The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1919-06-11
CHAPTER II.
Abduction.

years of his exile from his beloved
Spain, where his granddaughter had
been born and reared, was one of the
landmarks which linger on in stately
white walls under dark red tiles from
the time of the Spanish occupation.
The old Spdniard was overload of
what had once been a grant from his
grandfather's king, the boundaries
carelessly marked in leagues instead
of miles.
He bred cattle and fine horses, in
trusted Gaucho Morales, his foreman
with the business details, and yet man
aged, so large and fertile was his en-
pire, to go on from year to year swell
ing his wealth.
The wide-verandaed house with none
of its walls less than three feet thick,
with great, spacious rooms, spread
out across a wide extent of the shaded
land among the olive and pear and
pepper trees. In the time of the IA
Their of Antonio de la Guerra there
had been fourteen rooms-now there
were twenty. No less could suffice
for the master of the estate and his
cherished granddaughter.
There was the patio with its flower
ing garden and leaping fountain.
About it were the rooms, all on the
ground floor with the exception of the
three rooms added by the old man for
the use of la senOrita.
Here at the southeastern exposure
of the rambling dwelling, a wide and
winding staircase had been constructed
to lead upward to a spacious landing
Then came broad doors, deep win
dow, and beyond the senerita's private
sitting room. Her bedroom was high
ceiled. with much ornate embellish-
ment after the Moorish fashion, and
a lavish display of gilt under the
domed roof.
Upon the landing a couch where
each night Pedro lay across his mis-
tress' doorway.
And then the balcony.
Teresa must pick up her skirts dain-
tily to step out through the deep win
dows to it from her bedroom, and
once there she was all but lost behind
the bank of Towering roses, swallowed
by dim dusk through which the moon
had difficulty in filtering, Tapped in
the perfume of the flowers which chung
about the balcony in the warm June
night.
And from here, while her scholarly
grandfather annotated his remarks
concerning the hated Americana, Te-
reSa leaned out, her beauty as soft and
delicate a thing as that of the rose
brushing her cheek, and talked with
one particular Americana.
make me some pretty speeches,
Senior Billy" she laughed softly. "They
float up to me here through the moon
light like the perfume from red roses %
She had drawn her mantilla closely
about her for no other reason in the
world but to tantalize the-man below
her by hiding herself from him, and
there was only her voice and the vague
outline of her young body through the
vines to tell him that she was. there.
But to her his face, uplifted in the
moonlight, flushed and eager, was I'M
hidden.
you are flirt % he cried, seeking
TO make his voice savage and angry,
and succeeding admirably in filling it
with alteration.
But no." she answered him, from
the dusk about her. 'That is to be
cruel. And II am so soft-hearted
that to make one suffer would distress
me-"
IF you roll your RS at me like that
again." Stairway told her very posi-
lively, 81 am going right in and tell
the old gentleman that 1 am going to
marry your
She laughed gayly at his impetuous
declaration.
1T would be like a play" she said
after little as though she were think
ing seriously of what he had said he
would do. "It would interest me to
see. Papa grande would be very po-
lite and would ask Senior Billy to have
a glass of wine and cigarita.
"And then"-the laughter yelling up
again in the eyes he could not see,
trilling in the voice which dropped
down to him-'.he would call Pedro
and old Juan to take you outside and
shoot you with their gunsl"
"And you find that funnyY' demand
ed Stairway. !,
ais 1t not7 1t is like the operar'