The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-09-26

/ H1gorS, displaying q miscellaneous as
sortment of unset gems-some Of them
at first sight looked like drops of blood,
others like drops Of purest water. They
were the rubies and the diamonds
which had brought Isabel to her death.
O'Reilly waited TO see no more.
Candle in hand, he crept out into the
well to apprise Rosa of the truth.
We've got it! There's gold by the
barrel and the deeds TO your land. Yes,
and the jewels, tOo-a quart of them, 1
guess. II can't believe my eyes" He
showed her handful of coins. ''Look
at that 'Doubloons, eagles! There ap-
pear to be thousands of them. Why,
you're the richest girl in Cuba. Rubies,
diamonds-yes, and pearls, too. 1 dare
say" He choked and began to laugh
weakly, Historically.
give heard about those pearls Rosa
cried, shrilly. pearls from the Carib-
bean. as large as plums. Isabel used
to babble about them in her sleep"
| ST found, those deeds the first thing
The plantations are yours now, beyond
any question"
Rosa drew back from her precarious
position, for she had grown limp from
weakness and her head was whirling.
As she rose to her feet she brushed
something, somebody, some flesh-and-
blood form which was standing almost
over her. Involuntarily she recoiled,
topping upon the very brink of the pit,
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; it was disfgured by a
scar from lip to temple and out Of it
cleaned a 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 Cobo's 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 of, but her
weak struggle was like the fiutterine
OF 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.
O'Reilly looked upward, 1nquiring
sharply, whats the matterT' He
heard scufling Of feet above him, but
received no answer. Rosa What
frightened you? Rosa % There was a
! moment of sickening suspense, then he
put his shoulder to the tinbers he had
displaced and, with a 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 a little way, however, when
without warning, his support gave way
and he fell backward; the rope came
pouring down upon him. ROSA !" 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.
l Into the dim circle Of radiance above
! head was thrust-a head, a pair Of
{ wide shoulders, and then two arms
The figure bent closer, and O'Reilly
l recognized the swarthy features OF thai
i man he had seen at the Matanzas rail
i road station. There could be no doub
? of tit was Cobo.
The men stared at each other silent
e II, and OF the two Cobo appeared to b
r the more intensely agitated. After {
:. moment his gaze fixed itself upon thu
g opening into the treasure chamber ant
o remained there. AS If to make entirel.
t sure of what he had overheard, b
e stretched his body farther, supporting
s it by his outfung arms, then moves
), his head from side to side for bet
a ter view. He seemed to rock over tn
e mouth of the well like a huge, fat
y black spider. He was the first to speak
d "Am 1 dreaming7 Or-have yol
e really discovered that treasurer b
" queried.
d O'ReiIlys upturned face was ghasi
e IL. He wet his lips. He managed t
e whisper Rosa's name.
IS 1.-The riches of the Varonasi What
1 ING , BSElu SnO0C Willie III IL
II grin OF avarice. Eyes, see now
?. cavern In the rock. Well, WE'LL An
't you are the spirit OF Sebastian, ehaine
II in the bowels of La Cumbre. Ha
D These are the ghosts" He began t
g chuckle. but the sound Of his malevC
le lent merriment was like the hiecougf
ID ing OF a drunken man.
b Rosa! What have you done"
IS Cobe ran on unheeding: "It must
L a great treasure, indeed, from all a.
e, counts-the ransom Of a dozen king
n That's what Cueto said. The ransom {
st dozen kingsp Those were his yer
lg words"
Of The fellow continued to sway hin
" self back and forth, peering as If b
" eyes were about to leave his head. Fc
n q long moment or two he utterly disr
garded O'Reilly, but finally as h
q gained more self-control his gaze shift
lie ed and his expression altered. 3
1T changed his weight to his left arm an
~ with his right hand he drew his r
OF volEer.
Is "what are you doingT oRein