Year: 1868

The merciless wretch left the prison,
and sprang into a carriage, ordering that
he should be driven to building which
adjoined the Capitol. AS they proceed
ed, Durango asked of the messenger:


How did you happen to discover the
woman p ...-


'It was in this way: l was passing
your mansion this morning, and when
upon the opposite side Of the street, l
saw person, who appeared to be boy,
coming out of your door. He held a
child in his arms. I don't know that this
would have attracted my attention at all,
but from the fact that l saw the child had
no covering upon its head. Well, after
being once thus attracted, and my suspi-
cions aroused, saw that the boy appear
ed to be in very great hurry, and that
he made an effort to conceal the child"


"Oh, the villain p


''Then l became satisfied that the child
thief, as l believed the person to be, was
a woman in disguise"


'Yes, it was the wife Of Corrientez."


"Of course l resolved to follow the
thief. | saw her enter the main hall of
the Capitol. was close upon her heels.
She ascended to the attic, and then pass
ed through the scuttle on the roof


Il assembled the ladder and peered
through the opening, just in time to see
her disappear down the scuttle of the
next building, which was unoccupied."


II remember the building"


81 then crept to the scuttle and listen
ed / heard her close door, and then
1 could hear her steps in one of the attic
rooms. 1 also heard the child cry


did you not notify the police at
once p


''No; l had other views"


"What were they?"


Il confess l had an eye to the reward
you would be willing to pay for the re-
covery of your child and the detection
of the thief


"Well, what did you do ?"


'tNot caring to share that reward with
any person, / resolved to manage the
matter myself l went into the square,
and glancing up, saw the woman at the
window l then made all possible haste
to your mansion, but you were not there


"Did you tell my wife that you knew
where the child could be found p


II did not. 1 contented myself sim
ply with ascertaining the fact that you
had lost a daughter. 1 sought for you
at once, but you were so much engaged
upon the scaffold, that l could not gain
your attention, and resolved to wait'


SIN the meantime the woman might
have escaped"


81 was careful about that. I saw that
she did not leave the window. When
you left the scaffold, I lost 81 ght of you,
but at length succeeded in finding you
here"


care you sure the woman is still in
the house %


''Yes, for have set guard around
it,"


BY this time the building was reached,
and Durango sprang out of the carriage.
He gave directions for some of his
guards to ascend to the roof, and then
he entered the front door. Stationing
men in every room and hall, as he adj
vanced, he finally reached the attic. Just
as he did so his eyes fell upon the wo-
man. She held the child in her arms,
and was rapidly climbing up aladder to-
wards the roof.


"Stop her, seize her?'' shriel1ed Du-
range, rushing after her. He reached
the roof, but saw that Cora had rushed
past the guard, and was nov standing
upon the very verge of the roof


Durango advanced toward the woman,
but she raised the little one high above
her head, as if she WAS about to hurl ii
forward into the street, and cried:


"Stopl Don t advance another step
or You will have no more daughter"


"What would you have with me ?"


"Bring me my child, and then you
may have your own"


"Don't Kill me, please don't kill me, y
sobbed the little girl, as she put up her
hands in an imploring manner.


Cora clasped the little innocent erea-
ture to her bosom, and replied:


mo, my darling angel,you have moth
ing to fear from me, | would die ten
thousand deaths, if it were possible to dc
SO, and even lose my own child, before
| would harm you. 1t is hard to be com
PEELED to use You as weapon to'coerce