The Washington times., 1919-06-16

Thomas Regain, stock opeFatof, comes
annoupces he, has tip ep the location q
treasure buried BY Morgan In the old
pirate days .Regan has an idea,
lea in pursuit Of the treasure Upon
landing he encounters a strange young
woman who appears to mistake him Let
natives and seeks safety aboard his Vss-
FrasciS learns se and HSSry. the mys..
FERROUS Islander, are both des~S9dants OF
Francis discovers his resemblance to
Henry was responsible for his peculiar
greeting upon hrsts landing on South
American territory.
So Francis departed. q letter to
Henry from Leoncia in his pocket
The last moment, ere he departed,
was abrupt With a sigh so quick
ly suppressed that Leoncia won
dered whether or not she had i'm
agined 1t. he, tore himself away.
She gazsd after his retreating form
down the driveway until 1t was out
OF sight, then stared at the ring on
her>hpger, with a vaguely troubled
expression
From the beach Francis signaled
the Angelique, riding at anchor, to
send a boat ashore for him. But
before it had been swung into the
water half. a dozen horsemen, re-
volver-belted. rifles across their
pommeIs, rode down. the beach upon
him at a gallop. Two men led The
following four were hang-dog half
castles: OF the two leaders Francis
recoEnized Torres. Every rife came
- ha nal
but obey" the order snarled at him
by the unknown leader to throw up
his hands. And Francis opened
aloud:
ITO think Of 1T! Once. only the
other day-or was 1t a million years
ago?-I thought auction bridge at
dollar a point was some excitement.
Now, sirs, you on your horses, with
your. weapons threatening the viO-
lent introduction OF foreign sub
stances into my" poor body, tell me
what is doing now? Don't I ever
get on this beach without gunpoW-
der compilations? Is IL my ears, or
merely my mustache, you want?'''
1--WE want your. answered the
stranger leader. whose mustache
bristIed as magnetically as his
crooked black eyes.
"And, in the name OF original sin
and Of all lively lizards, who might
you be-"
He is the honorable Senior Mari
ano Vercara e Hijos. Jefe .Politico
Of San Antonio" Torres replied.
Good night" Francis laughed,
remembering the mans description
as given TO him by Henry. I sup
pose you think I've broken some
harbor rule or sanitary regulation
by anchoring here. But you must
settle such things with my captain
Captain Trefethen, a very estima-
BILE man. am onFy the charterer
Of the schooner-just q passenger.
You will find Captain ,Trefethen
right up in maritime law and Gus
tom"
You are wanted for the murder
OF AIfaro Solanot"-was- Torres an
swer. you didn't fool me, Henry
Morgan, with your talk up at the
hacienda that you were some one
else. know that some one else.
His name is Francis Morgan, and
do not hesitate to Add that he is
not a murderer; but q gentleman"
His 'ExPlanatiSn.
''Ye gods and little hshsS!" Fran
els exclaimed. s"Apd yet you shook
hands with me. Senior Torres"
81 was fooled" Torres admitted
sadly. But only for a moment
Will you come peaceably?"
"As il" Francis shrugged his
shoulders eloquently at the six
rifes:' II suppose you'll give me a
prOnto trial. and hang noe at day
break"
Justice is swift in Panama." the
Jefe Politico replied, his English
queerIy accented but understand
able But not so quick as that.
We will not hang you, at daybreak.
Ten o'clock in the morning is more
comfortable all around, don't you
think?'
ooh. by all means" Francis re-
piled. Make 1t eleven. or even
twelve noon-I won't mind"
You will kindly come with US,
senor?" Mariana Vetcara Hijos
said, the suavity OF his dictIon not
masking the Irony Of its intention.
e Juan. Ignacio! he ordered in
Spanish. "Dismounti Take his
weapons. No, it will not be neces-
sary to tie his hands Put him on
the horse behind Gregorio."
Francis, in venerably white
washed adobe cell with walls I'VE
feet thick, it's earth floor carpeted
with the forms of half dozen
sleeping peoA prisoners, listened to
a dim hammering not very distant,
remembered the trial from which
he had just emerged. and whistled
long and low. The hour was half
past eight in the evening. The
trial had begun at eight. The
hammering was the hammering to-
gether of the scaffold beams, from
which place OF eminence he was
scheduled at 10 next morning to
swing OF into space supported
from the ground by a rope around
his neck The trial had lasted
half an hour by his watch. Twenty
minutes would have covered il had
Leoncia not burst in and prolonged
it by the ten. minutes courteoUsly
accorded her as the great lady Of
the SolanO. family.
The Jefe was right" Francis
acknowledged to himself in a NUT
ter .of soliloquY. Panama justice
does move swiftly"
The very possession of the let
ter. given him by Lsoncia and ad-
dressed to Henry Morgan damned
him. The rest had been easy. Half
a dozen witnesses had testified to
the murder and. Identified him as
the, murderer. The Jefe Politico