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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 1904)
May 22, 100-1. TIIE ILLUSTRATED TEE. for a spring. I was too late In my gTab at his collar, but Manuel's guardians, acting with precision, put out one arm each to meet his rush, and ho came flying backwards upon me as though ho had re bounded from a wall. lie had also knocked me down, and while I staggered to keep my feet the air re sounded with urgent calls to shoot, to fire, to bring him down! "Kill him, senor!" came In an entreating yell from Castro. And I became aware that Manuel had taken this opportunity to wrench himself free. I heard the hard thud of his leap. Straight from the hatch (as I was told later by the marveling sailors) he had alighted with both feet on the rail. I only saw him already there, silting on his heelfl, jabtiering and nodding at us like on enor mous baboon. 'Shoot, sir! Shoot! Kill! Kill, senor! As you love your life, kill!" Unwittingly, without volition, as if Im pelled by the suggestion of the bloodthirsty cries, my hand drew the remaining pistol out of my belt. I raised It and found my self coveting the strange antics of an Infuriated ape. He tore at his flanks with both hands in the Idea, I suppose, of strip ping for a swim. Rags flew from him in all directions; an astounding eruption of rags around a huddled up figure crouching, wildly active, in front of the muzzle. I had Mm. I was sure of my shot. He was only an ape. A dead ape. But why? Where fore? To what end? He sickened me, and I pitied him as I should have pitied an ape. I lowered my arm an almost imper ceptible fraction of a second before he sprang up and vanished. The sound of the heavy plunge was followed by a regretful clamor all over the decks, and a general rush to the side. There was nothing to be seen; he had gone through a layer of fog covering the water. No one heard him blow or splutter. It was as if a lump of lead had fallen overboard. Williams wouldn't have had this happen for a 5 note. Sebright expressed the hope that he wouldn't cheat the gallows by drowning. The two men who had held hi in slunk away abashed. To lower a boat for the purpose of catching him in the water would have been useless and Im prudent. "His friends can't bo far off yet in the boats," growled the bo'sun; "und if they don't pick him up they would be more than likely to pick up our chaps." CHAPTER. V. Manuel's escape was the last event of that memorable night. Nothing more hap pened, and nothing more could be done; but there remained much talk and wonder ment to get through. I did all the talking, of course, under the cuddy lamps. Wil liams, red and stout, sat staring at me across the table. His round eyes were perfectly motionless with astonishment the story of what had happened in the Casa Riego was not what he lnul expected Of the small, badly reputed Cuban town. Sebright, who had all the duties of the soiled ship and chipped men to uttend to, came In from the dee.lt several times, itnd would stand listening for minutes with his fingers playing thoughtfully about his Blight mustache. The dawn was not very far when he led me into his own cabin. I was half dead with fatigue and troubled by an inward restlessness. "Turn In into my berth," said Sebright. I protested with a stiff tongue, but he gave me a friendly push, and I tumbled like a log onto the bedclothes. As soon as my head felt the pillow the frr-sh color ing of his face appeared blurred, and an arm, mistily large, was extended to put out the light of the lamp screwed to the bulkhead. "1 suppose you know thero are warrants out in Jamaica against you for that row With the admiral," he said. An irresistible and unexpected drowsiness had relaxed all my limbs. "Hang Jamaica!" I said, with difficult animation. "We are going homo." "Hang Jamaica!" he agreed. Then, In the dark, as if coming after me across the obscure threshold of sleep, "his voice medi tated, "I am sorry, though, we are bound for Havana. I'lty. Great pity! Has it occurred to you, Mr. Kemp, that " It Is very possible that he did not finish bis sentence; no more penetrated, at least, Into my drousy ear. I awoke slowly from a trance-like sleep, with a confused notion of having to pick up the thread of a dropped hint. 1 went up on deck. The sun shone, a faint breeze blew, the sea sparkled freshly, and the wet decks glistened. I stood still, touched by the new glory of light fulling on me; it was a new world new and familiar, yet disturbingly beautiful. I seemed to discover all sorts of secret charms that I had never seen in things I had seen a hundred times. The watch on deck were busy with brooms und buckets; a sailor, coiling a rope over a pin, paused in his work to point over the port quarter, with a massive fore-arm like a billet of red mahogany. I looked about, rubbing my eyes. The Lion, close-hauled, was heading straight away from the coast, which stood out, not very far yet, outlined heavily and flooded with light Astern, and to leeward of us, against u headlund of black and indigo, a dazzling white speck resembled a mow- finite fatten tipon fhe blue of the sea. "That's a schooner," said the seaman. "And it means," said Sebright, coming up, "most likely, that the fellow with the curls that made me think of my maiden aunt has managed to keep his horse-face above water." He meant Manuel del Pop olo. "What mischief he may do yet before he runs hts head into a noose, It's hard to say. The old Spaniard you brought with you thinks he has already been busy for no good, you may be sure.' "You mean that's one of the Rio schoon ers?" I asked quickly. That, with all it consequent troubles for me, was what he did mean. He said I might take his word fur It that, with the winds we had had, no craft working along the coast could be Jur.t there now unless she came out of Rio Medio. There was a calm almost up to sunrise, and It looked as if they had towed her out with bouts before daylight. Castro, wrapping his chin, stood still, face to the son. After a long while: "Malediction," he pronounced slowly, and without moving his head shot a sidelong glance at me. "What an old, old. wrinkled, little, puffy beggar he is!" observed Sebright, In an un dertone. "Well, and what Is your worship's opinion as to the purpose of that schooner?" Castro shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?" He released the gathered folds of his cloak, and moved off without a look at either of us. I.ate that day wo hold a sort of council of war In the saloon. Seraphlna's attitude, leaning her cheek on her hand, reminded me of the time when I had seen her ab sorbed In watching the green-and-gold lizard in the back room of Ramon's store, with her hair falling about her face like a veil. Castro was not called In till later on. Rut Sebright was there, leaning his back negligently against the bulkhead behind Williams, and looking down on us seated on both side of the long table. And there was present, too. In nil our minds, the image of the Rio Medio schooner, hull down on our quarter. In all the trials of sailing we had not been able to shake her off that day. "I don't want to hide from yon, Mr. Kemp," Sebright began, "that I have pointed out to the captain that you would be only getting the ship In trouble for nothing. She's nn old trader nnd favorite with shippers;, and if we once get to logger heads with the powers, there's an end of her trading. As to missing Havana this trip, even if you, Mr. Kemp, could give a pot of money, the captain could never show his nose in there again after break ing his charter party to help steal a young lady. And It Isn't as If she were nobody. She's the richest heiress In the island. The Extremes Meet on Walls iXTREMKS seem to meet In mural E decorations this season. Either the walls are severely plain, or they blossum out in untaxing; blossoms and Intricate Oriental 0m effects. For small rooms with simple furnishing the paper should be plain or striped in t-elf tones. If the room is much cut up by doors, mantels and other woodwoik a plain paper gives tlio best results, but If the wall space is unbroken the most popular design is a narrow stiipo in two tones of the same color, such as deep sage green, with light and palo yellow shading into a brownish yellow. The demand for cartridge paper, how ever, exceeds all others, us It lends Itself best to the present vogue of covering the walls with innumerable small pictures and paspartouts. The treatement of the room, rather than decided change In colorings, brings it up to date. Green In softest tints Is u pop ular tone for tlio living room, rich color combinations for libraries or dens, and stripes and floral designs for bedrooms und boudoirs. A peculiar effect for the bachelor's den Is a paper which shows suggestions of Gibson heads und Christy figures. Such a selection, however, is only for the man of means who could change mural coverings frequently, for he would tire quickly of tlio perpetual Illustration environment. For an extravagantly furnished boudoir there is another figure paper showing rich replica iigures of Marie Antoinette shepherds and shepherdesses in playful at titudes. For the nursery the new designs reveal freshly told nursery tales, but doc tors and nurses have banded against tho illustrated wallpaper as tiring to tho child ish eye and brain. A stunning combination for a dining room with northern exposure shows a wall two-thirds the height of the room lu 1'om pellun red cartridge paper. For the upper third there is a deep border of woodland scenes, without iigures great, shadowy archways of foliage. The wall and border are divided by a broad plate rail matching the woodwork of tho room, und a concave moulding of tho same wood separates the border from a celling of wood brown tint. Tlato ra!H are U be secured at reasonable liarcs biggest poop' 1" Spain would bave their say in this matter. I suppose they would put the captain In prison or something. Anyway, goodby to the Havana business for good." Pismuyed. I spoke quickly to Scraphlnn. With her bend resting on her bund, and her eyes following the aimless, tracings of her finger on tlio table, she said: "It shall be ns God wills It. Juan." "For heaven's sake, don't!" said Se bright, coughing behind mo. He under stood Spanish fairly well. "What I've said Is perfectly true. Nevertheless the captain was ready to risk it." "Yes," ejaculated Williams profoundly, out of almost still lips, and otherwise so motionless nil over that the deep sound seemed to have been produced by some per son under the table. "Hut the point Is that It would have been no earthly good for you two." continued Sebright. "That's the point I made. If O'Hrien knows anything, ho knows you are on board this ship. He reckons on It an a dead certainty. Now, It Is very evi dent that we could refuse to give you up, Mr. Kemp, and that the admiral (If the flagship's off Havana, as I think It must bo by now), would have to back us up. How you would get on afterwards with old Groggy Rowley, I don't know. It Isn't likely that he. has forgotten you tried to wipe the floor with him. If I am to take the captain's yarn as correct." "A regular hero," Williams testified suddenly, In bin concealed, from-under-the-table tone. "He's not nfrnld of any of them; not he. Ha! ha! Old Topnombo must have " Sebright had paused only long enough for this ebullition to be over. The cool logic of his surmise apalled me. He didn't see why O'Rrlen or anybody In Havana should want to Interfere with me personally. Hut If I wanted to keep my young woman, It was obvious she must not arrive In Ha vana on board a ship where they would be sure to look for her the very first thing. "No," concluded Sebright, overwhelming me from behind ns I sat looking, not at the uncertainties of the future, but at the paralyzing hopelessness of the bare tomor row. "The lion Is no place for you, whether It goes Into Havana or not. More over. Into Ilavnna It must go now. There's no help for It. It's the deuce of a situa tion." "Very well," I gnsped. T tried to be resolute. I felt, suddenly, as If nil the nlr In the cabin had gone tip the open skylight. Seraphlna still leaned her head on her band nnd I noted, through the soft shadow of falling hair, the heightened color on hen cheek nnd the' nugmented brilliance of her eye. With the. dignity of a supremo confidence now, nnd add greatly to the furnishing of tho room. Tho moire scheme employed In a largo bedroom with southern exposure Is beau tiful. It s-hows a moire striped paper In palest green, with panels Inset and edged with delicate moulding, each representing a Marie Antoinette pastoral scene. For a richly appointed den or library a Rtilgaiiuit pattern with its mystical de signs, In rich blues, reds, greens and tntm, Is effective. This 'reatmenl will not do for a small room or a room with simplo oak furniture. It demands quaint carved fur niture. For the simple yet d ainty drawing ro m or parlor in the ordinary home or upart ment, tho fabric papers in strips are strikingly effective. They represent broad cloth, silk, satin or moire tlnlsh. These fabric papers In pale tints, such us green, yellow or ecru, tone admirably with white enameled woodwork, und call for straight Bide curtains at the windows In delicate summer drapery fabrics. Hcdrnom walls, as a rule, are divided on the two-thirds plan, with a dividing mould ing or photograph rail, if the lower two thirds show a plain paper, the tipper third or deep border shows flowers in extrava gant designs. With the flowered two thirds below, a plain upper third is re quired. The combination photograph and picture moulding Is an attractive novelty of the season to tho woman who loves dainty furnishings. It is really a double mould ing, the tipper piece extending out further than the under piece. From the latter, which Is about the size of ordinary picture moulding, the picture hooks are hung. Tho photographic moulding ubovo this extends out far enough to accommodate photo graphs und small ornaments, nnd Is an ideal tlnlsh for a young glii's room. This moulding comes In all widths, .styles and colors, to match all sorts of paper and woodwork. A striking feature of the floral p.-itterns Is the enormous size of the blooms, which are double their normal size, particularly lu the caso of roses und chrysanthemums. The craze for violet tints Is shown in a magnificent design of purple Iris, the blooms three times their natural slzo and rising from n slieaf of delicate toned leaves bound with til turd. IS sho extended her hand. It was ouo of UM culminating moments of our love. For luv is like a Journey In mountainous country, up through tlio clouds and down lulu the shadows of an unknown destination. It was a moment rapt and full or lcells; in which we seemed to dwell together high up nnd iilotie till she withdrew her hand from my lips und 1 found myself back hi the cabin, as It precipitated from a lofty place. CIIAPTKR VI. It was Sebright, with his asperity and his tact who conducted ulTalis, as I have been a trustworthy and exoiieneed nurse rule the Inllnite perplexities of a room full of children. He had hii Imaginative eye for detail auds starting from a mere hint, would go scheming onward with astonish ing precision. Ills plan, to which we were committed - committed helplessly and with out resistance was bused upon tho neces sity of our leaving the ship. He Judged that O'Hrlen, warned already, would sit tight for a few days, being sure to get hold of us directly the I. ion came Into port. It was only If the Lion failed to turn up within a reasonable time In Hav ana that he would take fright, and take measures to hunt her up at sea. Rut I might rest assured that the Uon was going to Havana as fast as the winds would al low her. What was, then, tho situation? ho con tinued, looking at me piercingly above Wll llunis' cropped head. 1 had run away for dear life from Cuba (taking with me what was best In It, to lie sure, he Interjected, with a faint smile toward Seraphlna). I had no money, no friends (except my friends In this cabin, he was good enough to say); warrants out against me In Ja maica; no means to get to lOngland; no safety In the ship, it was no use shirking that little fact. Wo must leave the l.lon. This was a hopeless enough position. Hut It was hopeless only because It was not looked upi n In the light w.ty. We assumed that we had to have her forever, while the whole secret of the trick was in this, that wo need only leave her for il time. Aftur O'Hrien's myrmidons had gone through hur nnd had been hooted away empty-handed, she became again, If not absolutely safe, then ut least possible the only possible refuge for us the only decent means of reaching Kngluud together, where, he un derstood, our trouble would cease. Wil liams nodded approval heuviiy. I had told them that the lately appointed Spanish ambassador In London was a rela tion of the Rlegos, and personally ac quainted with Seraphlna, who, nearly two years before, had been on a short visit to Spain, and had llvfd for. some months with his family In Madrid, I believe. No trouble or difficulty was to be apprehended as to proper recognition, or In the matter of rights und Inheritance, and so on. The am bassador would make that his own affair. This mutter of temporary ubsence from the Lion, however, seemed to present an In superable dlfllculty. We could not, obvi ously, be left for days floating In an open boat outside Havana harbor, .waiting till the ship came out to pick us up. Sebright ( himself admitted that at first he did t ot ' sec how It could be contrived. lie didn't see at all. He thought and thought. It was enough to sicken one of every sort of thinking. Then, suddenly, tho few words Castro had let drop about the sugar (State and tho relay of mules came Into his head, lie fancied that I he primitive and grandiose manner for u gentleman to keep a relay of mules-any amount of mules In case he should want to send a letter or two, caused the circumstance to stick In his mind. At once be had "our little hidalgo" in, and put hint through an examination. "Ho turned fairly sulky, und tried con stantly to break out against you, till Ponna, Seraphlna here gave hltn a good talking to," Sebright said. Otherwise It was most satisfactory. The place was accessible from the sea through n narrow Inlet, opening Into a small, per fectly sheltered basin at the back -of the sand dunes. Tho little, river watering the estate emptied Itself Into that basin. One could land from a boat there, he under stood, as If In a dock and It whs the very devil if I and Miss Riego could not II bidden for a few days on her own property, the more so that, as it camo out In the course of the discussion, whllo I had "rushed out to look at the sunset," that tho manager, or whatever they called him tho fellow in charge was tho husband of Jona Seraphlna's old nurse woman. Of course, it behooved us to .make as little fuss as possible try to reach the house alotig bypaths early In the morning, when all the sbtves would be out at work la the fields. So It was settled. Now, as to our re joining tho Lion. This, of necessity, must bo left to mo. Counting from the time w parted from It to land on tho coast, the Lion would remain In Havana sixteen days, and If we did not turn up in that time, and the cargo was all on board by then. Cap tain Williams would try to remain In har bor on one pretense or another a few days longer. Hut sixteen days should b ample, and It was even better not to hurry up too much. To arrive on the fif teenth day would 1st the safest proceeding In a way, but for the cutting of tho thing to lino perhaps. (To be Continued.)