Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-10-23

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keep walking until the bacE-sp!n ~
that treadmIl brought Rosa 10 him.
But the time came when he could
walk no farther. He tried repeatedly
and failed, and meanwhile the earth
spun even more rapidly. threatening &c
whirl him of into space. 1t was a te.
rible sensation; he lay down and
Rugged the ground. clinging to roots
and sobbing weakly. Rosa. he knew
was just around the next bend In the
trail he called TO her. bat she did moi
answer, and he dared not attempt tc
creep forward because his grip was
falling He could feel lis fingers slip
otng-slipping. His last thought, IS be
went whlrllns end over end through
space, was OF his sister. She wculd
never know how hard he had tried TO
reach her.
+ Late on the second day after the bat
tie Asensio returned to his bohio. Rosa
and EvaRgelina, already frantic at the
delay, heard him crying to them while
he was still hidden in the woods and
knew that the worst had happened.
There was little need for him TO tell
his story. for he was weaponless,
stained, and bloody. He had crossed
the hills on foot after a miraculous es-
APE from that ravine of death. OF his
companions he knew nothing what
ever; the mention of Esteban's name
,aused him to beat his breast and cry
aloud. He was weak and feverish, and
lis incoherent story OF the midnight
encounter was so highly colored that
Rosa nearly swuoned with horror.
The girl stood swaying while he told
low the night had betrayed them. how
he had wrought Incredible feats of
TAILOR before the shifting tide of battle
1ad spewed him out the end Of the
sunken read and left him half dead In
he grass. Asensio had lain there I'M
til, finding himself growing stronger
10 had buTrowed into a tangle of vines
IT the foot of wall. where he had re-
NAMED until the fighting ceased. When
he 'Spaniards had finally discovered
heir mistake and had ceased riding
1ne another down. when lights came
md he heard Colonel cGb0 cursina
hem like one insane. he had wriggled
away, crossed the calzada and hidden
n the woods until dawn. lie had been
walking ever since he had come home
to die.
Asensio recovered, but he was sadly
changed. There was no longer any
martial spirit in him; he feared the
Spaniards, and tales of their atrocities
.owed him.
Then CObO came into the Yumuri.
The valley. already we.l-nigh deserted
vas filed to the brim with smoke from
, burning fields and houses, and through
I the sun showed like copper shield
Refugees passed the bohlo, bound
farther into the hills and ASensio told
the two women that he and they must
also 30. So the three gathered UP
what few things they could carry on
their backs and fled.
They did not stop until they had
gained the Businesses of the Pan de
MatanZas. Here they built % shelter
ard again took up the problem of liv-
ing, which was now more difficult than
ever.
The Pan de NIatanZas, so called be-
cause of its resemblance to a mighty
loaf OF bread, became a mockery to
the hungry people covering in its shell
ter. Bread Rosa Varona could not
remember when she had last tasted
such a luxury. Raw cane, coconuts,
the tasteless fruita bomba, roots, the
pith from palm tops, these were her
articles of diet, and she did not thrive
upon them. She was always more or
less hungry. She was ragged, too, and
she shivcred miserably through the
long. chill nights. Rosa could measure
the change in her appearance only by
studying her reflection from the sur.
face OF the spring where she drew wa
ter, but she could see that she had be-
come very thin, and she judged that
the color had entirely gone from her
cheeks. 1t saddened her, for O'Reilly's
sake.
Time came when Asensio spoke of
giving up the struggle and going in.
They were gradually starving, he said
and Rosa was ills the risk of discovery
was ever present. 1t was better to &C
while they had the strength than slow
ly but surely to perish here. He ha6
heard that there were twenty thousand
reconcentrados in Matanzas; in such q
crowd they could easily manage tc
hide themselves; they would at leas;
be fed along with the others.
No one had told Asensio that the
government was leaving its prisoners
to shift for themselves, supplying then
with not pound of food nor a square
inch of shelter.
Misery bred desperation at last;
EvaRgelIna's courage failed her. ant
she allowed herself to be won over.
She began her preparations by DISCUS.
ing Rosa. Gathering herbs and berries.
she made a stain with which she col
ored the girls face and body, then she
sewed bundle of leaves into the back
of Rosa's waist so that when the lat