Mexico Missouri message., 1918-08-15

indeedI That means something %
hide. oh, IL l could only help yOu"
"Heavensi II / only had some
thing-anything to work With" NUT
tered the American as he fell to with
redoubled energy. He no longer tried
to conserve his strength, for the
treasure seekers lust beset him. Rosa
looked on, wringing her hands and urg-
Ing him to greater haste.
But the low, thick door was built of
some hard, native wood: It was wet
and tough and slippery. O'Reilly's
blows made no impression upon IL, nor
upon the heavy hasps and staples with
which 1t was secured in. place. The
latter were deeply rusted. to be sure,
but they withstood his efforts, and he
was finally forced to rest, baflled, en-
raged, half hysterical from weakness
and fatigue.
Daylight was at hand once more, but
he refused to give up, and worked on
stubbOrnly, furlously, until Rosa, In
an agony, besought him to desist.
Johnnie again collapsed on the grass
and lay painting while the other two
replaced the planks.
"Another hour and I'd have been into
It," he declared, huskily.
"You will skin yourself" Jacket told
him.
Rosa bent over him with shining
eyes and parted lips. "Yes," said she.
"Be patient. We will come back,
O'Reilly, and tonight we shall be rich"
. .
Colonel Cobo lit q black cigarette,
leaned back in his chair, and exhaled
two fierce jets of smoke through his
nostrils. For full moment he scowled
forbiddingly at the sergeant who had
asked to see him.
"What's this you are telling me?"
he inquired finally.
The sergeant, a mean-faced, low
browed man, stirred uneasily.
"It Is Gods truth. There are spirits
on La Cumbre, and wish to see the
priest about It,"
"Spirits? What kind of spirits?"
The fellow shrugged. EVIL spirits
spirits from hell. The men are buying
charms"
"Bahl I took you to be q sensible
person"
"You don't believe me? Well, I
didn't believe them when they told me
about it. But I saw with my own
eyes,"
sCobo leaned forward, mildly aston.
ished. OF all his villainous troop, this
man was the last oh be he had credited
with Imagination OF this sort. "What
did you seer
"a ghost, my colonel, nothing else.
La Cumbre is no place for an honest
Christian"
The colonel burst into mocking
laugh. "An honest Christianl You
OF all my vile ruffians, you are the
vilest. Why, you're thief, liar, and
un nssassinl You are lying to me now.
Come-the truth for once, before give
you the componte."
''As God is my Judge, I'm telling you
the truth" protested the soldier. ''Flog
me If you will--rather the componte
than another night in those trenches.
You know that old quintaT
'Where Pancho Cueto made a goat
of himself? Perfectly. Do you mean
to say that you saw old Esteban Va
roma walking with his head in his
hands"
''No, but I saw that she-devil who
fell In the well and broke her neck"
'rEh? When did you behold this
this marvel?"
1.-TWO nights ago. She was there be-
side the well and her face shone
through the night like lantern. There
was fire upon it. She came and went,
like a moth in the lamplight. 1 tell
you I repented Of my sins. Some of
the men laughed at me when / told
them, as they had laughed at the 9th
ers. But last night two of the doubt
ers went up there"
CTo BE CoNTINUED.)