Year: 1875

door / had observed, and after few
efforts it opened, and I discovered
that it led down a narrow passage
way, which following some distance,
l came upon a window opening out
upon shed, which slanted off
towards the ground at the back OF
the house.


Here was chance to escape, but
unwilling to leave my guide in dan
ger without some effort to save him,
l lit a match and glanced around
me, and to the right discovered a
door, which / judged led into room
commanding view of the stable
yard.


'The latch was raised easily and
entered, and lighting another match,
what was my horror to discover the
forms Of three men lying upon the
floor; but believing them asleep |
was about to withdraw when voice
said quickly:


"'Great Heaven! you here?'


"Instantly turned the blaze upon
the speaker, and with amazement dis
covered one OF the young officers /
had met at the inn, bound hand and
foot, while by his side lay two others,
the one / was to meet next morning
in deadly combat, and he that was to
have been my second.


"But no dread had l to meet that
morrow's meeting, for both my enemy
and the one who was to have acted
as my friend were dead"


.sDead:"


"Yes, Juanita, they had been cruel
ly put to death by the very hand that
was soon to seek my life; for like my
guide and myself, the other party
had been lost in the storm and had
happened upon the same house.


'This was quickly told me by the
young officer, whose life the bandits
had spared, to torture from him upon
the morrow a confession as to when
a richly laden commissary train was
to cross the mountains.


"Instantly l severed the bonds OF
the young officer, and rising to his
feet, he took the pistol I offered him,
and together we were consulting as
to our future movement to save the
poor guide, when, from the stable
yard came a loud cry for mercy, a
few shots, and groan Of agony, and
poor Pope we knew had been cruelty
murdered.


"Let us get away from here, or our
tate will be such as his; see, there
are dozen of them,' cried the Span
lard.


sand, leading the way, l dashed
through the window opening upon
the shed, just as cry arose among
the bandits to seek me.


"Out upon the root, off upon the
ground, we hastily scrambled, and at
full speed we rushed on in darkness,
mile after mile, until my poor COM
panion was broken down and could
90 no farther; but then daylight
broke and l discovered a small cot
near by, and arousing the inmates,
we asked for shelter, which was
cheerfully given, although death met
our gaze; for upon 2 snow-white bed
lay young and beautiful woman,
who had been thrown from her horse
the evening before and killed.


'One glance and my companion
recognized her. She was the wife of
the yoang officer with whom l was
to engage in duel.


"Her story had been told to the in
mates Of the cottage, ere she died,
which was that her husband had
gone to fight duel, and she was
fastening after him to prevent it, ac-
companied only by guide, when her
horse had fallen and crushed her be-
meath his weight.


"Juanita, never did suffer rs then,
and to atone for my being the cause
OF all this misery, had the body Of
the beautiful woman borne back to
her home, and from there buried in
state, beside the grave of her hus-
band, for the following day the young
officer had taken with him number
of soldiers and gone to the house of
the bandits, and though he had found
the place deserted, except by the
dead, he had brought back the corpses
of his unfortunate friends and my
guide.


"And, Juanita, to atone yet more
for my sin, took to my heart the
baby child-a little girl of one year
of the dead parents, and bringing her
to America, reared her as my ward


cam 1 she that was the little or
phan girl?" asked Juanita, in low
whisper.


"Yes, Juanita; and each year as
you have grown to womanhood, the
tendrils of my heart clung more
closely around you, until now, my
future without your love, must be a
dreary blank; and yet fear it must
be SO, for now that you know the
story of your life, l feel that you will


-"


Glove you tenfold more, my dear,
noble guardian, and never, never,
never leave you"


And with the passionate vehemence
of her nature, Juanita sprang forward
and clung closely around the neck of
the man who had so well endeavored
to atone for the past.


"You will be my wife, then, juan
ita?" asked Clarence Kane, after a
pause.


eyes. Never have / known other
love than l felt for you; and mingled
with it, has been that holdfor mother,
father, brother, all.


"My poor parents, sleeping i'll far
away Spain, l know, feel that you
would not blame your daughter, and
l pray that from Heaven you look
down in kindness and give us your
blessing, as hope God will bless us
too"


"Amcn!" said the stern and fervent
voice of Clarence Kane.


And one short month afterwards,
all Baltimore heard with surprise the
handsome guardian and beautiful
ward had been quietly married, and
sped away to spend their honeymoon
in the romantic valleys of Spain.