Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-08-16

III is GODS truth. There are SPIRITS
on La Cumbre, and l wish TO see til,
priest about it,
Spirits? What kind of spirits?"
The fellow shrugged evil spirits
spirits from hell. The men are buying
charms"
Bah! took you to be a sensible
person."
you don't believe me? Well,
didn't believe them when they told me
about it. But saw with my own
eyes
Cobo leaned forward, mildly aston
ished. OF all his viilalnous troop. this
man was the last one he had credited
with imagination Of this sort. 'Whai
did you see?'
"a ghost. my colonel, nothing else
La Cumbre is no place for an honest
Christian
The colonel burst Into n meekine
laugh. "An honest Christian You
OF all my vile ruffians, you are the
vilest. Why, you're thief, a liar, and
an assassin! 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. "Flos
me if you will--rather the eomponte
than another night in those trenches
You know that old quinta?"
'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?"
mo, but I saw that shedevil who
fellin the well and broke her neck
Eth? When did you behold this
this marvel?" 49,
1.-TWO nights ago. She was there be-
side the well and her face shone
through the night like a lantern. There
was fire upon it. She came and went,
like moth in the lamplight. ! tell
you l repented of my sins. Some of
she 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"
Exactly. And they saw nothing"
"Your pardon, my colonel. They
came back in aacold sweat, and they
spent the night on their knees. The
woman was there again. You have
seen the salt sea at night? Well, her
face was aglow, like that. so they said.
They heard the clanlling of chains, too.
and the sound Of hammers. coming
from the very bowels of the earth. II
is all plain enough, when you know
the story. But it is terrifying"
'"This is indeed amazing" Cobo &C.
knowledged, shut of course there is
some simple explanation Spirits, If
indeed there are such things, are made
of nothing-they are like thin air.
How, then, could they rattle chains
You probably saw some wretched pa
cificos in search of food and imagined
the rest"
Indeed! Then what did hear with
these very ears? Whispers, murinurs,
groans, and the, clinkety-clink of old
Sebastian's chisel. For his sins that
old slave is chained in some cavern of
the mountain. Soundless! I'm no
baby! / know when Pm asleep, and /
know when I'm awake. That place is
accursed. and want no more of it."
Z Cobo fell into frowning meditation.
allowing his cigarette to smolder down
until it burned his thick fingers. He
was not q superstitious man and he
put no faith in the supernatural, new
ertheless he was convinced that his
sergeant was not lying, and reference
to Pancho Cueta had set his mind to
working along strange channels. Re
had known Cueto well, and the latter's
stubborn belief in the existence of that
Varona treasure had more than once
impressed him. He wondered now if
others shared that faith, or If by
the whereabouts of the money and
were conducting secret search. 1t
was fantastic idea, nevertheless
Cobo told himself that If people were
prying about those deserted premises
it was with some object, and their ac-
tons would warrant observation. The
presence of the woman-a woman
with the glow of phosphorus upon her
face was puzzling. but the whole affair
was puzzling. He determined to inves-
tigate. After a time he murmured, Il
should like to see this spirit
The sergeant shrugged. 1t was plain
from his expression that he could not
account for such desire. Another
night is coming" said he.
"Good! I shall visit the place, and
If l see anything unusual I-well, /