Judsonia weekly advance., 1918-09-11


 he started and stiffened in his tracks. He fixed fascinated stare upon the fellow.
 | Colonel CObo seemed no little pleased by the reception he created. With his chest arched and his black eyes gleaming inadvertently he swag- gered through the press, clicking his heels noisily upon the stone flags. When he had gone Jacket voiced a vicious oath.
 So that is the butcher of babies I" exclaimed the boy. "Well. now, I should enjoy cutting his heart out" OReilly's emotions were not entire " unlike those of his small companion. His lips became dry and white as he tried to speak.
 what brute That face Ugh !"
 He found himself shaking weakly, ana discovered that a new and wholly unaccountable feeling of discourage ment had settled upon him. He tried | manfully to shake it off, but somehow failed, for the sight of Rosa's arch enemy and the mans overbearing per sonality had affected him queerly. | Cobo's air of confidence and authority | seemed to emphasize O'Reilly's impo- tence and bring it forcibly home to him. To think of his lustful persecu- ton of Rosa Varona, moreover, terri ned him. The next day he resumed his hut-to-hut search, but with listless- ness that came from a firm conviction that once again he was too late.
 That afternoon found the two friends among the miserable novels which en- clrcied the foot of La Cumbre, about the only quarter they had not explored. Below lay San Severino, the execution place; above was the site of the old Varona home. More than once on his way about the city O'Reilly had lifted his eyes in the direction of the latter, feeling great hunger to revisit the scene of his last farewell to Rosa, but through fear of the melancholy effect 1t would have upon him he had thus far resisted the impulse. Today, how ever, he could no longer fight the mor- bid desire and so, in spite of Jackets protest at the useless expenditure of effort, he set out to climb the hill Of course the boy would not let him go alone.
 Little was said during the ascent. The La Cumbre road seemed very long and very steep. How different the last time O'Reilly had swung up it! The climb had never before tired him as it did now, and he reasoned that hunger must have weakened him even more than he realized. Jacket felt the exer- tion, too; he was short of breath and he rested frequently. O'Reilly saw that the boys bare, brown legs had grown bOny since he had last noticed them, and he felt sudden pang at having brought the little fellow into such a plight as this.
 Well, hombre," he said when they paused to rest, "I'm afraid we came too late. Pm ..fraid we're licked"
 Jacket nodded listlessly; his opti- mism, too, was gone. "They must all be dead or we would have found them before this,' said he. When O'Reilly made no answer he continued, "It is time we thought of getting away from here, eh?"
 Johnnie was sitting with his face in his hands. Without lifting his head he inquired: How are we going to get away? It is easy enough to get into Matanzas, but" He shrugged hope lessly.
 Jacket frightened at the thought of escape. "Ho! I'll bet we can find hole somewhere" said he. We're not like these others. They haven't the spirit to try There was moment of silence, and then: "Caramba You remember those jutias we ate? They were strong but I would enjoy the smell of one now. Eh? Another week of this and we shall be living on garb- age like the rest of these poor peo- ple."
 Leaving Jacket to take his time, Johnnie completed the climb alone, meditating upon the boys words. "The spirit to try!" Where had his spirit gone, he wondered. Perhaps it had been crushed beneath the weight of misery he had beheld; surely he had seen enough. Hourly contact with sick ness and misfortune on such gigantic scale was enough to chill anyone's hopes, and although his sensibilities had been dulled, his apprehensions had been quickened hour by hour. Now that he looked the matter square ly in the face, 1t seemed absurd to be- lieve that tender girl like Rosa Va roma could long have withstood the hardships of this hideous place; strong CT people than she had succumbed, by the hundreds. Even now the hospitals