The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-08-23
CHAPTER XvIIl-Continued.

fessed. II have you, and-welI, witt
you at my side | can face the worst
"Oh. we won't give up until we have
TO-" he assured her. "If ] had money
II would be a simple proposition to
bribe scme guard to pass us through
the lines but have spent all that Gen
oral Betancourt gave me-" lie
smootNed back Rosas dark hair and
smiled roassuringly at her. "Well, I'll
manage somehow; so don't worry your
pretty head. I'll find the price, If
have to waylay old Don Mnrlo and rob
him. Don't you think ] look Ike n
bandit? The very sight Of me would
terrify that fat rascal"
"To me you are beautiful" breathed
the girl. Then she lowered her eyes.
ia, la! How ! spoil you l have
quite forgotten how to be lndylikc. Isa-
bel was right when she called me n
bold and forward hussy. Now, then
please turn your ficc aside. for I wish
TO think, and so long as you look at
me | CannOt-I make love 10 You bra
zenly. See! Now, then, that IS much
better. shall hold your hand, so.
When | kiss IL you may look at me
again, for q moment" Drawing her
self closer to O'Rellly, Rosa began
thOughtfully: "BefOre you came I more
than once was on the point Of appeal
Ing TO some Of my former friends, but
they are all Spanlards and we are no
Ionger-simpatico, you understand"
Rosa paused for his answer.
"perfectly; Pm In the same fix. OF
nil the people / used to know there
isn't one but would denOunce me If l
made myself known. Now that I've
been hghtIng with the insurrectos, I
daren't even go to the American consul
for help-lf there Is an American con-
sui"
Rosa nodded, then continued, hest
tatingly: II had a Vivid dream last
night. Perhaps 1t was portent. Who
knows? 1t was about that stepmOther
of mine. You remember how she met
her death7 I vrote you-"
Eyes, and Esteban also told me-"
'Tt was he who recovered her body
from the vel. One day. while we
were in hiding, away up yonder in the
Tumuri, he showed me an old coin"
81 know" O'Re,ily said quickly. "He
told me the whole story. He thinks
That doubloon is clue to your fathers
fortune. but can't put much faith in
Il. ~ fact, | didn't believe until this
mornent that there was doubloon at
all."
.Oh, indeed there wasl saw It."
There was moment of silence dur
ing which the lovers We're oblivious to
all but each other, then Rosa muir
INJURED: "How strange! Sometimes
your eyes ere blue and sometimes gray.
Does tha. mean that your love, too,
can changer"
"Ccrtainly not. But come. what
about Esteban and that doubloonT
With an effort the girl brought her
self back to earth. swell. it occurred
10 me. in the light Of that dream last
pight, that Esteban may have been
right. OF course nobody outside OF
pur family credits the old story, and
yet my father was considered very
tlch man ut one time. Pancho Cueto
believed In the existence OF the treas
ore, and he was In position to know"
"True! Perhaps, after all"
O'Rcilly frowned mcdltatively.
Rosa lifted herself upon her elbow,
her eyes sparkling. wouldn't 1t be
wonderful If 1t were true? Just think,
D'Reilly, cases of Spanish gold. silver
coins In casks, packages of gems. Oh,
I've heard Isabel talk about it often
enough"
Don't forget those pearls from the
Caribbean. as large as plums," Johnny
smiled. 81 could never quite swallow
that. A pearl the size of currant
Couid buy our freedom right now"
After a moment he went on, more seri-
ously: "Tve a notion to look into that
old well this very afternoon. II
dare say I'm foolish, but-somehow
the story doesn't sound so improbable
AZ II did. Perhaps 1t is worth inves-
bSnting-" He made I'D his mind
swiftly. "I-Tm Off this very instant"
When O'Reilly emerged from the hut
ae found Jacket industriously at work
over a fragment of grindstone which
ae had somewhere unearthed. The boy
looked up at his friends approach and
held out for inspection long, thin file,
which he was slowly shaping into a
kn!fe-blade.
what do you think Of that?" he
aueried proudly. "It may come in
handy when we are ready to clear out
81 this pesthole."
"Where did you get it,"
sOh. stole IL. I steal everything I
tan lay my hands on nowadays. One
.an never tell when he may have a
Shroat to cut. and file has good steel
IN It."
"Since you are such an accom-
plished thief, do you think you could
steal something for me-" Q'Reilly In
auired. "A piece Of roper"
Roper Jacket was puzzled. "Rope
3 only good for hanging Span'ards.
My friend In the fish market has a
rolandra. and--perhaps / can rob him
,f a halyard." Laying aside his task,
Jacket arose and made off I'm the dlrec-
lion ut the water front. He was back
njthip nm hour ,pJ IA. 1T.