Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-12-24

! back he endured his young friend 5
banter absent -minSedly. but as they
neared AsenSlo'a house he startled
Jacket by saying. Can you manage
10 find Itiekax or crowhar:'
I Jacket eyes opened: he STOPPED in
the middle of the dusty road. ..What
did you see down there. compadre?
Tell me"
"Notling much. Just enough TO
make ne want 10 see more. Do ycu
think You can steal some sort Of a
tool fer meg"
II can try"
please 90. And remember, say
nothing before Asensio or his wife "
Rosa met O'Reuy just inside the
door and al sight of her he uttered
an exclamation of surprise for during
ais absence she had removed the stain
from her face and discarded that dis
tgurement which isvaneelina had fit
ted to her back prior to their depart
are from The Pan DE- MatanzaS. She
stood before him now, straight and
slim and graceful-fhe Rosa Of his
dreams, only very thin. very fragile.
( Her poor tatfers only enhanced her
prettiness. so lie thought.
ROSA dear, 10 Won think this IS
quite safe:" 10 yentUred, doubtfully.
Eyangellna, who was bending over
her husband. sjralehtcncd herself and
came forward with a smile upon her
black face.
"She IS beautiful. Ell? Too beautiful
to look at? What did tell you?A
Rosa was in delightful confusion at
+ ORellly's evident surprise and adml-
ration. "Then I'm not so altogether
changedY she asked.
"Why. you haven't changed ut all,
except to grow more beautiful. Evan
gelina is right; you are too beautiful
To look at But waltz He drew her
aside and whispered. 1--WE been down
in the Well" Some tremor I'm his
voice some CLINT in his eyes, caused
the girl to seize him eagerly, flbrcely.
II may be wrong" he said hurriediy (;
there may be nothing in it-and yet
I saw something"
'What?"
"Wooden beams. timbers Of some
sort, behind the stone curbing." II
was plain Rosa did not comprehend.
SO he hurried on. AT first l noticed
nothing unusual. except that the bot
tom of the well is nearly dry-filled
up, you know. with debris and stuff
that has fallen in from the curling
above, then ] saw that although the
well is dug through rock. nevertheless
If is entirely curbed up with stones
laid In mortar. That struck me as
queer"
"Yes?"
81 noticed, too. in one place that
there was wood behind-as If timbers
had been placed there to cover the
entrance To a cave. You know this
Cuban rock is full Of cavcrnS."
Rosa clasped her hands, she began
to tremble "You have found it,
O'Reilly. You haveT she whispered
no. no. I've found nothing yet. Put
I've sent Jacket for a pick or bar
and tonight I'm going to pull down
those stones and see what is behind
them"
"To night? You must let me 60
too want to help"
every well. But meanwhile you
mustn't let your hopes rise too high
for there IS every chance that you Will
be disappointed. And don't mention
1t to Evancelna. Now, then, I've o
few pennies left and I'm going to buy
some candles"
Rosa embraced her lover impulsive-
~. Something tells me it is true!
Something tells me you are going &c
save US ALL"
Evangelna in the far corner Of the
hut muttered to her husband: Such
love-birds! They are like parrakeets,
forever kissing and cooling"
Jacket returned AT dusk, and with
him he brought a rusty three-foot iron
bar, evidently part Of window graf.
'ng The boy was tired. disguised. and
in vile temper. a pickaX, 4 crow.
barr he cursed cloquently. "One might
as we'll try to steal cannon out Of
San Seyerino. I'm ready to do any
thing within reason, but"
"Nhy, this viii do nicely; it is just
what l want" O'Reily told him.
"Humph! I'm glad 10 hear it. for
Chat rod was nearly the death OF me.
broke my back wrenching at it and
the villain who owned the house
may n bad lightning split him he
ran after me until l nearly expired.
If my new knife had been sharp
would have turned and sent him home
with it between his ribs. Tomorrow J
shall put an edge on it. Believe me,
ran until my lungs burst"
Little food remained in the hut.
barely enough for ASensio and the
women. and inasmuch as OReiIly had
spent his last centavo for candles he
and Jacket were forced 10 20 hungry
again. Late that evening, after the
wretched prison quarters had grown
quiet, the three treasure hunters stole
ont of their howell and wound up the
hill. In spite of their excitement they
went slowly, for none Of them had the
s,t..,r. IN ~ bflrr- Fortunately +hprp