Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-06-28

ANA
Casting aside all p~retense, the owe
seer exclaimed "Por Ell amor de Dios
An end TO this! l know why you sen
for me. You think { have been rob
bling you. Wen. to be honest. so
have. Why should l toll as / do Will
you and those twins live here In lux
ury and id~leneSS. sQuande.ing none,
to which you have no right?"
"Have lost my ~reasong" gasped tn,
widow. mo rlght?"
AT least no better right than l
Don't you understand? You have n,
title to these plantations! They are
mine, for have paid the taxes out o,
my own pockets now these many
years"
Taxes! What do you mean?"
I paid them. The receipts are In
my name"
Heaven! Such pertidy! And you
who knew him"
THE deeds have been lost for 81
long that the property would have re-
verted to the crown had it not been
Tor me. You doubt that, eh? We'll. M.
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 Tx, hadn't we better continue
our present arrangements" He stared
unhlinkingly at his listener. "Oh. I
mean 1t! Is II not better for YOU to
DE content with what my generosity
prompts me to give, rather than to
risk ruin for both by grasping for too
much?"
The outrage warrant you have
grown rich through your stealing"
lsabeFs voice had gone tiat with con-
sternation.
"Rich? Well, not exactly, but com.
fortably well OF" Cueto act,allv
smiled again. mo doubt my frankness
is a shock to you. You are angry Mt
my proposition, eh? Never mind. You
Will think better Of it in time, II Won
are II sensible woman. But now. since
at last we enjoy such confidential re-
%lattons, 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"
Having said this, Pancho Cucto stood
silent a moment in polite expectancy:
then receiving no ineligible reply. no
bowed low and left the room.
10 the avaricious Donna Isabel Cue
los frank acknowledgment of theft
was %maddenlng, and the realization
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 a state of nerves that she
could eat no dinner. Some time during
Inc course Of the evening a wild idea
,ame to Isabel. Knowing that the man
lger would spend the night beneath
Ter roof, she planned to kill him. AT
lrst 1t seemed a simple thing to do
merely a matter of a dagger or a pis-
oil, while he slept-but further thought
evealed appalling risks and difficult
les, n she decided to wait. Poison
vas far safer.
constant brooding over the ~treasurs
ad long since affected Donna isabelle
ram, and as n consequence she often
about 1t. She dreamed about {
again tonight, and, strangely enough. |
er dreams were pleasant. Sebastian
ppeared, but for once he neither I
nrSed nor threatened her; and Este I
an, when he came, was again the q
'ver who had courted her In Ha- V
ma 1t was amazing, delightful. e
steban ana she were walking through
lie grounds of the quinta and he was /
ling her about his casks Of Spanish
'vereigns, about those boxes bound =
It'll iron, about the gold and silver or
lments of heavenly beauty and the
'arls as large as plums. AS he talked
abel felt herself grow hot and cold
i'm anticipation; she experienced =
asms of delight. =,
Then OF a sudden Isabel's whole G,
dissolved. She awoke, or G;
ought she did, ut hearing her name q,
outed. But although she underwent =,
e mental and the physical shock OF -,
iNw ,Anu4Iur o. ~
startled from slumber, although -
G felt the first swift fright Of a Der 81
\ aroused to strange surroundings, 81
. knew on the instant that she must ~
be asleep; for everything about =,
was dim and dark, the air was cold ~
u damp, wet grass rose to her knees. e.
fore she could half realize her cor. b.
ion she felt herself plunged into ~
ice. She heard herself scream -,
'rsely, fearfully, and knew, too late. -.
t she was indeed awake. Then =,
lrling chaos A sudden, binding
sh OF lights and sounds Nothing A.
re! III
Var0na sat until a late hour
t night over a letter which required Loo
utmost care In Its composition. II TN
written upon the thinnest Of pa- mn
and when 1t was finished the 81,
ter inc!osed it in an envelope of the oh,
e material. Esteban put the letter c,t
MS pocket without addressing II It.