The Washington herald., 1919-11-03
Go On with the story.
CHAPTER v-CoNTINUEp

My Dearly Scloved:-t ~ Win OK
fiuence and hesitation that take my
pen in hand, for I fear you may con-
slider ME unduIy forward in writing
to you without solicitation. Believe
me. / appreciate the reserve which a
,ourg lady Of refinement should prao-
ticr even ia heI correspondence win
the gentleman who has honored her
with hi. promise of marriage. but my
circumstances are such as to Danish
CONSIDER alton OI IN" social nlceties'
Mas, What events have followed
your departure from Matanzas! What
InistorI uucs have overtaken Esteoan
and me That happiness could be 80
swiftly succeeded by misery. that
want could FOLLOW plenty. that peru
cUuid tread so closely upon the heels
of safety Where to begin. how to
tell you. l scarcely know: my hand
shakes. my eyes are blinded-nor dare
l trust myself to believe that this let
ter will ever reach you. for we are
refugees. Estebsn and l-fusitives'
outcasts. living in the manigue with
Asensio and Evangelina. former slaves
Of our father Such poverty. such in
describabIe circumstances, But they
were our only friends and they took us
love them.
II see you stare at these words. l
heard you say. That Rosa has gone
mad. like her wicked stepmOther!"
Indeed. sometimes ! think have. But.
no. I write facts. II is a relief to
put them down. even though you may
never read them Good Asensio will
| take this letter on his horse to the
insurrecto camp. many miles away.
and there give II to Col Lopez, our
only friend. who promises that in
some mysterious way II will escape
the eyes OF our enemies and reach
your country. Yes. We have enemies.
We. who have harmed no one Wait
until / tell you.
But II this letter reaches you-and
send IL with a prayer-whRt them
dare not think too long Of that for
the hearts of men are not like the
hearts Of women. What Will you say
when you learn that the Rosa Narona
whom you favored with YOUR admira-
tion is not the Rosa Of today? !
heard you murmur. The Eiri forgets
herself" But. OH. the standards OF
yesterday are gone and my reserve is
gone. too. I am a hunted creature.
DReilIy felt ~, - pain in his
breast at the thought that Rosa had
for an instant doubted him But sl-
did no, really doubt. those misgivinSs
were but momentary; the abandon or
.her appeal showed that in her heart OF
hearts she knew his love TO be un-
ShaiahIa
She. had compelled herself TO start
with the death of Dona Isabel and 20
give him a sucCinCt account OF all that
had followed. O'Reilly read the story.
fascinated. Here amid these sur
roundings. with the rattle OF typewrit-
'rS aud the tInkle Of telephone bells
IA M ears. 1t all seemed wholly i'm
proha Bile. fancifulIy unreal-like the
workings Of some turg1d melodrama
That is how We came to live with
Asens:o and his wife tIhe letter went
or Imagine It, a bohio. hidden
away far up the Yumuri. and so insig
niflCant as TO escape attention. We
are no longer people OF consequence
or authority: our safety depends upon
our inconspicuousness. We hide as
do the timid animals. though nature
has not given rs their skin in avoid
ing danger | do not like the wilder
ness. il fTiehtcns me-. At night i hear
things rustliue through the thatch
above my head: ia the morning my
feet touch a bare earthen floor We
live on fruits and vegetables fron
ENangeITna's garden. with now ana
then a fowl or a bite OF meat when
Asensio is fortunate. Estehan does
not seem TO mind. but cannot accom-
modate myself to these barbarous sur
roundings. Sometimes ] bite my tongue
10 keep from CompIa uinG. for that,
know. would grieve him.
The whole country IL IN chaos.
There is no work--nothng but Gus
picion. hatred and violence. Oh. what
desolation this war has wrought, Es-
toban has already become a Euer-
rfllero
He has stolen a COW. and so we have
milk for our coffee: but there is only
"A handful OF coffee left. aud little hope
Of more Marauding hands ~ Spsr-
iards are everywhere. and the country
people tell atrocious tales about them
How Will ~ end? How long beCor"
they will discover us and the worst
will happen
Soon after our arrival Estroan
went to the camp Of Cul Lopez To
arrange for us TO Join his army. but
returned hcart-brokeu II WAS impus-
SlDle. IL seems. on my aCGOunt- ON
ditions with the patriots are worse
than with us here. and the colonel
acknowledged frankly that he coulo
not be burdened with a woman in his
command So Esteban hars given up
for the present his dream OF fighting.
and devotes himself TO protecting me.
You see there is no sanctuary. no help
but his right arm. The towns are In
Spa nish hands. the anigus is infested
with lawless men. and there Is no
place in which to hide me. So I feel
myself q burden. Esteban has plans
TO arm a band of his own ] am numb
with dread OF what IL may lead TO.
for his hatred is centered upon Cueto,
that false servant who's" wickedness
reduced us to this extremity. Esteban
is so young and reckless. IL only you
were here TO counsel him
IF only you were here Oh, my
dearest Juan. II only YOU were here
to take me in your arms and hanish
this ever constant terror at my heart
II only you were here to tell me that
you love me still in spite of my mis-
fortune. See, The tears are falling
e. I write NV eyes are dim. my
fingers trace- uncertain letters on the
sheet. and ! can only steady them
when ] remember that you promised
to return. You will return. viii YOU
not" 7 could not write Hike this "
were sure that you would read these