Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-03
CHAPTER XxIII-Continued from Last
Sunday
INTO THE CITY OF DEATH.

~ ROSSING a rocky ridge, oRelliy
N VI and his guide at last emerged
III upon an open slope, knee-high
W in grass and grown up to
bottle palms, those queer, distorted
trees whose trunks are swollen into
the likeness of earthen water Jars.
Scattered here and there over the
meadows were the dead or fallen trunks
of another variety, the cabbage paim'
the green heart of which had long
formed a staple article of diet for the
insurrectos. Spanish axes had been at
work here. and not a single tree re-
manned alive. The green floor of the
valley farther down was dotted with
the other the royal kind. that monarch
OF tropic vegetation which lends to
the Cuban landscape its peculiar and
distinctive beauty.
"Yender is the canino." said the coun-
tryman. pointing into the valley; lit
will lead you to the main road; and
there"-he turned to the northward-
sis Matanzas. Go with God. and don't
drink the well water, which is pol
1uted from the rains" With a smile
and a wave of the hand the man turn
ed back and plunged into the jungle.
AS OReiiIy descended the slope he
realized keenly that he was alone ana
in hostile territory. The hills and the
woods from Plnar del Rio to Orlente
Were Cuban, or, at most they were dis
puted ground But here in the plains
and valleys near the cities Spain was
supreme From this moment on O'Rell-
ly knew he must rely entirely upon
himself. The success of his enterprise
his very life-hinged upon his eau
ton, his powers of Discrimination. his
ability to pass as harmless. helpless
pacifico. 1t gave him an unaccustomed
thrill. by no means pleasant
The road. when he came to it, proved
to be n deep gutter winding between
red clay banks cut by the high wheels
OF clumsy cane carts. Inasmuch as no
crops whatever had been moved over
the road during the past season, 1T was
now little more than an oozy. sticky
rut. Not roof, not chimney, was
in sight; the valley was deserted. Here
was fertile farming country-and
yet no living thing. no SOUND OF pelis,
no voices, no Growing cocks, no lowing
cattle. II was depressing to ORellly.
and more. for there was something
menacing and threatening about II all:
Toward neon the breeze leSSened and
it became insufferably hot y bank
of clouds in the east promised cool
ing shower. so Johnnie sought the near
esi shade to wait for it, and took ad-
vantage of the delay TO eat his slenoer
lunch. He was meditatlVeIy Inuhchins
a sweet potato when SOUND at ms
back caused him to leap to his rect On
alarm. He whirled, then uttered an
exclamation of amazement seated not
fifty feet away was bare-ieSSed poy.
similarly engaged m eatihE a;s broWn
Cheeks were distended. his bright. in
ouisitive eyes were hXed upon " Reilly
from beneath defiant scowl; H..
Jacket" cried the man. -" nat Inc
devil are you doing here?
YOU goin' to let me come along.
CHALLENGED the intruder.
SO, You followed me. after SAID
didn't want you?" O'Reilly spoke re-
proachfully: but reproaches had no Ell
fact mon the lad With a mild exple-
tive, Jacket signified his contempt LOT
such weak form of persuasion.
See here now" o'Reilly stepped
closer. Lets be sensible about this"
Rut Jacket scrambled to his feet and
retreated warily, stuffing the uneaten
portion of the sweet potato into ms
mouth 1t was plain that he had no
confidence in OReilly's intentions. Nut
tering something in muff1ed voice, ne
armed himself with stout Stuck.
- Come here" commanded the Ameri-
Jacket shook his head. He made
painful attempt to swallow, and when
his utterance became more distinct ne
consigned his idol to warmer place
than Cuba
I'm a tough kid he declared Don't
get gay on me-
The two parleyed briefly: then. when
satisfied that no violence was lnteboed
him, the boy sat down to listen But,
as before, neither argument nor appeal
had the slightest effect upon him.
He denied that he had followed his
benefactor; he declared that he was
free agent and at liberty to go where
he willed. If it SO CHANGED that his
fancy took him to the city of Matanzas
at the same time O'Reilly happened to
be travelling thither, the circumstance
might be put down to the long arm of
coincidence. If his company were dis
tasteful to the elder man, o.Reilly was
matter of complete Indifference to
Jacket He had business in Matanzas
and he proposed to attend to it. The
boy lied gravely. unblushingly. Never
theless, he kept vatchful eye upon
Very WELL" o'Reilly told him. finally.
ct give in
Jackets face instantly lit up. He ra-
dated good humor; he hitched his body
closer.
BY - I get my own way. don't
1?' he laughed.
Indeed you do" o'Reilly laid a hand
fondly upon his loyal follower. "And I
don't mind telling you that I'm more than
half glad of it Il was getting lonesome.
didn't know how much l could miss you.
But now We must make some plans. we
must have an understanding and decide
who we are. Let me see-your real name
Is Narciso-''
''Narciso Villar''
well. then. 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 toeethero''
During the breathless' interval before
the shower the two sat with their heads
together. talking earnestly. As the wind
came and the cooling rain began to rattle
on the leaves overhead they took up their
bundles and set out. The big drops
drenched them quickly. Their thin gar
msnts chung 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 lengthen-
ed his short strides to O'Reilly's He
tried to whistle, but his teeth chartered
ard the wind interfered. SO he hummed
song. to drive the chill out of his bones
and to hearten his benefactor Now tina t
he was at last accepted as full partner
In this enterprise. il became his duty not
only to share its perils. but to lessen its
hardships and TO yield diversion
The rain was cold, the briers beside
the overgrown path We're sharp and they
scratched the boys bare legs cruelty. his
stomach clamored for companion to that
solitary sweet potato. too, but in his
breast elowed ardor and pride Jacker
considered himself fortunate person.
very fortunate person. indeed Had he not
found a brother. and did not that broth
er love him? There was no doubt abou,
the latter, for O'Reilly's eyes when he
looked down. were kind and smiling