Meade County news., 1918-08-22
CHAPTER xvIII-cOntinued.

that II means little to me-" she con-
fessed. II have you, and-well, with
you at my side can face the worst"
"Oh, we won't give up until we have
TO-" he assured her. "If had money
1t would be a simple proposition to
bribe some guard to pass us through
the lines. but have spent all that Cen
eral Betancourt gave me-" He
shoothed back Rosa's dark hair and
smiled reassurlngly at her. swell, I'll
manage somehow; so don't worry your
pretty head. I'll find the price, If l
have to waylay old Don Mario and rob
him. Don't you think / look like a
bandit2 The very sight Of me would
terrify that fat rascal"
'To me you are beautiful" breathed
the girl. Then she lowered her eyes.
"La, la! How I spoil you'll have
quite forgotten how to be ladylike. Isa-
bel was right when she called me a
bold and forward hussy. Now, then,
please turn your face aside, for wish
to think, and so long as you look at
me cannot-I make love to you bra
Eenly. Seel Now, then, that Is much
better. shall hold your hand, so.
When / kiss 1t you may look at me
again, for q moment" Drawing her
self closer to O'Rellly, Rosa began
thoughtfully: "Before you came I more
than once was on the point Of appeal
ing to some Of my former friends, but
they are all Spaniards and we are no
Ionger-sImpatIco. you understand"
Rosa paused for his answer.
Perfectly; I'm In the same fix. OF
all the people 1 used to know there
isn't one but would denounce me If I
made myself known. Now that I've
been lighting with the insurrectos, I
daren't even go to the American consul
for help-if there is an American con-
sui"
Rosa nodded, then continued, hesl-
tatingly: 'T had vivid dream last
night Perhaps 1t was portent. Who
knows? 1t was about that stepmother
of mine. You remember how she met
her death7 wrote you"
Eyes, and Esteban also told me-"
at was he who recoyered her body
from the well. One day, while we
were in hiding, away up yonder In tire
Yumuri, he showed me an old coin I"
81 know" O'ReilIy said quickly. 'Tte
told me the whole story. He THINKS
that doubIoon is clue to your fathers
SOrtune, butt can't put much faith IN
In fact, I didn't believe until this
,oment that there was doubloon st
j." '"r
"Oh, indeed there was! I saw it."
There was moment of silence dur
ing which the lovers were obllvious to
al but each other. then Rosa MUIR
INJURED: "How strangel Sometimes
your eyes are blue and sometimes gray.
Does that mean that your love, too,
can changer
"Certainly not. But come, what
about Esteban and that doubloonT
With an effort the girl brought her
self back to earth. swell, it occurred
to me. in the light of that dream last
night, that Esteban may have been
right. OF course nobody outside of
our family credits the old story, and
yet my father was considered a very
rich man at one time. Pancho Cueto
believed In the existence of the treas
ure, and he was In position to know
"TrueI Perhaps. after all
OReilly frowned medltatlvely.
Rosa lifted herself upon her elbow
her eyes sparkling. "Wouldn't 1t be
wonderful if 1t were true2 Just think
ORellly, cases of Spanish gold. silver
coins In casks. packages of gems. Oh
I've heard Isabel talk about 1t Otter
enough"
Don't forget those pearls from the
caribbean. as large as plums," Johnny
lnlled. ~ could never quite swallow
hat. A pearl the size Of currant
lould buy our freedom right now
liter moment he went on, more seri
ously: 1--WE notion to look into thai
old well this very afternoon. L
dare say I'm foolish, but-somehov
the story doesn't sound so improbable
as 1t did. Perhaps 1t is worth lnves
tigatlng-" He made up his minC
swiftly. T-Tm off this very instant
When O'Rellly emerged from the hu
he found Jacket industrlously at worl
over fragment of grindstone whicl
he had somewhere unearthed. The bo.
looked up at his friends approach ant
held out for inspection a long, thin file
which he was slowly shaping into {
knife-blade.
"What do you think of that2" h
queried proudly. "It may come Il
handy when we are ready to clear Ou
Of this pesthole."
"Where did you get It'll"
"Oh, stole 1t. 1 steal everything
an lay my hands ON nowadays. On
hn never tell when he may have
hroat to cut, and file has good stee
b It." '
"Slnce you are such an accom-
plished thief, do you think you coul
steal something for me-" O'Rellly ii
quired. "A piece OF roper" M
"Rope" Jacket was puzzled. ''Rop
is only good for hanging Spaniard
My friend in the fish market hns