NORTTT PTiATTR SWrT-WFTCTCT.Y TTfTBTlTTC
n 1
Webster-Man's
11
CHAPTER XIII Continued.
She wns silent, digesting this grim
Itornativo. "As I understand It, then,
Caliph, Hlcnrdo hopes to win his rev
olution when ho strikes tho first blgw."
"I think so, I dnro say Klcardo
hopes to tnke Sarros by surprise, hot
tie the city garrison up In tho cunr
tel and the government palace and
thpro boalego them. Having secured
nominal control of a senport, ho can
Import arms and ammunition: also ho
can recruit openly, and at his leisure
hunt down tho outlying garrisons. The
Sarros crowd doosn't suspect his pres
ence In Sobrnntu, and by a quick, sav
age stroko he should be able to Jork
this one-horse government up by the
heels In Jig time particularly since
the citizenry feel no loyalty toward
tho Sarros regime and are only kept
In subjection through ear and lack
of a leader. I'm going to play Hlcnr
do to win, If he Isn't killed In tho
opening row, for I'm certain he'll lend
his men."
"I daro any he Is greatly like bis
father not afraid to die for his coun
try," she replied presently. "I nm
glad to be here when bo takes that
risk."
"Oh, but you mustn't bo here," Web
ster protested.
"Why?"
"Because there'll ho otreot fighting
probably of a desperate character,
nnd I understand your countrymen-go
rather wnr-mnd nnd do things not
sanctioned by Tho llaguo tribunal. If
there's a steamer In port nt the time
I'll put you aboard her until tho Issue
Is decided.' I'm going to seo Illcar
do tomorrow night and learn the de
tails of his plan of campaign; after
that I'll be nblo to net Intelligently."
Illcnrdo Ruey, with Dr. Pnchcco and
Colonel Carnvco, were engaged In
consultation when Jack Webster, hnv
Ing left tho Hotel Mateo via his bed
room window In order to uvold pos
sible e.iplonago nnd made his way to
Kl Huen Amlgo on foot, wns an
nounced by Mother .Tonka. The three
consplrntors greeted him Joyously, as
Indeed they should, for his loynl
friendship bnd thus far been one of
their principal bulwarks.
"Well," Webster Inquired, nfter
grretlng them nnd carefully closing
the door behind him, "hero 1 nm In
Iiucnavoiiturn, marking time and, like
Mr. Mlcawber, waiting for something
to turn up."
"You will not bo required to wait
long." Colonel Cnrnveo nssured him.
"Thanks to your kindly olllces, tho
trap Is alrend.y baited."
"Cur" friend, Ituoy, has, since our
first meeting, Insisted on dispensing
with my consent when using mo to
promote his enterprises, Colonel.
Strange to say, 1 have been unable to
bcratu him for his Impudence. I was
down at Leber's warehouso this after
noon. You have enough rond-maklng
tools consigned to me there to build
a pretty fulr highway to the gntes of
tho government paluce, I should say.
I hopo you hnvo nil pondered the re
sult to me, nn Innocent bystnnder, If
your enemies should tnke n notion to
open one of thoso cases of shovels."
' Colonel Carnveo fnvored him with a
benignant smllo. "You forget, my
friend, Unit I nm second In command
In tho Intelligence department, nnd
thnt during tho nbsence of your par
ticular friend, Itaoul Sarros, In New
Orleans, I am first In command. Since
I already know what thoso cases con
tn In, naturally I shall not tako the
trouble to Investigate."
f "Well, that's n comfort, Colonel."
"You have Investigated your mining
concession, Webstor?" Illcnrdo Kuoy
asked.
"You bet."
t "What did you find?"
I "A couplo of millions In sight."
1 Illcnrdo shook ha head slowly. "It
Is not In sight, old man," be reminded
Webster. "Without our aid nnd you
cannot hnvo our nld unless our revo
lution Is successful, when you sbnll
hnvo It freely your millions are,
most positively, not tn sight. If you
want thoso millions, friend Webster,
thero Is but ono way to get thera
nnd thnt- Is to closo your eyes nnd
piny our gnmo to tho limit. I wonder
If you'd go further about $40,000 fur
tlier, to bo exact."
"I might, but I never go It blind for
a wad like that. What's your trou
blor
"Tho Indlvldunl In chnrgo of tho
funds of tho revolutionary Junta In
INow Orleans wns murdered last night;
the funds woro deposited to his cred
it as agent in a certnln bnnk, nnd be
fore tho Junta can obtain legnl pos
Besslon of thorn again the psychologi
cal tlmo for tholr use will hnvo passod.
"Wo have a steamer chartered, and
200 men, whoso business U Is to fight
under any flag nt $5 gol'd pox day
and no questions asked, are now mark
ing time on tho Islo of Pines, off tho
const of Cuba, waiting for our Htenm
r to call for thom and land them,
with tholr rlflos nnd ammunition and
six 70-mIiIlmetcr field guns nnd somo
Spld-flre Maxims, nt Son Bruno, some
miles up tho const from hero.
"The guns and munitions are now
(ta Tampa, having been shipped toour
- n
By PETER B. KYNE
Author of "Cappy Ricks," "The Valley of the
agent thero on sight drnft, with bill of
Indlng nttnebed; the steamer Is char
tered and en routo to Tampa from
Norfolk, Vn., ond wo must pay tho
owners $10,000 tho day she begins tak
ing on her enrgo, nnd $10,000 before
she unloads It on lighters nt San
Kruno.
"Wo must nlso pay 200 men ono
month's pny In advance that Is, $'),
000; wo cannot meet this expense nnd
still take up that sight draft now
awaiting our attention In the bnnk at
Tnmpn.
"In return for this favor to tho pro
visional government of Sobrunte, you
shall have tiro note of tho provisional
government, signed by tho provisional
president, myself, nnd the provisional
cabinet, Dr. Pucheco, Colonel Curu-
veo, nnd two other gentlemen whom
you will meet In due course unless In
tho Interim they should be killed. And
ns n bonus for saving this country
from n brutnl dlctntor, who Is pillag
ing its resources for his personal prof
It, you shull hnve n deed of gift to
thnt mining concession you nnd your
friend, Oenry, are so desirous of work
ing; also the' title shall be certified
by the government nnd the Supreme
court of Sobrnnte nnd nbsolutely se
cured to you ngnlnst future aggres
slon in the event thnt the now regime
Tell Me Your Plan of Campaign."
should bo overthrown nt some future
dnte. Also you have my profound
gratitude and thnt of my pcoplo."
"Tell me your plan of cnmpnlgn,"
Webstor suggested.
"In a secret rendezvous In the
mountains I hnvo 1,000 picked men
my father's veterans. They arc armed
with inodem rifles nnd machetes. Tho
nitrate company, which has beeu suf
fering from heavy export duties im
posed by Sarros, has loaned mo all the
rolling stock of tho railroad for one
night. It will bo mobilized nt Snn
Miguel de Pndun, by next Saturday
night; my troops will arrive late tho
same nfternoon nnd entrain nt once.
"In the Interim nil telephone nnd
telegraph communications with Rue
nmrntura will be severed. Tho night
previous our steamer will havo dis
charged her cargo of men nnd muni
tions nt Snn Bruno; a chain of out
posts will at once bo established and
all communication with tho cnpital
will he shut off.
"On Saturday night, nlso, the Con
solidated Fruit company's steamer,
Ln Estrelllta, will make port with HO
Americans ln her steerage. Theso
men will ho road-makers and miners
imported by Mr. J, S. Webstor, nnd
In order to mnko certain that they
will come, you hnvo nlrendy ordered
thom by cable. Wo have arranged
with the port doctor to glvo La Es
trclllta a clean bill of health tho very
night she arrives. Hence tho ship's
authorities will not bo suspicious, I
hope, when wo remove our men after
durk nnd house them in Leber's ware
house, where they will spend the night
unpncklng thoso spades, picks nnd
shovels of yours and getting the fac
tory grease off thom.
"At 4 o'clock ln tho morning vari
ous citizens of Sobrnnte, with rebel
lion In their hearts, will begin to mo
bilize at Leber's warehouse, whero
they will bo Issued titles and ammunl
tton and whero they will wait until
the action Is opened to tho south by
the detachment from San Bruno,
which, hnvlng marched from San Bru
no tho night boforc, will havo arrived
outsldo tho city, nnd will bo awaiting
tho signal from me, I will attack
from tho west cautiously.
"Now, thero are 6,000 government
troops In tho city and tn various can
tonments on tho outskirts. These can
tonments aro to bo rushed and set
afire; I figure that tho confusion of
our sudden uttnek will create a riot
particularly when I do something that
Isn't very popular us a war feature
down this way, and that Is charge-
Bud keep on coming.
M
an
-
K
N
H
M
Giants' Etc'
Copyright br FUr D. Kyn:
"Tho government troops will start
to full back on the city, only to find
themselves flanked by a fierce artil
lery flro from the Snn llruno contin
gent; tho troops from the nrsonnl, tho
guards nt tho pnlnco nnd tho Fif
teenth regiment of Infantry, now stn
tlbncd nt tho Cunrtel do Infnnterln,
next tho government palace, will bo
dispatched post haste to repulse tho
attack, and -100 men, with the machine
gun company waiting In Leber's ware
house, will promptly movo upon thera
from tho renr nnd enpturo tho nrsennl
There nro n few thousand rifles nnd a
lot of ammunition stored there; I
miss my guess If, ns soon as the news
of Its enpturo by tho rebels spreads
through the city (and I shall have
men to spread It), I shall not hnve n
few thousand volunteers euger to help
overthrow Snrros.
"Once cut off from the nrsennl and
the pnlncc, Sarros must tight his way
out of tho city In order to have tho
slightest chance to suppress the rebel
lion, for ho will have no refuge In tho
city. And with tho railroad and nil
tho rolling stock In our hnnds, with
out n commlssury for his troops, with
out n base of supplies, even should
tho government troops light their way
through, they leave the city ln my
hnnds nnd I'll recruit nnd nrm my men
and hunt them down like Jack rabbits
at my leisure. Once lot the arsenal
and tho palnce fall Into my hnnds,
once let mo proclaim myself provis
ional president, onco let the people
know thnt Illcnrdo Iluey, the beloved,
lives ngnln ln tho person of his son,
Hnd I tell you, Webster, this country
Is snved. How do you llko my plnn
of cnmpnlgn?" -
"It couldn't bo any better If I hna
planned It myself. You might nccept
my suggestion nnd armor that little
motor truck of mine. It arrived on
yesterday's steamer."
"And some nrmor sheet steel with
It sheet steel already lo.tp-holed for
the barrels of the two machine guns
it will carry 1" Dr. Pucheco cried Joy-
ously.
"Havo you provided a chauffeur,
Doctor?"
"I have likewise nn nrmored sheet-
steel closet for him to sit ln while
cliaffeurlng."
"How about that loan to tho pro
visional government?" Illcnrdo de
manded pointedly.
Webster did not hesitate. After all,
what was money to him now? Billy
had gone away, his hopes raised high,
already u millionaire after the fash
ion of mining men, who aro over ready
to couift their chicks before they nro
hntched, provided only they seo the
eggs. Besides, there wns Dolores. Full
well Webster renllzcd tha Billy,
tossed bnck once more Into tho Jnws
of tho well-known wolf of poverty,
would not havo tho courage upon his
return to Sobranto to ask Dolores to
share his poverty with him; should
the revolution fall, Illcnrdo P.uey
would bo nn outcast, n hunted rnnn
with n price on his head, nnd In no
position to care for his sister, oven
should ho survive long enough to
know ho had a sister. She would
be alone In tho world If he, John Stu
art Webstor, failed her now mora
than ever she needed a man's strength
and nffectlon to help her navigate the
tlde-rlps of life, for life to a woman,
alone and unprotected and dependent
upon her labor for tho bread she must
eat, must contain, nt best, a full meas
ure of terror and despair und loneli
ness. He pictured her through a grim
processional of years of skimping nnd
petty sacrifices and all because he,
John Stuart Webstor, had hesitated to
lend a dreamer und an Idealist a pal
try $40,000 without security.
No, there was no alternative. It
his friendship for Billy was worth a
sou, It was worth $40,000; If his silent,
unrequited lovo for Dolores Iluey was
worthy of her, no sacrifice on his part
could be too great, provided It guar
anteed her happiness.
"Ruined ngnln." ho sighed. "Tills
Is only another of those numerous oc
casions when the tall goes with"th
hlda. How soon do you want the
money?"
Illcnrdo Luis Buoy leaned forward
nud gazed very earnestly at John Stu
art Webster. "Do you really trust me
thnt much, my friend?" he nsked feel
ingly. "Itemember, I am asking you:
for $10,000 on fnlth."
"Old sport." John Stunrt Webster
answered, "you went overboard in
Buenaventura harbor nnd took a
chnnco among thoso big, liver-colored,
hnmmer-hended sharks. Aud you did
that because you had a cnuse you
thought worth dying for. I never knew
a man who had a cause that was
worth dying for who would even cs
pouso n causo worth swindling for.
You win only I wnnt you to under
stnnd ono thing, Illcnrdo: Pm not
doing this for the sako of saving thnt
mining concession the Surros govern
ment guve my friend, Oeary, I'm
nbovo doing n thing like this for mon
eyfor myself. It seems to mo I must
do it to guarantee tho happiness of
two pcoplo I love: My friend, Oeary,
and the girl he's going to marry. I
reject your promissory note nnd your
promise of a deed of gift for that con
cession, and nccept only your gratl
' tude. There ro no strings to this
loan, because It Isn't a lti at all.
It's a bot If you lose, I'll liolp you
get out of the country nnd absolve
you of any Indebtedness to me. How
ever, If you should win, I know you'll
reimburse me from the national treas
ury." "And you do not dcslro a bonus?"
"Nothing thnt will cost tho citizens
of this country ono penny of their
heritngo. I'm going to bet this mon
ey bet It, understnnd, not lonn It
However, If you wnnt to be a sport
and grant me a little favor in return,
you can."
"Fire uwny."
"After I give you this money, I
don't wnnt the doctor nnd the colonel
to kiss mo to show how grateful they
nre."
"You wonderful fellow I Jnck Web
ster, If I had n sister I should want
her to marry you."
"Show how littlo you'd think of
your sister staking her to a sentl
mental Jackass. Shall I cnble the
money to New Orleans in tho morn
ing?" "Thnt will do very nicely."
"To whom 'shnll I cable the mon
ey?" "Send It to tho Plcnyune National
bank of New Orleans, with Instruc
tions to credit account No. 240, 3t
E. P., trustee. In this little gamo
we are playing, my friend, It Is saf
er to deal In numbers nnd Initials
rather than names. The local cable
ofilce leaks quite regularly."
"Very well, Illcardo, I'll attend to
It first thing In the morning. Go to
it and win, or there'll be several new
faces whining around the devil, not
the least of which will bo mine. When
you charge, remember you're charg
ing for. my $-10,000 nnd go through
with it. I worked rather hnrd for
thnt $40,000, and If I must lose It, I
do not wnnt to do It ln a half-hearted
fight. Give me, nt lenst, a bloody run
for my money. I'll hnve n reserved
scat somewhere watching tho game."
"If you'll tnke my advice, you'll go
aboard La Estrelllta nnd stny there
until the Issue Is decided. When the
first gun Is fired, it signals the open
season on mining engineers who butt
ln on affairs of state."
"What I And me with a healthy
bet down on the result! I hope I'm
a better sport thnn that."
"You'ra Incorrigible. Be enreful,
then, nnd don't get yourself potted by
a stray bullet."
"Shnll I seo you fellows before tho
blow-off?"
"I senrccly think so." t
"Then if you're through with me,
I'll bid you all good-by und good luck.
I'll have dinner with you in the pal
ace Sunday evening."
"Taken."'
"May I bring a guest?"
"By all means."
Webster shook bauds with the trio
and depurted for his hotel. For the
first time In many years he was heavy
of heart, crushed. "Neddy Jerome
wns right," he soliloquized. "This Is
the last place on earth for mo to have
come to. I've made Neddy sore on
mo, and he's lost patience and put an
other man In the Job ho promised me;
I've raised Billy's hopes sky-high nnd
hnd to bet $40,000 to keep thera there ;
I've been fool enough to fnll In love
with my friend's flnncee; I'm n hu
mnn cat's paw, and the finest thing I
can do now Is to go out next Sunday
morning with that machine gun com
pany from Leber's warehouse and get
killed."
CHAPTER XIV.
The following morning Webster in
formed Dolores fully of his Interview
with her brother and his confreres the
night before, concealing from her only
the fact that ho was financing the
revolution nnd his reasons for finnnc
Ing it. He wns still depressed, and
Dolores, observing his mood, forbore
to Intrude upon It. Accordingly 'she
claimed the prerogative of her sex
n slight headache and retreated to
her room, In the pflvncy of which sho
was suddenly very much surprised to
find herself weeping softly because
John Stunrt Webster wns unhnppy
and didn't deserve to be.
It wns Impossible, however, for
Webster long to remnln impervious to
the note of ridiculousness underlying
tho forthcoming tragic events. Here
wus a little 2x4 poverty-stricken hot
bed of Ignorance and Intrigue calling
Itself a republic, a little stretch of
country no lnrger than a couple of
big western counties, n!out to Indulge
In the nntlonnl pastlmo of civil wnr
nnd unable to do It except by graco
of-nn bumble citizen of a sister re
public I
Five or six thousand Ignorant, Ill
equipped, ill-drilled seml-brlgnnds call
ing themselves soldiers, eutrustcd with
tho tnsk of enabling ono of their num
ber to ride, horse and dog, over 1,000,
000 people I
now farcical 1 No wonder Rlcnrdo,
with his northern viewpoint, approach
ed his patriotic task with gayety, al
most with contempt And when Web
ster recalled thnt the about-to-be-bcfi
provisional government had casually
borrowed from him tho sum of forty
thousand dollars In order to turn tho
trick borrowing It, forsooth, in much
the same spirit as a commuter board
ing his train without the necessary
faro halls a neighbor and borrows ton
cents his natural optimism asserted
Itself and he chuckled ns In fancy he
henrd himself telling the story to Neil
dy Jerome nnd being branded a llnr
for his pains.
"Well, I've had one comfort ever
since I first saw that girl," he re
flected philosophically. "While I've
never been so unhappy tn nil my life
before, or had to tear my s6ul out by
tho roots so often, things hnvo been
coming my way so fast from othor di
rections that I haven't hnd much op
portunity to dwell on the mntter. And
for those compensating offsets, good
Lord, I thnnk Thee."
Ho waB John Stunrt Webster ngnln
when Dolores saw htm next;, during
tho succeeding days his mood of
cheerfulness and devil-may-care indif
ference never left him. And through
out thnt period of mnrktng tlmo Do
lores wns much ln bis society, n con
dition which he told himself wns not
to his liking but which, nevertheless,
he could not obvlnte without seeming
Indifferent to her hnpplness. And to
permit his friend's flnncee to Inngulsh
In loneliness and heart-break did not
nppenr to John Stunrt Webster ns tho
pnrt of n true friend or n courtly gen
tlemnn nnd he remembered that she
had once called htm that.
They rode together In the cool of tho
morning; they drovo together on tho
Mnlecon In the cool of the evening;
chaperoned by Don Juan Cafetero and
a grinning Sobrnntenn, they went shark
Ashing in Leber's launch; they played
dominoes together; they discussed,
throughout the long, lazy, quiet after
noons, when the remainder of their
world retired for tho siesta, books, art,
men, women, and things.
And not once, throughout twoweekB
of camaraderie, did tho heart-racked
Webster forget for a single Instnnt
that he was the new friend, destined
to become tho old friend; never, to
the girl's watchful eyes, did he be
tray the slightest disposition to estab
lish their friendly relations on a closer
basis.
Thus did the arrival of The Day
find them. Toward sunset they rode
out together along tho bay shore and
noted far out to sea the smear of
smoke that marked the approach of
La Estrelllta on schedule time.
"You will go aboard her tonight,"
Webster said very quietly to Dolores.
"And your'
"I shall go aboard with you. I havo
arranged' with Don Juan for him to.
stny ashore nnd to come out In Le
ber's lnunch with the first rellnble
news of the conflict. If Rlcnrdo wins
the city, ho wins tho revolution, nnd
you nnd I will then go nshore to dine
with him ln the pnlnce. If he loses
the city, he loses the revolution, nnd
wo will both do well to remain aboard
La Estrelllta."
"And In that event, what will be
come of my brother?"
"I do not know; I forgot to nsk
him, but If he survives, I imnglne
ho'll have sense enough to know he's
whipped nnd will retrent on Snn Bru
no, fighting n rear gunrd nctlon, em
bark aboard the steamer that brought
his men there, nnd escnpe."
"I'm worried nbout Mother Jenks."
"I havo nsked Mother .Tcnks to dlno
with us at 7 :30 this evening, nnd hnve
ordered a carriage to call for her.
When she comes Til tell her every
thing; then, If she wishes to stny
nshore, let her. She's been through
more thnn ono such frnens and doesn't
mind them nt nil, I dnre sny."
And In this Wel3ter wns right
Mother Jenks listened In profound si
lence, nodding her approval, as Web
ster related to her the story of the
advent In tho country of Rlcnrdo Ruey
tnd his plans, but without revealing
'he Identity of Andrew Bowers;
At the conclusion of his recital th
old publican merely said: "Gor Ml'
me!"
After a silence she added: "My
sainted 'Enery used to s'y the proper
hodds for a white man ln a bally row
o' this nature wns 40 to 1. Gor', but
how my sainted 'Enery would henjoy
beln' 'ere this night to VI p with the
guns." She sighed.
"How about a little bottle of wine
to drink peuce to your sainted Henry
nnd luck to Tho Cnuse?" Webster sug
gested. "That's wot I calls talkln'," Mother
Jenks responded promptly, nnd Web
ster, gazing reflectively nt the old
lady's beard, wondered why she hod
not been born a man.
Dolores, fearful for her benefactor's
enfety, urged Mother Jenks to nccom
pnny thera out nboard Ln Estrelllta,
but the old dame Indignantly refused,
nnd when pressed for n reason gave
it with the utmost frankness : "They'll
be tykln Sarros, nn' when they tyke
'lm they'll buck him ag'ln the same
wall ho backed my sainted 'Enery and
your father against, my dear. I've a
notion that your father's son'U let
Mrs. Col. 'Enery Jenks como to the
party."
At 10 o'clock Webster accompanied
Mother Jenks home ln the carriage,
which he dismissed at El Buen Amlgo
with Instructions to return to tho
hotel while he continued afoot down
the Calle Snn Rosnrlo to tho bny,
whero Leber's huge corrugated Iron
warehouse loomed dnrkly nbove high
water mnrk. Ho slipped nlong ln the
deep shadow of the wnrehouso wnll
nnd out on the end of the little dock,
where lie satisfied himself thnt Le
ber's launch was at Its moorings;
then ho went back to the warehouso
and whistled softly, whereupon n mnn
crawled out from under the structure
nnd nppronched him. It wns Don
Junn Cnfetero. '
"They're nil Inside," he whispered
nnd Inld finger on lip. "They got in
half an hour ago, an' dlvll a sowl
the wiser save meself."
"Thank you, John. Now that I
know tho coast Is clear and tho launch
ready, I'll go back to the hotel for
Miss Ruoy."
"Very well, sor," Don Juan replied,
and crawled back under the ware
house. Half an hour later the sound of
hoof beats wnrned him of tho ap
proach of Webster nnd Dolores In a
carriage, nnd he came forth, loaded in
the launch audi bnggngo ns they had
been enabled to bring, and held the
gunwale of the boat while uls passen
gers stepped aboard.
About a half a mile off shoro Web
ster throttled down the motor until
tho launch bnrely mndo steerage way.
"It would never do to go nboard tho
steamer before the frnens stnrted
ashore," he explained to Dolores.
"That would Indicate a guilty knowl
edge of coming events, and In the
event of disaster to the rebel nrms It
Is Just possible Senor Sarros might
hnve pull enough, If ho henrs of our
flight six hours ln ndvnnce of hostil
ities, to tnke us off the stenmer nnd
ask us to explain. So we'll Just cruise
"We'll Just Cruise Slowly Around and
Listen."
slowly nround nnd listen; the nttsck
wlll come Just before dawn; then
shortly thereafter we can scurry out
to the stenmer nnd be welcomed
aboard for the sake of the news wo
bring."
She did not answer, and Webster
knew her thoughts were out where tho
arc lights on the outskirts of Buena
ventura met the open country out
where tho brother she could scarcely
remember and whom, until a month
previous, she had believed dead, would
shortly muster his not too numerous
followers.
In the dnrkness Webster could henr,
the click of her beads ns she prayed;
on tho turtle deck forwnrd Don Junn
Cnfetero sprawled, thinking perchance
of his unlovely past nnd wondering
whnt effect the events shortly to tran
spire nshore would hnve on his future.
Ho wished Webster would relent nnd
offer him n drink some time within tho
next twenty-four hours. In times of
excitement like the present n mnn
needs a drop to brace him up.
Five times the lnunch slipped lazt
ly down the harbor along tho strag
gling two mile water front; five times
It loafed back. The moon, which was
ln the first quarter, sank. Then to
Webster" alert ear thero floated
across the still waters the sound of a
gentle purring the music of an nuto
truck. He set the launch ln toward
Leber!s little dock, nnd presently they
saw the door of Leber's warehouso
open. Men with lanterns streamed
forth, lighting tho way for others who
bore between them heavy burdens.
"They're emplnclng the machine
guns In the motor-truck," he whis
pered to Dolores. "We will not hnve
to wait long now. It's nenrly 4
o'clock."
Again they backed out Into the bay
until they could see far out over tho
ping city to the hills beyond In
west. Presently along the side of
those hills the headlight of a locomo
tive crept, dropping swiftly down
grade until It dlsnppenred In tho low
lands. A half hour passed; then to the
south of the city a rocket flared sky
ward; almost Instantly nnother flared
from the west, followed presently by
a murmur, scnrcely audible, ns of a
muffled snnre drum, punctuated pres
ently by n . louder, sharper, Insistent
puck-puck-puck that, had Webster but
known it, was tho bark of a Maxtm
Vlckers rapid-fire gun throwing a
stream of shells into tho cantonments
of tho government troops on the frlngo'
of the city.
Webster's pulse quickened. .JSPilere
goes tho 'tlllery to e- tfttuth, sor,"
Don Juan called," and oven ns he
spoke,-aBfreli burst gloriously over
the government palace, the white
walls of which were already looming
over the remainder of the city, now
faintly visible ln the approaching
dnwn.
"That was to awaken our friend,
Snrros," Webster cried. "I'll bet a
buffalo nickel that woke the old horse
thief up. There's another and an
other." The uproar swelled, the nolso grad
ually drifting nround the city from
west to south, forming, seemingly, a
semicircle of sound. "The govern
ment troops nro up nnd doing now,"
Webster observed, nnd speeded up his
motor. "I think It high tlmo wo played
the part of frightened refugees. Mau
ser bullets kill at three miles. Some
strays may drop out here In tho bay
(To bo continued)
Use of Penny.
Uso a penny for rubbing mud from
clothing. It provldos an odgo that Is
not too sharp.
True Lovers Knot" Explained.
A true-lovers' knot Is the. Danish
trolovelsos-knort, "botrothment bond,"
not a compound of true and lover,'
