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

"What's That?" Gasped the Negro.
| had abruptly swerved to her right,
movement which brought her danger
| ously close to the lip Of the well.
"Stop! Go back!" screamed the
youxg man.
| Above his warning there came
shrek, shrll and agonized-a wall of
such abysmal terror as to shock the
night birds and the insects into still
ness Donna Isabel slipped, or Stun
| bled, to her knees, she balanced briefly,
clutching at random while the earth
and crumbling cement gave way be-
meath her; then she slid forward and
| disappeared, almost out from between
Estebans hands. There was a noisy
| rattle of rock and pebble and a great
| splash far below; a chuckle of little
stones striking the water, then a faint
| bubbling. Nothing more. The stepson
stood in his tracks, sick, blind with
horror; he was sWaying over the open
| ing when Asensio dragged him back.
PanchO Cueto, being a heavy sleeper,
outcries. When he had hurriedly
| slipped into his clothes in response to
| the pounding on his door, the few serv-
ants that the establishment supported
had been thoroughly awakened. Cuet0
thought they must be out of their
minds until he learned what had be-
fallen the mistress of the house. Then,
| being a man Of action, he too issued
swift orders, with the result that by
the time he and Esteban had run to
| the we'll rope and lantern were ready
| for their use. Before Esteban could
form and fit loop for his shoulders
there was sufficient help on hand TO
lower him into the treacherOus abyss.
| That was a gruesome task which fell
to Esteban, for the we'll had been long
unused, it's sides were oOZing slime, its
waters were stale and black. He was
on the point of fainting when he finally
climbed out, leaving the negroes to
hoist the dripping, inert weight which
he had found at the bottom.
| Old Sebastian's curse had come
| true; Donna Isabel had met the fate
he had called down upon her that day
when he hung exhausted in his chains
and when the flies tormented him.
| The treasure for which the woman had
intrigued so tirelessly had been her
death. Furthermore, as if in grim
NEST irony, she had been permitted at
| the very last to find it. Living, she
| he. 10 TOO
ever; dying, she had almost grasped
it in her arms.
Once the first excitement had abated
and a messenger had been sent to
town, Cueto drew Esteban aside and
questioned him.
"a shocking tragedy and most Pc
culiar," said the overseer. Nothing
could amaze me more. Tell me, how
did you come to be there at such an
hour, eh?''
Esteban saw the malevolent curios-
ity in Cueto's face and started. Ct
That is my affair. Surely you don't
! think
"Come, come! You can trust me-"
1uS OFeISCSI WIuhcU anu SLuIASu.
81 had business that took me there"
stiffiy declared the younger man.
Exactly! And a profitable BUSH
ness it provedw Cueto laughed openly
now. "Well, I don't mind telling you
Donna Isabel's death is no disappoint-
ment to anyone. Anybody could see"
"Stopl'' Esteban was turning alter
nately red and white. "You seem to
| imply something outrageous"
| 'Now let us be sensible. I under
stand you perfectly, my boy. But an
officer of the Guardia Civil may arrive
at any moment and he will want to
know how you came to be with your
| stepmother when she plunged into that
| trap. SO prepare yourself
Young Varona was watching his in
| quisitor now with family speculative
frown. When Cueto had finished, Es-
| teban said:
s'You would like me to confess to
some black iniquity that would make
| us better friends, Ell? Well, it SO hap
pens that / was not alone tonight, but
that another person saw the poor wom-
| ans death and can bear me out in ev-
erything / say. No, Pancho, you over
reach yourself. Now, then"-Esteban
was quick-tempered, and for years he
| had struggled against an instructive
distrust and dislike of the plantation
nager-"remember that have be-
come the head of this house, and your
| employer. You will do better to think
| of your own affairs than of mine. ]
intend to have a careful reckoning
! with you. I think you know I have a