Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-05-07

| iiIa isdpel Slpped, or STUN
oled' 10 her knees, she balanced briefly.
| ciutch1ng at random while the earth
and crumbling cement gave way be-
lleath her; then she slid forward and
/ disappeared, almost out from between
ESteban's hands. There was n noisv
rattle of rock and pebble and . great
! splash far below; a chuckle of Iittle
stones striking the water, then faint
Dub6llng. Nothing more. The stenson
STOOD IN his tracks, sick. blind with
horror; ne was swaying over the omen.
ing When ASensiO dragged him back.
Rancho CuetO. being a heavy sIeeper.
was the last to be reused by Esteban's
! outcries. When he had hurried,v
| slipped into his clothes in response TO
the pounding on his door, the few sery-
ants that the establishment suppOrted
| hau Deen thoroughly awakened. Cueto
thought they must be out of their
minds until he learned what had be-
failen the mistress. of the house. Then.
Delng man of action, he too issued
SWIFT orders, with the result that nv
the time he and Esteban had run TO
the well a rope and lantern ere ready
Tor their use. Before Esteban could
form and tit a loop for his shoulders
there was sufficient help on hand to
lower him into the treacherous abyss,
mat was grueSOme task which fell
| to ESteban, for the we'll had been long
unused, its sides were ooZing slime. IFS
fnpG oil
on the point of fainting when he finally
climbed out, leaving the negroes to
MOIST the dripping, inert weight which
he had found at the bottom.
Old Sebastian's curse had come
true; Donna Isabel had met the fate
he had called down upon her that day
when he hung exhausted in his chains
and when the flies tormented him,
The treasure for which the woman had
intrigued so tirelessly had been her
death. Furthermore as if in grim
NEST irony, she had been permitted at
the very last to find ii. Livin". she
had searched to no purpose WWitso-
ever; dying, she had almost Crashed
it in her arms.
Once the first excitement had ahated
and messenger had been sent TO
town, Cueto drew Esteban aside and
questioned him.
"A shocking tragedy and most pc
culiar," said the OverSeer Nothing
could amaze me more. Tell me. how
did you come to be there at such an
hour, eh?"
Esteban saw the malevolent curios-
ity in CuetO's face and started. 0T-
That is my affair. Surely you don't
think"
"Come, come! You can trust me-"
The overseer winked and smiled.
81 had business that took me there"
stittiy declared the younger man.
Exactly! And a profitable bust
ness it prOved" Cueto laughed openly
now. 'Well. 1 don't mind telling Won
Donna Isabefs death is no disappoint-
ment to anyone. Anybody could see"
Stop" Esteban was turning alter
nately red and white. ''You seem to
imply something outrageous"
'Now let us be sensible. I under
stand you perfectly, my boy. But an
officer of the Guardia Civil may arrive
at any moment and he will want to
know how you came to be with your
stepmother when she plunged into that
trap. So prepare yourself"
Young Varona was watching his in.
quisitor now with a family speculative
frown. When Cueto had finished Es-
teban said:
"You would like me TO confess to
some black iniquity that would make
us better friends, Ell? Well, il so han
pens that l was not alone tonight. but
that another person saw the poor WON.
ans death and can bear me out in ev-
erythiug | say. No, Pancho, YOU over
reach yourself. Now, then"-Estebap
was quick-tempered, and for years he
had struggled against an instructive
distrust and dislike of the plantation
manager-"remember that [ have be-
come the head of this house, and your
employer. You will do better TO think
of your own affairs than of mine
intend to have a careful reckoning
with you. / think you know have q
good head for figures" Turning his
back upon the elder man. he walked
away.
Now ii did not occur TO Cueto really
TO doubt the boys innocence though
the circumstances OF Donna ISabel's
death were suspicious enough TO raise
a question in any mind; but in view
of Esteban's threat he thought it wise
TO protect himself by setting a back.
fire
AS he sat on an old stone bench.
moodily repicturing the catastrophe as
ESteban had described il, his attention
fell upon an envelope at his feet. It
was sealed; il was unaddreSsed. Cue
70 idly broke it open and began TO
read. Before he had gone far he start
ed then he cast q furtive glance
about. But the place was secluded he
was unobServed. When he finished
reading he rose, smiling. He no longer
feared ESteban. On the contrary. he
rather pitied the young fool for here
between his fingers was that which
not only promised to remove the boy
from his path forever. but to place in
his hands the entire Varona estates.
One afternoon. perhaps q week later.
Don Mario de Castano came putting
and blowing up to the quinta. demand
ing to see Rosa without a moments
delay. With directneSs unusual even
in him, Don Mario began: