The Mena weekly star., 1919-03-20

neatly wrapped and labeled packages or varying shapes and sizes. The writ ing upon the tags was almost illegible but the first article which O'Reilly un, wrapped proved to be a goblet of most beautiful workmanship. Time had long since blackened 1t to the appearance oi pewter or some base metal, but he saw that 1t was of solid silver. Evidently he had uncovered a store of old Span. ish plate.
 In one corner of the chest he saw 6 metal box of the sort in which valuable papers are kept, and after some efrori he managed to break 1t open. Turning back the lid, he found first a bundle ot documents bearing imposing scrolls and heavy seals. Despite the damp. ness, they were in fairly good condi ton, and there was enough left of the writing to identify them beyond all question as the missing deeds of patent to the Varona lands--those crowr grants for which Donna Isabel had searched so fruitlessly. But this was not all that the smaller box contained Beneath the papers there were numer ous leather bags. These had rottod they came apart easily in O'Reilly's fingers, displaying a miscellaneous as sortment of unset gems-some of then at first sight looked like drops of blood others like drops of purest water. They were the rubies and the diamonds which had brought Isabel to her death.
 O'Reilly waited to see no more Candle in hand, he crept out into the well to apprise Rosa of the truth.
 We've got 1t There's gold by tn, barrel and the deeds to your land. Yes and the jewels, too-a quart of them, guess. l-I can't believe my eyes" Ht showed her handful of coIns. "Lool at that Doubloons, eagles There ap pear to be thousands of them. Why you're the richest girl in Cuba. Rubies diamonds-yes, and pearls, too, dar, say" He choked and began to laugf weakly, hysterically.
 "Tve heard about those pearls" Rost cried, shrilly. Pearls from the Carib bean, as large as rlums Isabel uset to babDie about them in her sleep.'
 'I found those deeds the first thing The plantations are yours now, beyond any question"
 Rosa drew back from her precariou. position. for she had grown limp iron weakness and her head was whirling As she rose to her feet she brushed something. somebody, some flesh-and blood form which was standing almost over her. Involuntarily she recoiled topping upon the very brink of the pit whereupon a heavy hand reached fortl and seized her. She found herself staring upward into a face she hat grown to know in her nightmares, |, face the mere memory of which wa. enough to freeze her blood. It was , hideous visage, thick-lipped, fiat-fea tured, black; 1t was disfgured by 1; sca- from lip to temple and out or | gleamed a pair of eyes distended ant ringed with white, Ike the eyes of !, man insane.
 For an instant Rosa made no sound and no effort to escape. Tine appari ton robbed her Of breath, il paralyzec her in both mind and body. Her first thought was that she had gone stark mad, but she had felt Cobo's hands upon her once before and after hel first frozen moment of amazement sh' realized that she was in her fulles senses. A shriek sDrang to her lipS she tried to fight the man off, but hel weak struggle was like the fiutterlns of a bird. Cobo crushed her down strangling the half-uttered cry.
 Terror may be so intense, so appal ling as to be uncomfortable. In Rosa'' case a merciful oblivion overlook her She felt the world grow black, fal away; felt herself swing dixzily through space.