Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-08-03

\ f5s FL.
bladder of flesh, ard he rode the
streets deaf to the plaints of Starving
children. blind to the misery of be-
seeching mothers. Rosa shrank into
a doorway and drew her tattered shawl
closer over her face for fear Don Ma
rio might recognize in this misshapen
body and in these pinched, discolored
features the beauteous blossom he had
crayed. ~
Nor did she forget Colonel CobO. The
mans memory haunted her, asleep and
awake; of him she Was most desperate
ly afraid. When for the first time she
saw him riding at the head of his cut
threats she was like to swoon in her
tracks, and for whole day thereafter
she covered in the hut, trembling at
every sound. s9A
/, In these dark hours she recalled the
stories Of the old Varona treasure and
Esteban's interesting theory Of It's
whereabouts, but she could not bring
herself to put much faith In either. OF
course it was barely possible that there
was indeed a treasure, and even that
Esteban's surmise had been correct.
But 1t was little more than q remote
possibility. Distance lends q rosy
color to reality to our most absurd
imaginings, but. like the haze that tints
q far-off landscape, it dissolves upon
approach. Now that Rosa was here, In
sight Of the ruined quintn itself, her
hopes and half-beliefs faded.
More than once she was tempted to
conf1de in Evangelina and Asensi9 hut
she thought better of it.ssAltllangh ssif4
put implicit faith In Evahgeiina's dis
erection, she knew that Asensio was not
the sort of fellow to be trusted with a
secret of great magnitude-he was
boastful, laxative, excitable; he WIS
Just the sort to bring destruction upon
all of them. Rosa had sufficient intel
ligence to realize that even If she found
her fathers riches they would only
constitute another and greater men.
ace to the lives of all of them. Never
theless, she wished to set her mind at
rest once for all. Taking Evangelina
with her, she climbed La Cnmbre one
day In search of roots and vegetables.
1t turned out to be sad experience
for both women. The negress wept
noisily at the destruction wrought by
by painful memories. Little that was
familiar remained; evidence of Cue
to's a1l-devouring greed spoke from the
sprouting burrows his men had dug,
from the naked trees they had felled
and piled in orderly heaps, from the
I stones and mortar of the house itself.
! The well remained, although it had
been planked over, but 1t was partially
filled up with rubbish, as Rosa discov-
cred when she peered into It. Only a
! tiny pool OF scum was in the bottom.
After a long scrutiny the girl arose.
convinced at last Of her brothers delu-
sion. and vaguely ashamed of her own
credulity. No. if ever there had been
treasure, it was hidden elsewhere:
all Of value that this well contained for
Rosa was her memory of happiness
departed. OF such memories, the well,
the whole place, was brimfuL Here.
as child, she had romped with Este
ban. Here, as girl, she had dreamed
her first dreams, and here O'Reilly, her
smiling knight, had found her. Yonder
was the very spot where he had held
her in his arms and begged her to
await the day of his return. Well, she
had waited.
But was that Rosa Varona who had
promised so freely and SO confidently
|, this pitiful Rosa whose bones pro-