Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-08-30

see: ! had finished telling you about
the fight at La Joya. l was telling you
how I tainted. Some good people found
me a few hours after l lost conscious
ness. They supposed 1 had been at
tackled by guerrillas and left for dead.
Finding that I still had life In me, they
took me home with them. They were
old friends from MatanZas by the
name Of Taldes-cultured people who
had fed the city and were hiding in the
manigua Ike the rest Of us"
"Not Valdes, the notaryf"
"The very same. Alberto valdes and
his four daughters. Heaven guided
them to me. Alberto was an old man:
he had hard work to provide food for
his girls Nevertheless, he refused to
abandon me. Oh. they were faithful,
patient people! You see, l had walked
east instead Of west, and. now I was
miles away from home. and the coun-
try between was swarming with Span
iards who were burning, destroying,
killing. You wouldn't know Matanxaa,
O'Reilly. 1t Is a desert.
II finally became able to drag myself
around the hut. But I had no means
Of sending word to Rosa. and the un.
certainty nearly made me crazy. My
clothes had rotted from me; my bones
were Just under the skin. I must have
been a shocking sight. Then one day
there came a fellow travelling east with
messages for Gomez. He was one Of
Lopez men, and he told me that Lo-
peg had gone to the Rubi Hills with
Maceo. and that there were none Of
our men left In the province. He told
me other things. too. II vas from him
that I learned" Esteban Varona's
thin hands clutched the edges Of his
hammock and he rolled his head weak
ly from side to side. 1T was he who
told me about Rosa. He said that Cobo
had ravaged the Yumuri and that my
sister-was gonew
"There, there! We know better now,-
O'Reilly said, soothlngly.
"It was a hideous story, a story OF
rape, murder. l wonder that I didn't
60 mad. 1t never occurred to me "a
doubt, and as a matter Of fact the Eel
low was honest enough; he really be
lieved what he told me. After the
man had finished l felt the desire tc
get away from all I had known and
loved, to leave Matanzas for new fields
and give what was left Of me to The
cause. l was free to enlist, since
couldn't reach Lopez, and l came t.
Join our forces in the Orient.
"That is how you found me In THU
province. Lopez man never delivered
these dispatches, for we were taket
crossing the trocha-at least I wa
taken, for Pablo was killed. They't
have made an end Of me, too, I dar'
say, only I was so weak. 1t seems
century since that night. My memoir,
doesn't serve me very well from tina
point, for they jailed me, and I grew
worse. I was out Of my head q goo
deal"
The two men fell silent for a while
Esteban lay with closed eyes, exhaust
ed. O'Rellly gave himself up to frowr
ing thought. His thoughts were NO
pleasant; he could not, for the life O
him, believe in Rosa's safety so I'm
! plicitly as he had led Esteban to sur
/, pose; his efforts to cheer the othe
had sapped his own supply Of hope
leaving him a prey to black mlsglving,
He was glad when Norine Evans r.
turn put an end to his speculations.
"Have you narrowed this poor man
feelings sufficiently for once1" she II
E Quired Of O'Rellly.
4 II have. I'll agree to talk abou
nothing unpleasant hereafter"
Esteban turned to his nurse. "Ther
! Is something I want to tell you both"
"Wait until tomorrow" Norine az
e vised.
But he persisted: mol I must te
It now. First, however, did either G
8 you discover an old coin in any Of n
: pockets-an old Spanish doubloon"
4 "That doubloon again !" Norine III
ed her hands protestingly, and cast
e meaning look at O'Reilly. "You talke
about nothing else for a whole weel
Let me feel your pulse"
Esteban surrendered his hand wit
0 suspicious readiness.
"You were fiat broke when We Il
o you," ORellly declared.
e "Probably. I seem to remember this
u somebody stole It,"
"Doubloons! Pieces Of eight! Coli
en- gulneas! !" exclaimed Norine. "Wh
those are pirate coins! They remin
mo Of Treasure Island; Of Long job
s Silver and his wooden leg; Of BE
Gum and all the rest"
Esteban smiled uncomprehendingl,
d "Yes? Well, this has to do with treaI
ure of the Varonas. My father burie
: 1t. He was very rich, you know, an
he was afraid Of the Spaniards. O'Rei
ly knows the story"
e Johnnie assented with a grun