The Ordway new era., 1918-09-20

now that you admit"
Donnn Isabel recoiIed sharply. "Ad-
miti Are you mad? Deeds What
are you talking about?" Her eyes met
his bravely enough. but she could feel
her lips trembling loosely.
Casting aside all pretense. the over
| seer exclaimed: ''Por el amor de Dios!
| An end to thisl know why you sent
for me. You think have been rob-
bing you. Well. to be honest. so I
have. Why should toll as do while
you and those twins live here In lux
ury and idIeness. squandering money
to which you have no right?"
Have lost my reasonT gasped the
widow. mo right?"
"At least no better right than l.
Don't you understand? You have no
title to these plantationsl They are
mine. for I have paid the taxes out of
my own pockets now these many
years"
Taxes, What do you mean?"
II paid them. The receipts are in
my name
"Heavenl Such perfidy! And you
who knew him -
.The deeds have been lost for so
long that the property would have re-
verted to the crown had 1t not been
for me. You doubt that. eh? Well. ap-
peal to the court and you will find that
1t is true. Now, then. let us be frank.
Inasmuch as we're both In much the
same fix. hadn't we better continue
our present arrangements" He stirred
,,.lxI Ii. T
mean It'll Is it not better for you to
be content with what my generosity
prompts me to give, rather than to
risk ruin for both by grasping for too
much?
"The outraged ! warrant you have
grown rich through your stealing"
Isabel's voice had gone fiat with con-
sternation.
"Rlch? Well, not exactly. but COM
fortably well or" Cueto actually
smiled again. mo doubt my frankness
is a shock to you. You are angry at
my proposition, eh? Never mind. You
will think better of 1t In time, If you
are n sensible woman. But now, since
at last we enjoy such confidential re-
latlons, let us have no more of these
Let us entirely forget this unpleasant
misunderstanding and be the same
goO,1 friends as before"
Having said this, Pancho Cueto stood
silent moment in polite expectancy;
then receiving no Ineligible reply, he
bowed low and left the room.
To the avaricious Donna Isabel Cue
to's frank acknowledgment of theft
was mhddening, and the realization
that she was helpless, nay. dependent
upon his charity for her living. fairly
crucified her proud spirit.
All day she brooded, and by the time
evening came she had worked herself
into such a state of nerves that she
could eat no dinner. Some time during
the course of the evening a wild idea
came to Isabel. Knowing that the man.
ager would spend the night beneath
her roof, she planned to kill him. At
first 1t seemed simple thing to do
merely matter of dagger or pis-
tol, while he slept-but further thought
revealed appalling risks and difficult
ties and she decided to wait Poison
was far safer.
Constant brooding over the treasure
had long since affected Donna Isabel's
brain. and as Il consequence she often
dreamed about 1t. She dreamed about
it again tonight, and, strangely enough,
her dreams We're pleasant. Sebastian
appeared, but for once he neither
cursed nor threatened her; and Este
ban, when he came, was again the
lover who had courted her in Ha-
hnn II .y.If %r,,l
Esteban and she were walking through
the grounds of the .quinta and he was
telling her about his casks of Spanish
sovereigns. about those boxes bound
with iron. about the gold and silver or
naments of heavenly beauty and the
pearls as large rs plums. As he talked
Isabel felt herself grow hot and cold
with anticipation she experienced
spasms of delight.
Then of a sudden Isabel's whole
dream-world dissolved. She awoke, or
thought she did, at hearing her name
shouted. But although she underwent
the mental and the physical shock of
being startled from slumber, although
she felt the first swift fright of n per-
son aroused to strange surroundings,
she knew on the instant that she must
still be asleep; for everything about
her was dim and dark, the air was cold
and damp. wet grass rose to her knees.
Before she could half realize her con-
dition she felt herself plunged into
space. She heard herself scream
hoarsely. fearfully. and knew, too late.
that she was indeed awake. Then
whirling chaos A sudden, binding
crash of lights and sounds Nothing
morel