Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-08-06

whereupon heavy hand reached forth
and seized her. She found herself
staring upward into a face she had
grown to know in her nightmares, a
face the mere memory of which was
enough to freeze her blood. 1t was a
hideous visage, thick-lipped, flat-fea-
tured, black; 1t was disfigured by a
scar from lip to temple and out of 1t
cleaned pair of eyes distended and
ringed with white, like the eyes of a
man insane.
For an instant Rosa made no sound
and no effort to escape. The appari-
ton robbed her of breath, it paralyzed
her In both mind and body. Her first
thought was that she had gone stark
mad, but she had felt Cobos hands
upon her once before and after her
first frozen moment of amazement she
realized that she was in her fullest
senses. A Shrek sprang to her lips.
she tried to fight the man off, but her
weak struggle was like the fluttering
of a bird. Cobo crushed her down,
strangling the half-uttered cry.
Terror may be so intense, so appal-
ling as to be uncomfortable. In Rosa's
case a merciful oblivion overlook her.
She felt the world grow black, fall
away; felt herself swing dizzily
through space.
OReilly looked upward, 1nquiring,
sharply, whats the matter" He
heard scuffiing of feet above him, but
received no answer. "Rosa! What
frightened you? Rosa l' There was
moment of sickening suspense, then he
put his shoulder to the timbers he had
displaced and, with violent shove,
succeeded in swinging them back into
place. Laying hold of the rope, he be-
gan to hoist himself upward. He had
gone but little way, however, when
without warning, bis support gave way
and he fell backward; the rope came
pouring down upon him. "Rosai" he
called again in a voice thick from
fright. Followed an instant of silence !;
then he f1attened himself against the
side of the well and the breath stuck
in his throat.
Into the dim circle of radiance above
a head was thrust-a head, a pair of
wide shoulders, and then two arms.
The figure bent Closer and O'Reilly
recognized the swarthy features of that
man he had seen at the Matanzas rail-
road station There could be no doubt
of tit was Cobo.
The men stared at each other silent
ly, and Of the two Cobo appeared 10 be
the more intensely agitated. After a
moment his gaze fixed itself upon the
opening into the treasure chamber and
remained there. AS If to make entirely
sure uf what he had overheard, he
stretched his body farther, supporting
it by his outflung arms, then moved
his head from side to side for a bet
ter view. He seemed to rock over the
mouth of the well like a huge, fat,
black spider. He was the first to speak.
"Am l dreaming? Or-have you
really discovered that treasure" he
queried.
O'Reilly's upturned face was ghast-,
ly. He wet his lips. He managed to
whisper Rosas name.
1.-THE riches of the VaronasI What a
findW Cobo's teeth shOne white in the
grin of avarice. "Yes, 1 see nova
cavern in the rock. Well, well And
you are the spirit of Sebastian, chained
in the bowels of La Cumbre. Hai
These are the ghosts" He began to
chuckle. but the sound of his malevo-
lent merriment was like the hiccough-
ing of drunken man.
'Rosa! What have you done"
Cobo ran on unheeding: "It must be
a great treasure, indeed, from all &C
counts--the ransom of a dozen kings.
That's what Cueto said, The ransom of
a dozen kings! Those were his very
words"
The fellow continued to sway him
self back and forth, peering as If his
eyes were about to leave his head. For
q long moment or two he utterly disre-
garded O'Reilly, but finally as he
gained more self-control his gaze shift
ed and his expression altered. He
changed his weight to his left arm and
with his right hand he drew his re-
volver.
"What are you doingT O'Reilly
cried, hoarsely.
The colonel seemed vaguely sur
prised at this question. Fool Do you
expect me TO share it with your" he in
CURED
"Wait! There's enough-for all of
u.s." O'Reilly feebly protested; then. as
he heard the click of the cooked
weapon: "Let me out. I'll pay you
welI-make you rich" In desperation
he raised his shaking hand to dash out
the candle, but even as he did so the
colonel spoke, at the same time care
fully lowering tie revolver hammer !,
"You are right. What am L thinking
about7 There must be no noise.
Caramba A pretty business that
would be. wouldn't It? With my r1en
running up here to see what it was
all about No, no No gunshots. no
disturbance of any kind. You under
stand what mean. eh?"
His face twisted into a grin as he
tossed the revolver aside, then under
took TO detach stone from the crum-
bling curb. 'No noisel" he chuckled.
mo noise whatever"
O'Reilly. stupef1ed by the sudden ap-
pearance of this monstrous creature.
stunned by the certainty of a catas-
trophe to Rosa, awoke to the fact that
this man intended to brain him where
he stood. In q panic he cast his eyes
about him. thinking to take shelter In
the treasure-cave. but that retreat was
closed to him, for he had wedged the
wooden timbers together at the first
alarm. He was like rat in pit. ut
terly at the mercy of this maniac. And
Cobo was a maniac at the moment; he
had so far lost control of himself as to
allow the stone TO slip out of his grasp.
II fell with thud at O'Reilly's feet,
causing the assassin to laugh once
more.