Evening star., 1918-02-17
By REX BEACH - a

rye always been tempted 70 buiS 1ay
money and then go look for tt"
You're making fun Of me. wa.
NO. nor' Norine was tndignxAA
Johnnie doesn't believe in pirates q
treasure. or-anythtng. He doeemO
too. But i do. ! revei in SUCH thinsS
If you don't go on. TIL blow up"
There is no doubt that my fAthef
had great deal of money at one ttfnas
Esteban began: ne was the rtcasse :
o'Reiiiy shook his head dubiousiy
and braced his back against a tree
trunk; there was a loQk Of mild dis
appreciation on his face as he listened
to the familiar story Of Don Esteban
and the slave. Sebastian.
Young Esteban told the tale veil.
His own faith in it lent a csrtain cons
vincingness to his words and Norfne
Evans hung upon them entrxnced. She
was horriied at the account OF Don
Esteban's death; her eyes grew dark
as Esteban tod OF his and Rosa's chiid-
hood with their avaricious stepmother
That part of the narrative which had
to do with the death OF Dona Isabel
and the finding of the gold coin was
new to O'Reilly and he found himself
considerably impressed by it. When
Esteban had finished. Norine drew Q
deep breath.
''oh! That lays over any story ever
heard. To think that the deeds and the
jewels and everything are in the we'll
at this minute. How could you 60
away and leave them?"
Il didn't think it out at the tinnA
I didn't evolve my theory until after
l had fed: Naturally. 1 wasn't able to
get back"
But suppose somebody nnds itr
Nprine was aghast at the thought
MOT much chance of that The treass
ure has lain there for a generation.
and the story itself is almon
forgotten" Esteban turned triumph-
antly to O'Reilly. saying. Now then, Do
you think I'm so crazy?'
O'Rei1ly didn't have it in his heart -
say exactly what he really thought
The circumstances Of the discovery q
the coin were odd enough, cer<11niy, bI1
1t seemed to him that they were capa-
bic of several explanations. II. indeed,
there had ever been a doubloon and II
Esteban had found it in the dead hand
OF his stepmother. that, IA O'Reilfy's
opinion, by no means proved the exist
ence of the mythical varonA hoard, nor
did it solve the secret OF its wnere-
abouts. What he more than half sus-
pected was that some favored fancy had
formed Iodgment in Esteban's brain.
IT'S an interesting theory" he ad-
mitted- Anyhow, there is no danger OF
the treasure being uncovered very soon.
Cueto had good look and made him-
self ridiculous. You'll have ample
chance to do likewise when the war Is
over"
ban. We shall all share the fortune
equally. you two. Rosa and L.
We? Why should we share In it!R
Norine asked
cue me from a dungeon? Haven't y0a
nursed n,, sss me back to health? Don't I ows
Nonsense! !. for one, sha'n't take :
nj & fA@ - =
want to do is help dig II youm jusS
promise to let me do that
Il promise. And you shall have one.
fourth a, Of everything"
"oh. but you must. insist. Nursing
Is Is. poo poorly paid profession. wouidn's
spuss4ss snsrs Poorly sais q r. SG.c: ,a
payE.
and forget 1t, like some miserable beg.
gar" Esteban replied. s.ifiy.
O'Reilly laughed out Don't ietse
quarrel over the spoil until we get It"
said he. That's the way with an
treasure hunters. They invariably fall
shed I'll agree to sell my interest cheap
for cash. Come! What will you bidf
start it low Do hear . dollar bfde \
dollar! A dollar! A dollar! MY shsro
Of the famous varona fortune going Sof
a dollar"
There! He doesn't believe a word oR.
it," Esteban said.
Some people wouldn't believe they
were alive unless they saw their breath
on looking glass. Goodness. How I
hate a sneering skeptic. wet blanket
his face. I'm the interest of friendship
l withdraw. curse on these buried
treasures: anyhow. We shall yet come
AS he o,a,r,aa ,,-,,, =. .s -.,ass
say: Don't pay any attention to him.
We'll so and dig it up ourselves and We
won't wait until the war is over"
An hour later Esteban and his nurse
still had their heads together They
were still talking of golden ingots and
pearls from the Caribbean the size OF
piums. when they looked up to see
O'Reilly running toward them He was
at them. He was painting when he ar.
rived.
News! From Matanzas~ he cried.
'Gomexs man has arrived"
Esteban struggled to rise. bat Nor4nA
restrained him. Rosa? What does he
say? Quick."
Good news! She left the Pan de Ma
into the city before Cobo's raid"
Esteban collapsed Imply. He closed
his eyes. his face was very white. m
crossed himself weakly
The letter is definite. 1t seems they
were starving. They. obeyed weyler,s
bando. They're in Matan4as now"
DO you hear. Esteban?" Norine
shook her patient by the shoulder.
She's alive Oh. can't you see that it
always pays to believe the bestc"
Alive, Safer Esteban WHISPERED
His eyes. when he opened them. were
swimming; he clutched Norine's hand
tightly: his other hand he extended to
oReilly. The latter was choking: his
cheeks. too. were wet "A reconcen-
trado, In Matanzas. Well, that's good
We have friends there-they'l not let
her starve. This makes new man of
me. Seei I'm strong again. Til go to
You'll gog" quickly cried Miss
Evans. You'll go. You're not strong
enough. 1t would be suicide You, with
price upon your head, Everybody
knows you there. Matanzas is virtually
a walled city. There's sickness, too
yellow fever. typhus-"
Exactly. And hunger. also Suppose
no one has taken Rosa in? Those con-
camps aren't nice places for
a girl"
"But wait. 1 have friends in WASH
ington. They're influential. They win
cable the American consul to look after
her. Anyhow, you mustn't think of re.
turning to Matan1as.' Nofine faltered:
her voice caught Unexpectedly and she
turned her face away.
OReilly nodded shortly You're q
sick man." he agreed. There's no need
for both of us to CO." -.
Esteban looked up Then YOU"
lna nj IT, 4 -