81 have an
other message for Colonel Lopez"
''That Lopez He's here today and
there tomorrow; one can never find
| him."
"Well, you must find him, and i'm
mediately, Asensio. This letter con-
tains important news-so important, in
fact Esteban laughed lightly-"that
If you find yourself in danger from the
Spaniards I'd advise you to chew it up
and swallow it as quickly as you can"
HTll remember that" said the negro,
'sfor there's danger enough. Still,
fear these Spaniards less than the
| guerrilleros: they are everywhere.
They call themselves patriots, but they
are nothing more than robbers.
They"
Asensio paused abruptly. He seized
his companion by the arm and, lean
| ing forward, stared across the level
| garden into the shadows opposite.
| Something was moving there, under
the trees; the men could see that it
was white and formless, and that it
pursued an cratic course.
"What's that?" gasped the negro. He
began to tremble violently and his
breath became audible. Esteban was
compelled to hold him down by main
| force. Its old Don Esteban, your Ia
ther, They say he walks at midnight,
carrying his head in his two hands"
| Young Varona managed to whisper,
with some show Of courage: flush
Wait! I don't believe in ghosts" New
ertheless, he was on the point of set
ting Asensio an example of undignifled
| flight when the mysterious object
emerged from the shadows into the
| open moonlight; then he sighed with
| poIinf Now, cooi II Sc NV