The Mena weekly star., 1919-03-20

sure or WnuL ne nad pNernC.rus Nt stretched his body farther. supporting it by his outfgng arms. then moved his head from side to side for bet. ter view. He seemed to rock over tho mouth of the we'll like Q huge, fat. black spider. He was the first to speak.
 "Am dreaming? Or-hdve you really discovered that treasure" he. queried.
 0'Reillys upturned face was ghast. ly. He wet his lips. He managed to whisper Rosa's name.
 'The riches of the varonasi What find!" Cobo's teeth shone white in the grin of avarice. 'Yes, see now--a cavern In the rock. Well, welll And you are the spirit of Sebastian, chained in the bowels of La Cumbre. Ha These are the ghosts" He began to chuckle. but the sound of his malevo. lent merriment was like the hiccough. ing of drunken man.
 Rosa What have you done"
 Cobo ran on unheedlng: "It must be Q great treasure, indeed, from all ac. cou4ts-the ransom of a dozen kings, That's what Cueto said, The ransom ol a dozen kingsg Those were his very words"
 The fellow continued to sway him. self back and forth, peerlng as if his eyes were about to leave his head. For a long moment or two he utterly disre- garded OReilly, but finally as he gained more self-control his gaze shift. ed and his expression altered. He changed his weight to hls left arm and with his right hand he drew his re. volver.
 "what are you doing?" oRellly cried, hoarsely.
 The colonel seemed vaguely sur prised ut this question. Fool Do ysu expect me to share it with you2" he in- quired.
 Wait There's enough--for all of us," O'Reilly feebly protested; then, as he heard the click of the cooked weapon: Let me out. I'll pay you well-make you rich" In desperation he raised his shaking hand to dash out the candle, but even as he did so the colonel spoke, at the same time care fully lowering the revolver hammer.
 "You are right. What am thinking about? There must be no noise. Caramba! A pretty business that would be, wouldn't itf Mnrn my men running up here to see what it was all about. No, no! No gunshots. no disturbance of any kind. You under stand what mean, eh?"
 His face twisted into a grin as he tossed the revolver aside, then under took to detach stone from the crum- bling curb. No noisel" he chuckled. 'No noise whatever"
 O'Reilly, stupefled by the sudden ap- pearance of this monstrous creature, stunned by the certainty of catas- trophe to Rosa, awoke to the fact that this man intended to brain him where he stood. In panic he cast his eyes about him, thinking to take shelter in the treasure-cave, but that retreat was closed to him, for he had wedged the wooden timbers together at the first alarm He was like a rat in pit, ut terly at the mercy of this maniac. And Coho was a maniac at the moment; he had so far lost control of himself as to allow the stone to slip out of his grasp. It fell with thud at 0'Reilly's feet, causing the assassin to laugh once | more.
 s'Ho, hoi" he hiccoughed. My fin gers are clumsy, eh? But there is no need for haste" He stretched out his arm again, laid hold of another missile, and strained to loosen 1t from its bed. "Jewelsl Pearls the size of plums And poor manl I can't believe fl yet" He could not detach the stone, so he fumbled farther along the curb ing Pearls, indeed! I would send a dozen men to hell for one"
 0Reilly had been standing petrifed, his body forced tightly against the rough surface behind him, following with strained fascination the deliberate movements of the man above him; now he saw Cobo. without the least Rppar- ent reason, twist and shudder, SEW him stiffen rigidly as if seized with sa sud den cramp, saw his eyes diiate and heard him heave a deep, whistling sigh 1 O'Reilly could not imagine whEf ailed the fellow. For an eternity. so fl seemed, Cobo remained leaning upon 1 his outspread arms, fired in that game l attitude of paraiysis-zt looked almost as if he had been startled hT some sound close by. But manifest1y that was not the cause of his hesitation, fOI his face became convuase0 and an ex precision of blank and utter asfonish- ment was stamped upon it The men | stared fixedIy at each other, '0'ReiIly with his head thrown back, Cob0 with iris body propped rigidly upon wooden arms and that peculiar shocked inquiry 1 in his glaring eyes- Bat slowly this expression changed; the colonel bent as if beneath a great weight, his head rose and turned back upon his neck, he | filled his lungs with another wheexina sigh His teeth ground together. his head began to wag upon his shoulders 1t dropped lower and lower. one hand siip2ed from It's ho1d and he lurched l forward. An instant he hung suspend cd from the waist: then he appeared tc let go Imply as all resistance went oui of his big body. There came a warniBs rattle of dirt and mortar and pebbles the next instant he slipped into ths well and plunged headlong down upor