Evening star., 1935-03-10
Iss,ls,,Is RlsA A4li.
isS~$S y RAPipFIRE ROMANCE sy EVAN EVANS

room. looked wildly around him. But
| nothing was wrong. The door of the
closet that contained the precious
safe was closed. All was apparently
we'll
Your eyes! Your eyes!" he shouted
to the men around him. IF you
have eyes, tell me what they See!"
There is rather an odd odor in
the air." said one of the officers.
The damned moldy smell always
blows up with storm out of this old
rat-trap!" declared the general.
There is this black burn on the
carpet" said another officer.
Burn on the carpet? What burn,
you fool?" beloved the general.
Then he saw it and followed the
irregular course of the little black
spots to the point where they disap-
peared under the door of the closet.
At that, suspicion too terrible to
pass up into words overwhelmed him.
He passed hand across his shaggy
hair.
1t seemed to him that a ghost. not
Ignacio Estrada, had been rejoicing
himself not long before with the
pretty face of a girl. Compared with
such loss as might befall him, what
were all the women of the world?
He tore open the closet door. In
side the thick, strange smell which
had been noticeable in the bed room
was much more pronounced. And
the door of the safe hung open on
one hlnge-the drawers had been
jerked out, half the contents scat
/ tered, half taken!
He had a good hold on the edge
of the door or he would have stag
gered. He might even have fallen
to his knees under the weight of this
calamity. Instead, he merely rolled
back his head and started upward.
Father in heaven. what have I
done to you?" muttered Estrada.
He turned slowly on the others.
Get out into every corner of the
building" he exclaimed. "Burrow
into the cracks of the stones. Be
cause El Keed is here among us. My
God! how can man walk invisible?
I am robbed. Do you hear? And
A loud and sustained rattling of
guns began at this moment. The
general ran to the open window and
leaned out.
Its from the postern! If the
thief has escaped by the way he
came I'll skin the guards and eat
them with my own teeth"
mo, eXcellency. He could not have
gone that way. I myself posted 10
men and Captain -
Damn the men-damn the cap
tains! Names are no good. Numbers
are nothing. Brains are what rule
the world Scatter! Use your feet
if you can't use your wits!'
The door was heavy. but Rubriz
could have carried it like feather
if he had not known that it was
better to assume the swinging, slow
pace of the true laborer. So he went
patiently down the stairs and through
the lower gallery, and finally into the
great open court yard, where he was
shocked by noise of firing just out
side the fort and a clamoring of
voices made high and thin by ex-
citement.
He dropped the door to the ground,
but, noticing that some soldiers were
watching him, he hastily put it on
his back once more and went on.
Had they captured Montana?
Well. at least the curse of the
alarm bell. was still in his ear. beat
ing on his brain with the impulse to
flee as fast as he could. He kept to
his steady gait right across the in
side parade ground. He was right
at the gate before he was halted.
who goes there?"
"Luis Lapaz."
whats that?"
"The door of the room of Gen.
Estrada"
What are you doing with the door
of the commander" asked the lieu
tenant. He began to laugh as he
asked the question.
Il am carrying it," said Rubriz,
simply.
"I can see you are, donkey. But
why are you carrying it?"
Il am taking it away" said Rubriz.
BE patient" said another young
officer. You can see that the man is
not right, up here"
well, these foolsl Luis Lapaz?"
"Yes, senor."
Where is your pass?"
II lost it, my senor."
Come. comet Simpleton or no
simpleton, that won't do here! Where
did you lose it?"
Tomorrow, recognition brings added