Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-03

and discovered that new and wholly
unaccountable feeling OF discourage.
ment had settled upon him. He tried
manfully to shake 1t OF. but some
how 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 i'm
potence and bring 1t forcibly home to
him. To think of his lustful persecu-
ton of Rosa varona. moreover, terri
fed him. The next day he re-
sumed his hut-to-hut search, but with
a listlessness 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-
circled the foot of La Cumbre. about
the only quarter they had not explored.
place; above was the site of the old
Verona home. More than once on his
way about the city O'Reiily 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
it would have upon him he had thus
far resisted the impulse. Today, how
ever, he could no longer fight the NOR
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
than he realized. Jacket felt the ex
ertion, too: he was short of breath
and he rested frequently. OReilly saw
that the boys bare. brown legs had
them. and he felt a sudden pang at
having brought the little fellow into
such a plight as this.
We'll, hombre," he said when they
paused to rest. Tn afraid w, we came
Jacket nodded listlessly; his optim-
ism, too, was gone. They must all be
dead or we would have found them be-
fore this" said he. When o'Reilly
time we thought of getting away from
here, eh?" "A
Johnnie was .sitting' with his face in
his hands. Without lifting his head he
inquired: How are we going to get
Matanzas, but He shrugged hope
'1essly.
From where the two sat they could
see on the opposite hillside a section
fence which girdled the city and made
of it a huge corral. Spaced at regular
intervals along the intrenchments were
slow-moving. diminutive figures. SEN
tries on their well worn paths.
Jacket frightened at the thought of
escape. "Ho! I'll bet we can find a
hole somewhere" said he. We're not
like these others. They haven't the
spirit to try" There was a moment of
silence, and then: "Carambai You re-
member those jutias we ate? They
were strong, but I would enjoy the
smell of one now: Eth? Another week
of this and we shall be living on gar
bage like the rest of these poor peo-
pie"
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
sickness and misfortune on such a
gigantic scale was enough to chill any