Evening star., 1924-10-26
CAPTAIN BLOOD
By RAFAEL SABATINI
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Star. }

"A man must sometimes laugh a
himself or go mad" sal dhe. Few
realize it. That Is why there are 81
many madmen In the world"
You may laugh at yourself all 30,
-?ill. sir. But sometimes l think yol
laugh at ~" which is not civil"
"Then, faith. you're wrong. I laugl
only at the comic, and you are no
comic at all
What am I. then?" she asked him
laughing.
a moment he pondered her. so fail
ana fresh to benold. so entirely maid.
only and yet so entirely frank ant
unabashed.
"You are" h., said. "thc niece o,
the man who owns me his slave" But
he spoke lightly. So lightly that sht
WAS encouraged to insistence.
Nay, sir. that is an evasion. Yol
shall answer me truthfully this morn.
ing"
"Truthfully? To answer you at al
is labor. But to answer truthfully
oh, well. now. I should say of you
his friend 1t was In his mind tt
add more But he left 1t there.
That's mighty civil said she
you've a nice taste in compiiment s
Mr Blood. Another in Your plac.
Faith, now, don't know what
another would have said? Don't
know my fellow man at ALL
"Sometim.s I think YOU do an
sometimes l think you don't An
way. you doa't know Your tello,s
woman. There was tht :slf ii Of =
spa nialds.
'.WilI " never fo"get it
Never.
Bad cess to Your memory. l. th-Y,
no good in me at all that You couit
be dwelling on instead"
oh several things
For instance. now" He was al
most eager.
You speak excellent Span.sn'
Is that all?" He sank back int,
dismay.
Where did you learn it? Have
you been in SPAIN"
"That I have. | WAS two years il
Spanish prison
In prison. Her tone suggested
appr-hensionS in which lie had no de
sire to leave her.
As pyisone" of war he eA.
Piained. II was taken fighting It'll
The Fr-nch-in French service. taar
is
Put you're a doctor sl- cried
That's mercy div-rsi Il. | think
BY trade | am a soldier least. it.:
trad | followed for l. years. Il
brought me no great : az but i
served me better tha: medicine
which. as YOU may t,serve, ha:
brought NE into slavery I'm think,
ing it's more pleasing the sigh
OF Heaven to kill meu than to hea
them. Sure il must be.
But how came you to be = soldier
ard to serve the French
Il am Irish. You see. and I studied
medicine. Ther-fore-since it's a per
verse nation We are. Oh. but it:
& long story. and the colonel will b'
expecting my return.
She was not in that way To he de
f-auded of her entertainment. If h,
would wait a moment they would rid,
back together. She had but come {,
inquire IF the Governors health a
her uucle's request.
So he waited. and they rod,
back together to Col. bishop:
house. They rode Very slowly. at ;
walking pace. and some whom the.
passed marveled to Sce the doctor
siav- on such apparently intimat'
terms with mis- owners niece. on
or two may have promised themselyc
that they would drop d hint to Nh
colonel. But the two rode "bliviou
Of all others in the world thGt morn
inc. He was telling her the story O
his early turbulent days, and 1T tn,
end of it he dwelt more fully thaY
hitherto upon the manner of his ar
rest and trial.
The tale was barely done vher
they drew up at the colonel's door
and diSmouuted, P.ter Blood surren
dcring his nag to one Of the nesr
grooms. who Informed them IA 1t tn'
colonel was from home at the mo
ment.
Even then they fingered a moment
she OBTAINING him.
''T am sorry, Mr.. Blood. that ! die
not know before" she said. and tncr'
was suspicion Of moisture in mos
clear hazel eyes. With coIn;c. II.
fricnGliness she held out her iiand 4
him.
Why. what difference could it have
madc?" he asked.
Some, l think. You have beer
very hardly used by Fate"
keen sapphire eyes considered hel
steadily a moment from under hi
level black brows. 1T might have
been worse" he said, with signifi
canoe which brought n tinse of colc1
to her cheeks and d fiutter to her eye
lids.
He stopped to kiss her hand before
releasing it, and she did not deny
him. Then he turned and strode of
toward the stockade a half-mil,
away. and vision of her face Wen
with him. tinted with a. rising blusl
and a sudden unusual shyness. H.
forgot in that little moment that II
was a rebel-convict with 10 years o
slavery before him; he forgot that h
had planned escape. which sTas Il
he carried into effect that night: for
got even the peril of discovery wnicl
now overhung him.