Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-05-30

under the leadership Of a beardless =
hnv-a band of blacks who were max.
ing the upper valley unsafe for Span
ish scouting parties.
Cursing the name Of Varona, Pancho
Cueto armed himself. He did not ven.
ture far alone, and, like Donna Isabel
before him, he began to have bad
dreams at night.
One day a field of Cueto's cane was
burned, and his laborers reported see
ing Esteban and some negroes riding
into the wood. The overseer took
horse within the hour and rode pell.
nell to Matanzas. In the city at this
time was a certain Colonel Cobo, in
command of Spanish volunteers, those
execrable convict troops from the Isle
of Pines whose atrocities had already
marked them as wolves rather than
men, and to him Pancho went with
his story.
"Ah. yes! That Varona boy. I've
heard of him." Cobo remarked, when
his caller had finished his account. HE
has reason to hate you, l dare say, for
you robbed him. The colonel smiled
disagreeably.
Cucto murmured something to the
effect that the law had placed him in
his position as trustee for the CROWN,
9nd should therefore protect him; but
Colonel Cobo's respect for the law, it
seemed, was slight. In his view there
was but one law in the land, the law
of force.
"Why do you come to me?" he asked.
"That fellow is a desperado," Pan
cho declared. "He should be de-
stroyed."
"Bah! The country is overrun with
desperadoes of his kind, and worse.
Burning crops is nothing new. I'd
make an end of him soon enough, but
nearly all of my men are in C%ardenas.
We have work enough to do"
"Td make it worth while, if you could
put an end to him." Pancho said, hes
itatingly. Then, recalling some of
those stories about Colonel Cobo, he
added, "There are two Of them, you
know, a boy and a girl"
"Ah, yes! 1 remember"
II can direct you to the house of
Asensio, where they live"
"Um-m!" Cobo was thoughtful. "A
girl. How old is she?"
Eighteen"
!, "Ugly as an alligator, I'll warrant"
"Ha. The most ravishing creature
i, in all Matanzas. All the men We're
mad over her."
| Colonel Cobo, the guerrilla, licked
i, his full, red lips and ran a strong,
square hand over his curly, short
cropped hair. "You say you know
where she-where they are living?"
"Ah, perfectly It's less than a
nights ride. There's no one except.
the boy to reckon with"
!, "How much is he worth to your"
. bluntly inquired the soldier, and Cueto
sat down to make the best terms pos
sible.
"Do you think he received my let
: ter?" Rosa asked Of her brother one
evening as they sat on the board bench
by AsensiO's door. 1t was a familiar
question to Estebaa; he had answered
it many times.
ooh, yes! % he declared. LOPEZ mes
/. senger got through to Key West"
"Then why doesn't he Gomez"
= "But, my dear, you must be patient.
Think Of his difficulties"
This subject always distressed young
Varona; therefore he changed it.
Come! You haven't heard of my good
fortune. I captured another fine snake
today, a big, sleepy fellow. Believe me,
he'll wake up when I set fire to his
tail. He'll go like the wind, and with
every foot he goes away will go more
of Pancho Cueto's profits"
"You intend to burn more Of his
felds? absently inquired the girl. "It
seems terrible to destroy our own
) property"
Esteban broke out e%xcitedly; he
), could not discuss Pancho Cueto with
:. out losing control of himself. "Would
!. you permit that traitor to fatten upon
, he profits of our plantations? 1 shall
.uin him, as he ruined u.s."
. Rosa shook her dark head sadly.
: And we are indeed ruined. Think Of
our beautiful house; all Our beautiful
: .hings, too! We used to consider our
! selves poor, but-how little we knew
If real poverty. There are so many
: :hings l want. Have We nothing left?"
II thought it best to buy those rifles"
he brother murmured, dropping his
, eyes. 1T was one chance in a mil
j ion"
mo doubt it was. 1t seems those
= Spaniards will sell their souls"
. Exactly. We can dig food from the
! earth and pluck 1t from the trees, but
good Mausers don't grow on every
= bush. Besides, Of what use would
money be to us when we have no place
:. to spend it,"
"True!" After q moment Rosa
y pnrcod olo,,J . IST ,yop1or 20 T,,ofo found