Evening star., 1921-06-12

stairs carpeted thickly with red vel
vet. and came upon President Diego
himself, waiting. with q good deal of
dignity, for whatever might happen
to Msgella- Mercedes clung to his
arm and several froek coated, white
whiskered government officials stared
solemniy at the ragged. dirty .Aneri-
can and at the ragazza,. ex -cavalry-
man. ex-bandit. ex-genueman. The
room was very still. aloof from the
heat and dust Of the city. There were
glittering chandeliers made Of multi
chairs with gold arms, and acres Of
polished floors. Just behind the state
ly old president Darlington beheld a
monstrous oil painting, done in the
on a charger. haloed with cupids and
angels and wearing the seven-starred
order Of ONCE. Diego himself was hav-
ing difficulty in maintaining his he
roic manner. ....
'signor Pug. we have done our best.
cammarillo is already in the city"
DUG spoke gently. his eyes not on
Diego but on Mercedes.
Beyond doubt" Pug said. 1.-The mat
ter is serious one thing 1 have
done-the Liberia is aground on the
Isola di sabbia- AS for Masella-
have you no faith in your armyr'
Diego's shoulders sagged. II have
no faith in any one" :,
Miss Diego flushed and squeezed
her fathers arm. He Is right, papa
Diego's eyes cropped. What do you
want me to do?"
You will be safe at the .Atneri-
cat, consulate. Cammarillo will think
frA hA% %N$ hA RNaS ~
Diego hesitated. In the sudden ST.
lence within the room the sound OF
firing was distinctly audible-the
sharp rattle of musketry, the express
sionless, bored coughing OF machine
guns. and over It all, like drum notes not
boom of the big guns at San Martino
Diego bowed.
"Ebbene, Mr. Fafrchild. Only per-
init me to say that am not afraid
of anything"
for the ragazza- No one had offered
to pay him for his services. but he
toiled like a slave for the exuberant
Signor Pug. No flag was pinned TO
his breast as a reminder Of his duty.
No medals were offered. or thought
of. Surreptitiously he rubbed his nm
gers over his face. as If by that SIM
Pile process he could erase his old
identity.
Pug knew a way across the roof
tops to the consulate. and that way
the president of the republic went
much against his will. The manner
Of his going was excessively undigni-
fed. Pug pulled and the raEazza
pushed, while Miss Diego. speechless
with mirth: carried her papa's SILK
hat and bamboo cane: m. :.
This is not a war" she said' 1T Is
circus"
Later she changed her mind. But
it was hard to believe, up there on
the sunny .roof-tops, that men were
fiehtinS and dying in the streets. Yet
nothing stood bStween President Die
10 and Cammarillo's firing squad ex-
cent the doubtful resistance of the
royalist forces. Pug breathed more
easily when he had left the Diegos at
taS down oinsIe i'm the consurs fasorits home.
made rocking-c and hxed his som
Der eyes on a lithogfephed portrait OF
meath two crossed fags.
Pug and the fAea4Ea. not pausing
for heroic farewel1s. slipped out into
the deserted via della Pace and scut-
tied OF to Join the royalists.
The nationansts had spread them
selves in a wide half-moon about the
skirts Of the city. The sound Of their
rifles was like distant ,hand-clappins
"a harmless Soft of noise t6At struck
terror in the hearts of the bafficad-
ed Civilians Nothing much was done
about 1S IN The city 4t0Al& A. dafAch'