Evening star., 1921-05-15

Pugs eyes with frank amusement
'>Oh, like anything"
Then youth like me-" Pug sat
down. cross-legged on the grass.
clasped his hands around his knees,
and looked at her with his soul in his
ayes. How did It happen" he demand
ed. that you live in Magella? And how
did you come to be in this garden"
I'm Miss Diego. Papa is the Presi-
dent Of Magella just now
You mean It isn't a permanent job?"
She gave him quick look and her
GonelH to murder papa. you came too
late He's upstairs asleep and there
are two armed guards outside his door" :"
Whereupon Pug told her the story of
his Life Some girls might not have
listened, but Miss Diego liked Pug's
eyes. She would have listened to Mother
Goose jinglss If he had recited them. 1t
lazy sentry by the palace door had
fallen asleep in the warm sunlight: there
was no sound but the tinkle and splash
Of the fountain, and Pug's voice. It
was good to be young and pretty and
fearless. Watching Pug out Of her
sleepy black eyes: Miss Diego knew
her for Magellan love-making. Pug
told her why he had come to Magella:
he laid his sword at her feet-and all
the while his eyes were saying: Il
like you. trust you You're q won
der" A Magellan would have said:
you're = silly little thing. don't
love you"
II want to talk to your father" Pug
said. leaning forward q little. II want
him to know that a Fairchild Is al
ways AZ good as his word. II you'll
go and get him. Miss Diego. I'll make
~
fair with Magella. Don't you see. II
Gonelli gets the upper hand. his ma
tonalists viii push your papa of the
throne and Magella will go to the
dogs
him that her papa's life hung by q
thread. He had always represented
the conservative party: he was an
aristocrat-a royalist at heart He
belonged to the dignihed past Of
Magella: Gonelli was an upstart-an up
start with tremendous ambitions. Diego
did not trust him. yet he could not
an unruly. inhammable mob Of In
dians, nondescript Latins. half breed
Magellans. "And some day." Miss
Diego confessed. ''Gonelli will kill my
father. 1t won't be the first time that
a Magellan president has paid for his
ideals with his life"
Pug told her what he expected to
do for Magella. 1t never occurred to
her to doubt him. He had fallen out
OF the live oak and into her heart
She interrupted him with a decisive:
Yes. yes, l see! TIL get father
wait for me!' And then ran off across
flashing in and out of the shadows
until she disappeared within the
palace door. When she came back
she was leaning on her fathers arm.
whispering to him very earnestly. Pug
scrambled to his feet and watched
beating a good deal because she was
such q wonderful girl. because she
had said nothing about discipline or
making good, or the real things Of
life. because she had seemed to like
him and because she was willing to
help him. Pug offered her the tribute
or his Utmost heart. Throwing back
his head. he sought the very heights
OF eloquence. Grateful, exalted. he
dug down into his soul for words.
Aloud, he said In q shaken. ecstatic
voice: Some girlr'
49, -
.DHGO did not like being dragged
from siesta to interview strange
young men fallen from the tree
tops into his garden. He was ruffled
and sleepy. This was ono of the many
queer things Pittsburgh had done to
his daughter. Diego was a tall, gray
bearded pompous man. who had lived
for five years In terror Of his life.
Existence in the Magellan palace
was q perpetual game OF Alice
through the looking glass. Diego
never knew when he would be
marched before a firing squad and
shot against some sun-baked wall
He should have lived an undisturbed
life in peaceful obscurity. Poor Diego
had grown into fame and power
through his childish desire to go
down in Magellan history as a wise
and benevolent dictator. MageIIa
was ungrateful. All around him
there was continual plotting and
contemplating. hatred. deceit and
am bition.
He stared at Pug haughtily and sat
down under the live oak with a
slight groan of vexation. And over
! his ruffied old head the two young
people EXCHANGED a look full of Ques-
tioning, encouragement and good
humor.
Pug talked we'll. because the girl
| was watching him. He told Diego
| that the Americans intended to put
| q railway along the old Indian trail
aH6 2a tn MHr4a0r sXnineS~, "eVen