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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 30, 1918)
- ,. rt-X... j. . "8 RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF j.VVVVyVVV DIG TRENCHES-. FIND TREASURE RAINBOWS END Marines In Training Cdmp Uncov. er Chest Buried by Jean Lafitte. T TTZ"V T"sC A T-T Author of "The Iron Trail." "The J3y JLVJUV XJJLuMLWLX Spoilers," "Heart of the Sunset," Etc. 'Copyrliht, by Harper and Brother) ,.ahM. . JU& rfJttft,W3WH OyMtttyv O'REILLY LEARNS OF ROSA'S PLIGHT AND RUSHES TO THE RESCUE WITH ALL POSSIBLE HASTE Synopsis. Don Esteban Vnronn, a Cuban planter, hides his wealth money, Jewels and title deeds In a well on his rotate. The hiding place Is known only to Sebastian, a slave. Don Estebnu's wife dies at the birth of twins, Estebau and Rosa. Don Estuban marries tho avaricious Donna Isabel, who tries unsuccessfully to wring the secret of the hidden treasure from Sebastian. Angered at his refusal, she urges Don Estebnn to sell Evangellna, Sebastian's daughter. Don Esteban refuses, but In tho course of n gambling orgle, he risks Evaugellna at cards and loses. Crazed by the loss of his daughter, Sebastian kills Don Esteban and Is himself killed. Many years pass and Donna Isabel Is unable to find the hidden treasure. , Don Mario, rich sugar merchant, seeks to marry Rosa, who has returned from Bchool In the United States. Johnnie O'Reilly, an American, who loves Itosa, wins her promise to wait for him until lie can return from New York. Donna Isabel falls to death while walking In her sleep. Estobau's connection with the lusurrcctos is discovered and he and Itosa are com pelted to llee. CHAPTER V Continued. "Aro you crazy, or am I?" ho que ried. "Yes, sir; delirious. It's this wny, Ir; I'vo changed my mind, too." "Oh I You hnvo?" "I'vo met tho dearest, sweetest" .O'Reilly choked, then began again ("tho dearest, loveliest " I "Never mind tho bird-calls don't cool I get enough of that at houfe. Ilumphl It turned out better than I thought. Why, I I was positively ter rified when you walked In. I otiKht to bo offended, and I nm, but Get out whllo I telephone Blsu." O'Reilly spent that evening In writ ing a long letter to Rosa Varoua. Other letters went forward by sue- ccedlng posts, and there was no doubt iiow that O'Reilly's peu was tipped with magic I Ho tingled when ho re read what ho had written. Ho bade Rosa preparo for Ills return and their Immediate marriage. O'Reilly's lovo wns unlimited; his trust In tho girl was absolute. Ho lenow, moreover, that she loved and trusted him. This, to be sure, wns a miracle n unique phenomenon which never ceased to nuuizo him. Ho did not dream that every man had felt tho same vaguu wonder. And so tho time passed rapidly. Hut, strange to say, there cuniu no answer to those letters. O'Reilly cursed tho revolution whteh had inudo communi cation ho uncertain; at length ho cabled, but still tho days dragged on with no result. Gradually his lmpn tleneo gavo way to apprehension. Great was his relief, therefore, when ono day n worn, stained envelope ad dressed In Rosa's hand was laid upon Ids desk. Tho American stamp, the Key West postmark, looked strange, but Her llrst letter! O'Reilly won dered If his first letter to her could !osslbly havo moved her as this moved dm. Ho kissed the envelope whero her lips had caressed It In thu sealing. Then with eager lingers ho broko It open. It was n generous epistle, long nnd closely written, hut as ho read his keen delight turned to dismay, and when ho liad turned the last thin page his brain was In wildest turmoil. Ho "Aro You Crazy, or Am II" He Que. rled. thought ho must bo dreaming. Could It bo that ho had misunderstood any thing? Ho turned to tho beginning ami attempted to read, but his bauds shook bo that ho was obliged to lay the letter Hat upoli his desk. My Par Ueloved: It Is with dlfndeneo nnd bestuttoii that 1 take my peu In baud, for 1 fear you may consider me unduly forxard tn writing- to you with out solicitation. Ala! W ur refugees. KateNui and I -fugitives, outcasts, llvluj la the maal- 1gju i Kua. with Asonalo anil KvnnKiillim. formor aluvuu of nur fattiur. Huch poverty, such ImloBcrlbnlilo clrcumstunceat Out they woro our only friends una thuy took ub In when wo wero liomoluss, so. wo lovo thorn. If this Icttor reaches you and I aond It with a prayer vrhnt thon? I dnro not think too Ions of that, for tho hearts of in on nra not Ilka tho hearts of women. What will you nay when you loarn that tho Rosa Varona whom you favored with your ailmlratjon Is not tho Hoia of to day? I henr you murmur. "Tho jrlrl for Kets herself!" Hut. oh, tho standards of yesterday nro pono and my rcsorvo to Konu, tool I nm a hunted creature. Rosa had compelled herself to start with tho death of Donna Isabel nnd to give him a succinct account of all that had followed. O'Reilly read tho story, fascinated. That Is how wo camo to llvo with Asonslo and his wife. Imagine It! A bohlo, hid den nway far up tho Yumurl, and no In- nicmncant as to eacapo attention, wo nro no longer people of consequence or au thority; our safety depends upon our In connplcuousnesa. Tho wholo country Is tn chaos. Thero Is no work nothing but suspicion, hotrod, and vlolonco. Oh, what desolation this war has wrought I Esteban has already becomo a Kucrrllloro. Ho has stolen a cow, nnd so wo havo milk for our coffeo; but thero Is only a handful of coffee left, nnd llttlo hopo of moro. Marauding bands of Spaniards aro evorywhoro. und the country people toll ntroclous tnles about them. How will It end? How loni;io foro they will discover us and tho worst will happen? If only you were hero Oh, my dear est Juan I If only you wero hero to tnko mo In your arms nnd banish this ever constant terror nt my heart. If only you wero hero to tell mo that you love mo still In splto of my misfortune Seel Tho tears aro falling ns I write. You will re turn, wilt you not? I could not wrlto llko this If I wero sure that you would read theso lines. My nightly prayer Hut I will not tell you of my prayers, for fnto may guide this letter to you, after nil, und tho hearts of mon do chnngc. In thoso dark hours when my doubts nrlso I try to tell mysctf that you will surely coiuo and search mo out. When you return to Cuba see, my faith Is strong again avoid Matnnzns, for your own stiko and mlno. Don Mario wanted to marry mo to suvo mo this exile. But I refused; I told him I wns pledged to you, and ho was furious. Ho Is power ful; ho would balk you. nnd thero Is nl wavs room for ono moro In San Severlno. If I could coino to you. I would, but I nm marked. Ri If you htllt doMiv mo you must search mo out. You will? I pin my faith to that as to tho Cross. To doubt would to to perish. If wo should have to find another hldlng-placo, and that Is al ways likely, you can learn of our whero nbmits from Colonel Lopes. Alas' If you had asked mo to go with you thnt day! I would have followed you, for my heart boat then ns It beats today, for you nlouo. Tho caudle Is burning low nnd It will soon bo d.iyllght. nnd then this letter must begin Its long, uncertain Journey. I trust the many blots upon the paper will not gtvo you a wrong Impression of tny writ ing, for I nm ne.it. and I wrlto nicely; only now the Ink Is poor and there Is very llttlo of It. Thero H llltlo of anything, here nt Asenslo's house, except tears. Of those I fear thero nro too many to please vou. my Junn. for men do not llko tears. Therefore I try to smile as I sign myself, Your loving and your faithful rOHA. O Clodl Come quickly. If you lovo me. CHAPTER VI. The Quest Begins. When O'Reilly had finished his sec ond rending of the letter there wero fresh blots upon the pitifully untidy pages. "I write nicely, only tho Ink Is poor " "There Is little of nnvthtng hero nt Asenslo's house " "It Is cold before the dawn" . . . Poor little Rosa ' He had always thought of her us so proud, so hlgh-splrlted. so play ful, but another Rosa hud written this letter. Her appeal stirred every chord of tenderness, every Impulse of chivalry In Ids Impressionable Irish na ture. "0 Godt Come quickly, if you lovo me." He leaped to his fevt; ho dashed tho tears from his eyes. Johnnie's preparations were con ducted with vigor nnd promptitude; within two hours his betouglugs wero packed. He seized his hut and has tened downtowu to the otllce of tho Cu ban Junta. A businesslike young man Inquired his errand. Johnnie made known a part of It, and then asked to see some one In authority. In consequence, per haps, of his Irish smile or of that per suasiveness which he could render al most Irresistible when he willed. It was not long before he gained admittance to tho presence of Mr. Enrlquez, a dis tinguished, scholarly Cuban of mlddU ge. O'Reilly plunged boldly Into the heart of the matter which had brought t htm thither. When he had finished Ills tale Mr. Enrlquez Inquired : "Hut how do you expect mo to help you?" "I want your ndvlco more than your help, although you might tell mo whero I can (hid Colonel Lopez." Enrlquez eyed his caller keenly. "That Information would be very well worth having," said he. "Hut, you un derstand, we know little about what Is going on In Cuba far less than tho Spaniards themselves. I'm ufrnld I can't help you." "You don't take mo for u spy, tlo you?" Johnnie asked, with his friendly grin. "Ah I You don't look llko one, but wo never know whom to trust. This young Indy In whom you are Inter ested, who Is she?" "Her name Is Vnrona; Miss Rosa Vurona." "So?" Enrlquez raised his brows. "Not by any chance the heiress to that fatuous Varona treasure?" "Exactly I If there Is such n thing. Here I Read this. I want you to be llevo me." Reverently he laid Rosa's letter before her countryman. "I'm not In tho habit of showing my letters to strangers, but I guess that'll con vlnco you I'm not a spy." no sat silently while the letter was being read ; nor was he disappointed In the result. Mr. Enrlquez raised dark, compassionate eyes to his, snylnjj: "This Is n touching letter, sir. I thank you for allowing mo to sec It. No, I don't doubt you now. Poor Culm I Her sons must bo brave, her daughters patient." ."Well t You understand why I must go quickly, and why I can't chance de- rux-. He Sat Silently While the Letter Was Being Read. lay by going either to Mutanzas or to Havana. I want to land somewhere farther oast, and I want you to help me to find Colonel Lopez." Mr. Enrlquez frowned thoughtfully. "What I Just told you Is literally true." he said at last. "We work In the dark up here, and we don't know the where abouts of our troops. Rut I have a thought." He excused himself and left the room. When he returned he ex plained : "I don't have to tell you that we aro watched all the time, and that for us to assist you openly would be llablo to defeat your purpose. But I have just telephoned to a man I can trust, and I have told him your story. He has relatives In Cuba and he agrees to help you If he can. Ills name Is Alvnrado." Writing an address upon a card, ho handed It to O'Reilly. "Go to him, tell him what you have told me, and do as he directs. Another thing, don't return here unless It is neces sary; otherwise when you land In Cuba you may have cause to regret It." Doctor Alvarado, n high type of the Cuban professional mnn, was expect ing O'Reilly. He listened patently to his caller's somewhat breathless re cital. "You do well to avoid the cities where you are known," he agreed. "Rut Just how to reach the InsurrcctuS " "If you'd merely give me a letter saying I'm a friend " The doctor promptly negatived this suggestion. "Surely you don t think It can be done as easily as tha'?" he In quired. "Iu the tlrst place, wherever you land, you will be watched and probably searched. Such a letter, If discovered, would not only cud your chances, but It would brlug certain dis aster upon those to whom it was writ ten. My two brothers, Tomas and Ig nacio, reside In Cuba, aud we all work for the cause of Independence In our own ways. I am fortunately situated, but they are eurrounded by dangers, and I must ask you to be extremely I careful In communicating wlta them, ST' r I 1 ' - .! iWfrib for I am placing their lives In hands and I lovo them dearly." your "I shall do exactly as you say." "Very well, then! Go to Ncuvltns, where Tomas lives there Is a stenmer leaving In three or four days, and you ran arrange passage on her. He is n dentist. Meet him, somehow, and make yourself know by repeating this sentence: 'I come from Felipe. He told '" low you whipped him to keep him from going to the Ten Years' warl' That will be enough; he will nsk you who you are and what you want. You won't need to say anything more. No living soul, except Tomus aud I, knows that he thrashed me, but It Is true. He will understand from the message that I trust you, and ho will help you to reach tho rebels, If such a thing Is possible. Come und see me when you get back, nnd bring me news of Tomas. Now, adlos, compadro." "Adlos, eenorl I am deeply grate fut 1" O'Reilly had no difficulty In securing pnssngo direct to Ncuvltas on the Eng lish steamer Dunham Castle, and a few days later he saw the Atlantic high lands dissolve Into tho mists of n win ter afternoon ns the ship headed out ward Into a nasty running sea. Cuba, when It came fairly Into sight, lay bathed in goldcti sunshine, nil warmth and welcome, llko a brldo upon an nzuro couch. The mnlit breath from her fragrant shores swept over the steamer's decks and Johnnie O'Rcflly sniffed It Joyfully. Although there were but n few pas sengers on tho Dunham Castle, they wero subjected to a long delay, during which Suspicious customs men searched their baggago and questioned them. F'lnnlly, however, O'Reilly found him self freo to go ashore. El Gran Hotel Europea, Neuvltas' leading hostelry, belled Its name. It was far from large, and certainly It was anything but European, except, perhaps, In Its proprietor's extravagant and un-American dcslro to please, at any cost. But It was tho best hotel tho place afforded, nnd Senor Carbajal was the most attentive of hosts. lie evinced an unusunl Interest In the nffalrs of his American guest, and soon developed a habit of popping Into tho tatter's room at unexpected mo ments, ostensibly to seo that all was ns It should be. When, for tho third time, ho appeared without knocking, O'Reilly suspected something. "You hnvo everything, eh?" Mr. Car bajal teetered upon the balls of his feet whllo his small black eyes roved Inquisitively. "Everything In abundance." "You are a pleasure traveler? You see the sights, is that It? Well, Cuba Is beautiful." "I'm not n tourist. I travel for my health." said O'Reilly. "You Health l" Carbajal's f mine began to henvc ; his bulging ab domen oscillated as If shaken by some hidden hnnd. "Good! Ha! There's unother Joke for you." "I'm n sick man," O'Reilly insisted, hollowly. "You don't look sick," mumbled Car bajal. "Not like the other American." "What other Amerlcau?" "A peculiar fellow. He went on to Puerto Principe. What a cough J And he was as thin as a wire. He bled at the mouth, too, all the time, when he was not reviling my hotel. You'll see him If you go there, provided he hasn't come apart with his coughing. I be lieve he writes for newspapers. Well, it is my pleasure to serve you. Com mand me nt any hour. Mr. Carhajnl rose reluctantly and went wheezing downstairs to his grimy tables and the tiles. CHAPTER VII. The Man Who Would Know Life. Later that day O'Reilly set out to recouuolter the city of Neuvltas. lie was followed, of course he had ex pected as much, und the circumstances amused rather than alarmed him. But when he returned to his hotel and found that his room had been visited during his absence he felt a hint of uneasiness. Evidently, as Doctor Al varado had forecast, the authorities were Interested In him; und he had further evidence of the fact when he learned that the room next him was occupied by the very man who had shadowed him on the street. Inasmuch as the intervening wall was no more than a thin partition, through which his very breathing could be heard, w Idle his every movement could doubt less be spied upon, O'Reilly saw the need of caution. During breakfast, and afterward throughout an aimless morning stroll, O'Reilly felt watchful eyes upon him. When he returued to his hotel he found Mr. Carbajal In the cafe con coctlng rcfrescos for some military offi cers, who scanned tho American with bold, hostile glances. O'Reilly com plained to the proprietor of a tooth ache. He declared that something had to be done at once, and Inquired the name und address of the best local dentist Mr. Carbajal named several, among them Dr. Tomas Alvarado, whereupon his guest hurried away, followed at a respectful distance by tho secret ugent, Finding Doctor Alvnrndo's office wns closed, as he had anticipated, O'Reilly proceeded to the doctor's residence. There was some delay when he rang the bell, but eventually the dentist himself nppeared. O'Reilly recognized him from his resemblance to his brother. He uddressed him In English. "I come from Felipe," ho bognnT "He well remembers tho day you whipped him to keep him from going to tho Ten Years' war." The languor of Doctor Alvnrado's siesta vanished. He started, his eyes widened. 'Who nro you?" he muttered. "My nnme Is O'Reilly. I nm nn Amer ican, a friend, so don't be alarmed. The mnn you seo approaching Is fol lowing me, but he thinks I have come to you with a toothache." "What do you want?" "I want your help In Joining tho In surrectos." By this time the detective hnd come within earshot. Making an effort at self-possession, the dentist said : "Very well. I will meet you at my office In n half-hour and see what can bo done." Then ho bowed. O'Reilly raised hl3 hat nnd turned away. Doctor Alvarado's dentist's chair faced a full-length window, one of sev eral which, after the Cuban fashion, opened directly upon the sidewalk, ren dering both tho waiting room nnd tho olllco almost ns public as tho street Itself. Every ono of these windows was wide open when Johnnie arrived ; but It seemed thnt the dentist knew what he was about, for when his pn tlcnt had taken his seat nnd he had begun nn examination of the trouble some tooth, he said, under his breath : "I, too, am watched. Talk to me In English. When I press, thus, upon your gum, you will know that someone Is passing. Now, then, whnt Is tho meaning of your amazing message from Felipe?" While Doctor Alvarado pretended to treat n perfectly sound molar, Johnnlo managed, despite frequent Interrup tions, to make known the reason und circumstances of his presence. "But thero are no rebels around here," Alvarado told him. "You could escape to the country, perhaps, but what then? Whero would you go? How would they know who you are?" "That's what I want to And out." The Cuban pondered. "You'll hnve to go to Puerto Principe," he snld at length. "Our men nro operating In that neighborhood, nnd my brother Ig nnclo will know how to reach them. I'll give you a message to him, slmllnr to tho ono you brought me from Fe lipe." Then he smiled. "I've Just thought of the very thing. Yenrs ngo I lent him a book which I particularly prized, and one of his children dam aged It. I wns furious. I declared I would never lend him nnother, and I never have. Now, then, I'll give you that very volume; hand It to him and say that I asked you to return It to him." O'Reilly thnnked him, promising to use every precaution In delivering the message. The next morning he paid Carbajal's score and took tho train to the Interior. In his bag wns Tomas Alvarado's precious volume, and In the same coach with him rode the secret service man. In its general features Puerto Prin cipe differed little from the other Cu ban cities O'Reilly knew. It was com pactly built, It was very old and It looked Its centuries. Its streets were particularly narrow and crooked, hav ing been purposely laid out lu laby rinthine mazes, so the story goes, In order to fool the pirates. As he sat In a cafe, sipping an or angeade, he heard someone speaking an atrocious Spanish, and looked up to see that another American had en tered. The stranger was a tall, fune real young mun, with pallid cheeks and hollow, burning eyes. O'Reilly stepped over to the table and Introduced him self. "The hotel keeper In Neuvltas told me I'd And you here," he said. "Your name Is " "Branch; Leslie Branch. So Carba jal snld you'd find me here, eh? Oh, the greasy little liar. He didn't believe It. He thought his cooking would havo killed me, long ago, and It nearly did." This time Mr. Branch's bony frame underwent a genuine shudder and his face was convulsed with loathing. "Carbajal's In the secret service. Nice fat little spy." "So I suspected." Mr. Branch's beverage appeared at this moment. With a flourish the waiter placed a small glass and a bottle of dark liquid before him. Branch stared at It, then rolled a fiercely smoldering eye upward. "What's that?" he Inquired. Esteban and Rosa feel secure in their hiding place unaware that Cueto's treachery la bring ing upon them a new and more terrible danger. Don't miss this development, which Is disclosed In the next installment TO BE CONTINUED.) DIFFERS FROM FICTION Precious Metal Worth Thousands ol Dollars Sold and Proceeds Turned Over to Dependent Fam- flics of Marines. Paris Island, S. C "Tell It to the marines." "That's nil tho comfort superstitious negroes got when they whispered, to white scoffers, of burled pirate treas ure on a little Island near here. But that was years and years ago, long before United States marines es tablished their recruit depot at Paris Island for the training of navy soldiers for duties on lund, nt sou and in tlto air. The negroes had it that Jean Lafitte, the swashbuckling pirate of tho Mexi can gulf, hnd burled n treasure chest nenr Paris Island. And so they told their children and their children told the United States murines when they established a recruit depot at Purls Island Iti 10M. Why Not, Indeed! In these days of Intensive training for troops, trenches must bo dug in or der to truly simulate west front con ditions. Well, then, why not dig tho trenches somewhere nenr the spot negro tradi tion said the pirate treasure lay? Not that tho marines had any Idea there wns treasure there. Oh, no! You can tell mnrines n wholo lot of things but to get them to hellcvo them Is another mutter. World travelers that they are, they are sophisticated, If not blase. Still, digging away over tho slto of tho burled treasure would ndd a new zest to the task would get tho trenches completed In Jig time, and would prove to the darkles that tho wholo thing wns a myth. Now then, here's the spot our story begins to differentiate from tho "Ed- Raised the Chest to the Top of tho Trench. gar Allan Poe" and the "Robert Loula Stevenson" Ideas. The marines found the burled treas ure In the exact spot the negroes said It would be! Feverish hands raised the chest t the top of the trench and when the lid wns pried off, the chest was found to contain Not the "go to hell or Hadleyburg" message of Mark Twain. Not the soiled linen Jean Lafitte had forgotten to send to the laundry. But sure enough gold nnd silver re posed In the resurrected chest Not n fortune In precious metal but several thousand dollars' worth. And papers and documents of all kinds, yellowed by age and Illegible. And so endeth our tale of the near Spanish Main. Oh, yes! Tho metal was sold and the proceeds turned over to tho de pendent families of marines. We al most forgot that And we almost forgot the moral oi the story. It Is Join the United States marines! Thelr's Is a great life. SOLDIER PULLS POOR JOKE Cautioned That It Would Be Wis to Change the Name of His Pup. . Camp Gordon, Ga. The avowal that I be lovod "William H" better than ho I old any officer in nis company resulted In the Incarceration or William I Schneider, a Pennsylvania soldier. Ills explanation that "William IT' was his dog brought his immediate release, but he was cautioned not to Joke about his pup again, and It was suggested that the name be changed. """ ' wP LT- I S y X u -