The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1921-06-02

the blood Of, his Castflian ancestors
still In his veins to render this sorry
spectacle rather an enjoyable one to
him. Besides, he was 80 Der cent
iberian, race which can hate quite
as thoroughly as It can love, and
FOR time Ricardo even nourished the
thought Of still further indulging his
thirst for revenge by pretending to
ala Sarros In bis escape! Presently,
however. he put the ungen erous
thought from him; seizing the dead
horse BY the TAIL he dragged the car
cass on his enemy's leg, and while
Sarros sat up. tailor-fashion. and COM
menced to rub, the circulation back
into the bruised member, Ricardo
seated himself on the rump of the
dead horse and appraised his prisoner
critically.
Sarros glanced up, remembered his
manners and very heartily and grace
fully thanked his deliverer.
1T is not matter for which thanks
are due me, Sarros," Ricardo replied
coldly. 81 am Ricardo Luiz Ruey,
and l have come back to 'Sobrante to
pay my fathers debt to you. You
Will remember having forced the obli-
cation upon me in the cemetery some
fifteen years ago."
For perhaps ten horrifed seconds
Sarros stared at Ricardo; then the
dark blood in him came to his defense:
his tense pose relaxed; the fright
and despair left his swarthy counte-
nance MS If erased with a moist
sponge. leaving him as calmly stoical
and Indifferent as a cigarstore Indian
He fumbled in his coat pocket for
gold cigarette case, selected ciga-
rette. lighted 1t and blew smoke a,
lttcardo. The jig was up; he knew
1t: and with admirable ronchalance
he declined to lower his presidential,
dignity by discussing or considering II.
He realized 1t would delight his CAP
Tor r. .,IOw he dreaded to face the
issue. and IL was not Sarros practicu
to- give aid and comfort to the enemy.
"Spunky devilw Ricardo reflected,
forced To admiration despite himself
Aloud he said: "You know the code
OF our people, .SarrOs. An eye for
IN eye and tooth for TOOTH"
SarrOs bowed. 81 am at your serv-
ice." he replied carelessly.
"Then at daylight tomorrow moru-
ing shall make settlement" Ricardo
heckoned his men to approach. "Take
this man and confine him under
double guard In the arsenal" he or
dcred. present my compliments TO
the officer in charge there and tell
him II Is my wish that priest he
provided for the prisoner tonight, and
that tomorrow morning. at six o'clock.
detail of six men and sergeant
escort this man to the cemetery in
the rear of the Cathedral de In Cruz.
l will meet the detail there and take
command of It,"
Two Of Ricardo's imported fighting
men stepped to the prisoners side.
seized him, one by each arm, and lift
ell him to his feet; supported be-
tween them. he limped away TO his
doom, while his youthful conqueror
remained seated on the dead horse.
his gaze bent upon the ground, his
mind dwelling, not upon his triumph
over SarrOs but upon the prodigious
proportions of the task before him:
the rehabilitation OF nation. After
a while he rose and strolled over to-
ward the gate. where he paused to
note the grim evidences Of the final
stand of Webster and Don Juan Cafe
terO before passing through the Dor
tai.
Ricardo had now, for the first time.
an opportunity to look around him;
tn hle,"
Ing. to thrill with this, the first real
view Of the home Of his boyhOod. The
spacious lawn surrounding the palace
had been plowed and SCARED with
bursting shrapnel frem the field guns
captured In the arsenal, although the
building itself had been little damaged,
not having sustained direct hit be-
cause Of RicardO's stringent orders
not to use artillery on the palace un-
less absolutely necessary to smoke
Sarros out. Scattered over the grounds
Ricardo counted some twenty-odd
government soldiers. all wearing that
pathetically fiat, crumpled appearance
which seems inseparable from the
bodies of men killed In action. The
first shrapnel had probably com
menced to drop In the grounds just as
a portion Of the palace garrison had
been marching out to join the troops
lighting at the cantOnment barracks
Evidently the men had scattered like
quail, only. to be killed as they ran.
From this grim scene Ricardo raised
his eyes to the palace, the castellated
towers Of which, looming through the
tufted palms. were rejecting the set.
ting sun. Over the balustrade OF one
Of the upper balconies the limp body
Of Sarros sharpshooter, picked of
from the street, dropped grotesquely,
his arms hanging downward as If In
ironicaI welcome to the son of Ruey
the Beloved. The sight induced in
Ricardo sense Of profound sadness;
his Irish imagination awoke; to him
that mute figure seemed to call upon
him for pity, for kindness, for for.
bearance, for understanding and sym
pathy. Those outflung arms Of the