Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-09-06

save II lIOHl Tie SpdultlIIlS, Oh0llly
explained lamely.
''Humph! Nobody ever had more
| money than he wanted The boys dis
| gust at such credulity was plain. .oThis
well looks just like any other, only
| deeper; you'd better look out that you
| don't break your neck like that fool
| ish old woman, that Donna What's
! Her-Name."
O'Reilly did indeed feel that he was
| making himself ridiculous; neverthe-
| less, he made the rope fast and swung
| himself down out of the sunlight, leav-
!, ing Jacket TO stand guard over him.
| Perhaps fifteen minutes later he reap
| peared, painting from his exertions.
| He was wet, Shiny; his clothes were
| streaked and stained with mud.
Jacket began to laugh shrilly at his
/ appearance.
"Ha! What a big lizard is this |!
| Your beautiful garments are spoiled.
And the treasure? Where is it?" The
lad was delighted. He bent double
with mirth; he slapped his bare legs
und stamped his feet in glee.
O'Reilly grinned good-naturediy,
| and replaced the planks which had
covered the orifice, then hid the rope
in some nearby bushes. On their way
back he endured his young friends
banter absent-mindedly, but as they
neared Asensio's house he startled
jacket by saying, sCan you manage
to find pickax or crowbar?"
Jackets eyes opened; he stopped in
the middle of the dusty road. "What
did you see down there, compadre
| Tell me-"
Nothing much. Just enough to
make me want to see more. Do you
think you can steal some sort Of a
tool for me?"
| 81 can try"
"Please Go. And remember, say
nothing before Asensio or his wife. =
Rosa met O'Reilly just inside the
door, and at sight of her he uttered
an exclamation of surprise, for during
| his absence she had removed the stain
| from her face and discarded that dis
figurement which Evangelina had fit
ted to her back prior to their depart
ure from the Pan de Matanzas, She
| stood before him now, straight and
| slim and gracefulEthe Rosa Of his
dreams, only very thin, very fragile.
| Her poor tatters only enhanced her
| prettiness, so he thought.
Rosa, dear! Do you think this is
quite safe?'. he ventured, doubtfully.
| Evangelina, who was bending over
| her husband, Strengthened herself and
| came forward with a smile upon her
| black face.
"She is beautiful, Ell? Too beautiful
| to look at? What did I tell your"
| Rosa was in delightful confusion at
O'Reilly's evident surprise and admi-
| ration. "Then I'm not so altogether
changed?" she asked.
/ "Why, you haven't changed at ALL
except to grow more beautiful. Evan
| gelina is right; you are too beautiful
to look at. But wait |" He drew her
aside and whispered, "I've been down
in the WELL" Some tremor in his
voice, some CLINT in his eyes, caused
the girl to seize him eagerly, fiercely
IT may be wrong" he said hurriedly
"there may be nothing in it-and yet
I saw something"
"Whatw
"Wooden beams, timbers Of some
sort, behind the stone curbing." II
was plain Rosa did not comprehend
so he hurried on. "At first I noticed
nothing unusual, except that the bot
tom Of the we'll is nearly dry-filled
up, you know, with debris and stuff
that has fallen in from the curbing
above, then / saw that although the
well is dug through rock, nevertheless
1t is entirely curbed up with stones
laid in mortar. That struck me as
| queer"
"Yes?"
81 noticed, too, in one place that
there was wood behind-as if timbers
| had been placed there to cover the
entrance to cave. You know this
Cuban rock is full Of caverns."
Rosa clasped her hands, she began
to tremble. 'sYou have found it,
| O'Reilly. You have!' she whispered
''No, no, I've found nothing yet. But
I've sent Jacket for a pick or a bar
and tonight I'm going to pull down
those stones and see what is behind
| them"
.To night? You must let me 60
too. I want to help"
every we'll. But meanwhile you
| mustn't let your hopes rise too high,
for there is every chance that you will
be disappointed. And don't mention
| it to Evangelina. Now, then, I've a
| few pennies left and Tn going to buy
some candles"
| Rosa embraced her lover impulsive-
| ly. Something tells me it is true
Something tells me you are going to
save us ALL"
| Evangelina in the far corner of the
hut muttered to her husband: "Such
| love-birds! They are like parrakeets,
forever kissing and cooing!"