Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-09-18
CHAPTER I.
The Valley Of Delight.

the Hermitage Of Montserrate. for 1t Il
there that tie cocher0s drive you.
There you overlook the fairest sight In
oil Christendom-"thet fovellest valley
IN the world" as Humboldt called IT.
for the Yumuri nesties right at your
feet, vale Of pure delight. glimpse
Of Paradise that bewilde<s the eye and
nils the soul with ecstasy.
Standing beside the shrine of Our
Lady Of Monsserrate. you will see be-
yond the cleft through which the river
semerges another hill. La Cumbre. from
which the view Is wonderful, and your
driver may tell you about the splendid
homes that used to grace It's slopes
Ia the golden days when Cuba had an
aristocracy. Year cochero may point
out certain grove OF orange trees,
now little more than rank tangle.
and tell you about the quinta of Don
Esteban Varona, and It's hidden treas
| nre; about little Esteban and Rosa, the
twins: and about Sebastian. the giant
slave, who died In fury, taking with
him the secret Of the well.
The Spanish Main Is rich In tales Of
treasure-trove. for when the Antilles
were most afIiuent they were least Sc
cure. and men were put To strange
shifts to protect their fortunes. Ger
tain boards, like Jewels of tragic his
tory, In time assumed a sort of evil
personality, not Infrequently exercising
a dire influence over the lives of those
who CHANGED to fftff-undcr their SPELLS.
1t was as IL the money We're accursed..
for certainly the seekers often came
to evil. OF such character was the
vnrona treasure. Don Esteban himself
was neither better nor worse than
other men OF his time, and although
part OF the money he hid was wrung
from the toll Of slaves and the traffic.
IN their bodies, much of 1t was clean
enough, and In time the earth purified
II all. Since his acts made so deep an
Impress, and since the treasure he left
s piayed 50 big u part In the destinies Of
those who came after him. 1t Is well
that some account Of these matters
should be given.
The story, please remember. is an
old one; 1t has been often told. and In
the telling and retelling it Is but natural
tropical extravaganza, should .attnch to
It, therefore you should make allow.
ance for some exaggcration, some ac-
crAfions due TO the lapse Of time. In
the main, however, Il Is wen authenti.
Gated and runs parallel to fact.
Donna Ross Varona lived barely long
enough to learn that She had given
birth to twins. Don Esteban, whom
4 people knew as grim man. took the
blow of his sudden bereavement as be-
came one OF his strong fiber. Leaving
the priest upon his knees and the doc
tor busted with the babies, he strobe
through the house and out into the
sunset. followed by the walls Of the
slave women.
Don Estcban was at heart a selfish
man. and now. therefore. he felt a sui
len, fierce resentment mingled with
his grief. What trick wns this7 he
asked himself, What had he done to
merit such misfortune? Hind he not
made rich gifts to the church, Had he
not knelt and prayed for his wife's
safe delivery and then hung his gifts
upon the sncred image. as Loyola had
hung UP his weapons before that other
counterpart of Our Ladyf Don Este
ban scowied at the memory, for those
gems were of the finest.
He looked up from his unhappy
musings to find gigantic bare
footed negro standing before him.
The slave was middlc-aged: his kinky
hair was growing gray: but he was Of
superbk proportions, and the muscles
which showed through the rents In his
cotton garments were as smooth and
supple as those of STRIPPING. His
black face was puckercd with grief,
ns he began:
master. is 1t true that Donna ROSA
~ The fellow choked.
sYes." Esteban nodded. YEARLY, ashe
Is dead. Sebastian"
Tears came to Sebastian's eyes and
overfiowed his cheeks: he stood mo-
tioniess. striving to voice his sympathy.
AT length he said:
sShe was too good for this world.
God was jealous and took here to Para
Disc"
The widowed man cried out angrily:
"Faradise! What is this but Para
dlsey' He stared with resentful eyes
ut the beauty round about him. aSee!
The Yumuril" Don Esteban flung
long arm outward ado you think there
Is sight like that In heaven? Para
disc indeed 1 gave her everything.
She gained nothing By dying"
With a grave thcnghtfulness which
proved him superior TO the ordinary
slave. Sebastian replied:
saTrue! She had all that any wom-
ans heart could desire, but in return
Tor your goodness she gave you chill
aren. You have lost her. but you have
paired an heir, end beautiful gixi