Judsonia weekly advance., 1918-06-19
my own pockets now these many


 "I paid them. The receipts are in 2 my name."
 "Heavenl Such perfidy! And you who knew him!"
 "The deeds have been lost for SO long that the property would have re- verted to the crown had it not been for me. You doubt that eh? We'll. ap- peal to the court and you will find that it is true. Now, then, let us be frank. Inasmuch as we're both in much the same fix, hadn't we better continue our present arrangements?" He stared unblinkingly at his listener. "Oh, I mean 1t Is 1t not better for you to 1 be content with what my generosity prompts me to give, rather than to l risk ruin for both by grasping for too much?"
 "The outrage! I warrant you have grown rich through your stealing" Isabel's voice had gone flat with con- sternation.
 "Rich? We'll, not exactly but com fortably we'll off" Cueto actually smiled again. "No doub. my frankness is a shock to you. You are angry at my proposition. eh? Never mind. You will think better of it in time, if you are sensible woman. But now, since at last we enjoy such confidential re- lations, let us have no more of these miserable suspicious of each other. Let us entirely forget this unpleasant misunderstanding and be the same good friends as before"
 vi Do silent moment in polite expectancy; then receiving no intelligible reply, he bowed low and left the room.
 To the avaricious Donna Isabel Cue to's frank acknowledgment of theft was maddening, and the realization that she was helpless, nay, dependent upon his charity for her living. fairly crucified her proud spirit.
 All day she brooded, and by the time evening came she had worked herself into such state of nerves that she could eat no dinner. Some time during the course of the evening wild idea came to Isabel. Knowing that the man. ager would spend the night beneath her roof, she planned to kill him. At q merely matter of a dagger or pis- tol, while he slcpt-but further thought revealed appalling risks and difficult ties, and she decided to wait. Poison l was far safer.
 a Constant breeding over the treasure had long since affected Donna Isabels brain, and as consequence she often pn1 nod oh ,.<,1 nh I it again tonight, and, strangely enough, her dreams were pleasant. Sebastian appeared, but for once he neither cursed nor threatened her; and Este- ban, when he came, was again the lover who had courted her in Ha- bana. It was amazing, delightful. Esteban and she were walking through the grounds of the quinta and he was telling her about his casks of Spanish sovereigns, about those boxes bound with iron, about the gold and silver or naments of heavenly beauty and the pearls as large as p1ums. As he talked Isabel felt herself grow hot and cold with anticipation; she experienced spasms of delight.
 Then of a sudden Isabels whole dream-world dissolved She awoke, or thought she did, at hearing her name shouted. But although she underwent the mental and the physical shock of being startled from slumber, although she felt the first swift fright of a per son aroused to strange surroundings, she knew on the instant that she must still be asleep; for everything about her was dim and dark, the air was cold Before she could half realize her con- dition she felt herself plunged into space. She heard herself scream hoarsely, fearfully. and knew, too late. that she was indeed awake. Then whirling chaos A sudden, binding crash of lights and sounds Nothing more!
 Esteban Varona sat until late hour that night over Il letter which required the utmost care in its composition. 1t was written upon the thinnest of pa. per, and when 1t was finished the writer inclosed it in an envelope of the same material. Esteban put the letter in his pocket without addressing 1t. Letting himself out into the night, he took the path that led to the old sunken garden. He passed close by the well, and its gaping mouth, only half protected by the broken coping, reminded him that he had promised Rosa to cover 1t with blanks. In it's present condition it was menace to