NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEKLT TRIBUNE.
WebsteirMan's
14
CHAPTER XVI.
While Wcnrdo wntrhed hestdo the
unconscious Webster one of his nldcs
gnlloped up the street, to return pres
ently with n detnehment with stretch
era, Into which Webster nnd Don Junn
Cnfetero were Inld nnd carried up the
pnlnce drlvcwny Into the hugo golden
reception hnll where only the night
before Snrros had greeted the belles
nnd benux of bin cnpltnl. In the tnenn
time Mother Jenks hnd succeeded In
restoring Dolores to consciousness;
supported by the Indnmlthble old
womnn the girl slowly followed the
grim procession until, nt the door of
the reception room, they found their
further progress bnrrcd by n sentry.
"The rotMinlrcd mnn Is dead," ho
informed them In response to their
eager queries. "If you wont his body,"
he continued, hazarding n guess as to
their mission, "I guess you can havo
It. There ho Is." And the sentry
pointed to the stretcher which hnd
been set down along tho wall of the
reception hall.
"Ow nbout the other?" Mother
Jenks demanded. Don Juan Cafctpro
bad, unfortunntcly, been so much of
nuisance to her In life that sho was
not minded to he troubled greatly
over lilm In den'th, although the Spnr
tanllke manner of his exit, had thrlllod
the British bulldog blood In her.
, The big fellow Isn't quite dond yet,
but I'm afraid he's a goner. Tne
surgeons linvo him In this room now.
Friend of yours, Miss?" ho Inquired
In tones 'relghted with neighborly
sympathy.
Dolores nodded.
"Sorry I can't lot you In, Miss," ho
continued, "but tlio General ordered
me to keep everybody out until tho
doctors have finished looking him
over. If I was you, I'd wait la that
room across tho hall; then you can
Ret tho first news when the doctors
come out."
Mother Jcnks accepted his advice
and steered hor charge Into the room
indicated. As they waited, IUcardo
Ruey stood anxiously beside the table
on which John Stuart Webster's big,
limp body reposed, whjle Doctor Pach
eco, assisted by a Sobrnntcan con
frere, went deftly over, him with sur
gical scissors and cnt the blood-soaked
clothing from his body.
"Ho breathes very gontly," the rebel
leader said, presently. "Is there any
hope?" -
Tho llttlo doctor shrugged. "I foar
not. That bayonet-thrust In tho left
side mlssod his heart but not his
lung."
"Itut apparently ho hasn't bled much
from that wound."
"The hemorrhage Is probably in
ternal. Even If that congestion of
blood In tho lungs docs not provo fatal
very shortly, he cannot, In his weak
ened Btato, survlvo the traumatic
fever from all theso wounds. It is
bound hollo, how our poor friend still
lives with the bayonet broken off in
bis body for hero Is steel hah I Not
a bayonet, but a pistol."
Ho unbuttoned tho wounded man's
coat and found a strap running diag
onally up across his bronst and over
tho right shoulder, connecting with
a holster under tho left arm. The
doctor unbuckled this strap and re
moved tho holster, which contained
Webster's spare gun; Illcurdo, glanc
ing disinterestedly at tho sheathed
weapon, noted a small, new, triangu
lar nolo in tho leather holster. Ho
picked it up, withdraw the pistol, and
found a deep scratch, recently made,
along tho blued steel closo to tho vul
canlto butt.
When Rlcardo glanced at Pachoeo
after his scrutiny of tho pistol and
holster, tho doctor's dark eyes wero
regarding him mirthfully.
"I havo boon unnecessarily alarmed,
my general," said l'uchcco. "Our
dear friend has been most fortunato
' In his choice of wounds "
"Ho's a lucky Yunkeo; that's what
bo 1, my dear Pacheco. A lucky Yan
kee I" IUcardo leaned over and ex
emlricd tho bayonot-wound In Web
ster's loft sldo. "Ho took the point
ef tho steel on his pistol ho huppened
to bo wearing under his loft arm,"
ho went on to oxplaln. "That turned
tho bayonet and it slid along his ribs,
making a superficial flesh-wound."
Pachoeo noddod. "And tills bullet
moroly burned the top of his right
boulder, while another passed
through his biceps without touching
tho bone. Ills most sovoro wound Is
thlB Jab In tho hip."
They stripped overy stitch of cloth
ing from Webster and went over him
carofully. At tho back of his head
they found a llttlo clotted blood from
a small split In tho scalp; also they
found a lump of generous proportions.
Pacheco laughed briefly but con
tentedly. "Then ho Is not even seriously In
jured)" IUcardo Interrupted that
laugh.
"I would dlo of fright if I had to
fight this fine fellow a month from
today," tho little doctor chirped. "The
man is In superb physical condition;
It Is the bump on tho head Uiat ren
ders him unconscious not loss of
blood."
As If to confirm this export testi
mony Webster at that moment breath
By PETER B. KYNE
Author of "Cappy Ricks," "The Valley of the
ed long nnd deeply, screwed up his
face and shook his head very slightly.
Thereafter for several minutes ho
gave no further evidence of an active
interest In life seeing which Pacheco
decided to tako prompt ndvantngo of
his unconsciousness and probe tho
wounds In his nrm and shoulder for
the fragments of clothing which tho
bullets must havo carried Into them.
After ten minutes of probing Pacheco
announced that ho was through and
rendy to bandage; whereupon John
Stunrt Wobstcr said faintly but very I
distinctly, In English:
"I'm awfully glad ypu arc, Doc.
It hurt like h 1 1 Did you manago
to get n bite on that fishing trip?"
"Jnck Webster, you scoundrel I"
IUcardo yelled Joyously, and he shook
the patient with entire disregard of
tiro latter's wounds. "Oh, mnn, I'm
glad you're not dead."
"Your sentiments appeal to mo
strongly, my friend. I'm too tired
to look at you. Who tho devil aro
you?"
Pell a silence, while Webster pre
pared for another speech. "Where
am I?"
"In the palace. We won pulled-
up, and that forty-thousnnd dollar bet
of yours Is safe. I'll cash tho ticket
for you tomorrow morning."
"D n the forty thousand. Whore's
my Croppy Boy?"
"Your what?"
"My wild Irish blackthorn, Don
Juan Cnfetero."
"I hope, old man, he has ere now
that which all brave Irishmen and
true deserve a harp with a crown.
In life tho Irish havo tho harp with
out the crown, you know."
"now did ho dlo?" Wobstor whis
pered. "Ho died hard, with the holes in
Uront and he dlod for you."
Two big tears trickled slowly
through Webster's closed I'ds and roll
ed across his pnlo chcok. "Poor, lost,
lonesome, misunderstood wreck," ho
murmured presently, "ho s an ex
tremist In all things. He used to slna
those wonderfully poetic ballads of his
peoplo I remember one that began:
'Green wero the fields where my fore
fathers dwelt.' I think his heart was
In Kerry so we'll send him there,
no's my dead, IUcardo; care for his
body, because I'm going to plant
Don Junn with tho shamrocks. They
didn't understand hi in here. He wnB
an exile so I'm going to send him
homo."
"He shall have a military funeral,"
Rlcnrdg promised.
"From the cathedral," Webster add
ed. "And take a picture of It for
his people. He told mo about 'them.
I want them to think he amounted to
something, after all. And when you
got this two-by-four republic of yours
going again, Kick, you might have
your congress award Don Juan a
thousand dollars ore for capturing Snr
ros. Then wo can send the money to
his old folks.''
"But ho didn't capture Snrros,"
Rlcnrdo protested. "The mnn escaped
when tho guards cut their way
Uirough."
"Ho didn't That wns a ruse while
he beat It out tho gato where you
found mo. I saw Don Juan knock him
cold with the butt of his riflo after
I'd brought down his horso."
"Do you think he's there yet?"
"no may be provided all thlB didn't
happen tho day before yesterday. If
I wanted him, I'd go down and look
for him, IUck."
"I'll go right away, Jack."
"One, minute, then. Send a man
around to Uiat llttlo back street whore
thoy havo tho wounded It's n couple
of blocks away from hero to tell
Mother Jenks and tho young lady
wiUi her I'll not be back."
"They're both outaldo now. Thoy
must havo gono looking for you, bo
cause Uiey found you and Don Juan
Qrst and then told mo about it"
"Who told your'
"Mother Jenks."
"Oh I Well, run along and got your
man."
IUcardo departed on tho run, tak
ing Uio sentry at tho door with him
urid In his hasto giving no thought
to MoUier Jcnks and her companion
waiting for tho doctor's verdict In
Uio pnlaco grounds ho gnthercd two
more men and bade them follow him;
loading by twenty yards, ho emergod
at tho gate and paused to look around
htm.
Somo hundred feet Alown the street
from the palaco gate Snrros' bay
charger lay dead. When Webster's
bullet brought tho poor heast down,
his rider had fallen dear of him, only
to fall n victim to the ferocity of Don
Junn Cafetoro. Later, as Snrros lay
stuuncd and bleeding beside his mount,
the stricken animal In its death-struggle
hod hnlf rlson, only to fall again,
this time on the extended left leg of
his late mnster; consequently when
Sarros recovered consciousness follow
lng the thoughtful attentions of his
assailant it was to dtscover hlmsolf a
hoixriesa prisonor. The henvy carcass
of his horso pinned his foot and part
of his leg to tho ground, rendoring
htm as helpless and desperate as a
trapped animal.
For several minutes now he bad
Man
Giant,' Etc
Copjrtcht br Pttr D. Krai.
been striving frnntlcnlly to release
hlmsolf; with his sound right leg
pressed against tho animal's back
bone he tried to gain sufficient pur
chase to withdraw his left leg from
the enrcass.
As Rlcnrdo caught sight of Sarros
ho Instinctively realised that this was
his mortal enemy; motioning his men
to stand back, he approached tho
straggling man on tlptoo and thought
fully possessed himself of the dicta
tor's pistol, which lay in back of hlra,
but not out of reach. Just as he did
so, Snrros, apparently convinced of the
futility of his efforts to free himself,
surrendered to fate and commenced
rather pitifully to weep with rage
and despair.
Rlcnrdo wntched him for n few sec
onds, for there wns Just sufficient of
the blood of his CasUHnn ancestors
still In his veins to render this sorry
spectnele rnther nn enjoyable one to
him. Resides, he wag SO per cent
Iberian, a raco which can hnto quite
as thoroughly as It can love, nnd
for a time Rlcnrdo even nourished the
thought of still further Indulging his
thirst for revengo by protending to
aid Surras In his cscapot PresenUy,
however, ho put tho ungenerous
thought from him; seizing tho dead
horso by the tall, ho dragged Uic car
cass off his enemy's leg, and white
Sarros sat up, tailor-fashion, nnd com
menced to rub the circulation back
Into tho bruised member, Rlcnrdo
seated himself on tho rump of the
dead horse and nppralsed his prisoner
critically.
Sarros glanced up, remembered his
manners and very hcnrtlly and grace
fully thanked his deliverer.
"It Is not a matter for which thanks
are duo me, Sarros," Rlcardo replied
coldly. "I am IUcardo Lult Ruey,
and I have come back to Sobranto to
pay my faUier's debt to you. You
will remember having forced the obli
gation upon mo In tho cemetery some
fifteen yenrs ago."
For perhaps ten horrified seconds
Barros stared at Rlcnrdo; then the
dark blood In him enine to his defense;
his tense pose relaxed; the fright
and despair left his swarthy counte
nance as If erased with a moist
sponge, leaving him as calmly stoical
and Indifferent as a clgarstoro Indian,
lie fumbled In his coat pocket for a
gold cigarette caso, selected a ciga
rette, lighted It and blew smoke at
Rlcardo. Tho Jig wns up; bo knew
it; and with admirable nonchalance
he declined to lower his presidential
dignity by discussing or considering it
He realized It would delight his cap
tor to know he dreaded to face the
Issue, and It was not a Sarros pracUc
to give aid and comfort to he enemy.
"Spunky devil 1" Rfenrdo reflected,
forced to tumlrutlon despite himself.
Aloud ho Bald: "You know the code
of our people, Snrros. An eye for
an eye nnd a tooth for a tooth."
Sarros bowed. "I am nt your oerv
ice," ho replied carelessly.
"Then at daylight tomorrow morn
ing I Bhnll make settlement" Rlcardo
beckoned his men to approach. "Take
this mnn nnd confine him under a
double gunrd In Uio nrsenul," he or
dered. "Present my compliments to
the officer In charge there and tell
him It Is my wish that n priest be
provided for Uio prisoner tonight and
that tomorrow morning, nt six o'clock,
n detail of six men and n sergeant
escort this man to tho cemotory la
the ranr of tho Cntedrnl de la Cruz.
I will meet the detail there and take
command of it"
Two of Rlcnrdo's Imported fighting
men stopped to Uic prisoner's side,
seized him, one by ench nrm, and lift
ed him to his feet; supported be
tween them, he limped nwny to his
doom, whllo his youthful conqueror
remained sented on the dead horse,
his gnze bent upon tho ground, his
mind dwelling, not upon hli triumph
over Snrros hut upon Uio prodigious
proportions of Uio task before him;
Uio rehabilitation of a nation. After
a whllo ho roso nnd strolled ever to
ward the gate, where he paused to
note the grim evidences of the una!
stand of Webster nnd Don Juan Cnfe
tero before passing through Uie por
tal. Rlcnrdo hnd new, for the first Ume,
an opportunity to look nround him;
so he hnlted to realize his heme-com-ing,
to thrill with this, the first real
low of tho home of his boyhood. The
spacious lnwn surrounding the palace
hnd been plowed and scarred with
bursting shrnpnol from tho Held guns
captured In the arsenal, although the
building itself had been little damaged,
not hnvlng sustained a direct hit be
cnuso of Rlcardo's stringent orders
not to use artillery on tho palace ua
less absolutely necessary to smoke
Sarros out Scattered over the grounds
Rlcnrdo counted somo twenty-odd
government soldiers, all wearing that
pathetically flat crumpled appearance
which seems Inseparable from the
bodies of men killed in action. The
first shrapnel had probably com
menced to drop In the grounds Just as
a portion of the palace garrison had
been mnrchlng out to Join the troops
fighting at the cantonment barracks
Evidently tho men had scattered like
quail, only to bo kilted as thoy ran.
i' row this grim scene Rlcardo raised
.lis eyes to tho palace, the cnstellnted
towers of which, looming through the
tufted palms, were reflecUng the set
ting sun. Over tho balustrade of one
of the upper balconies the limp body
of a Sarros sharpshooter, picked off
from tho street, drooped grotesquely,
his arms hnnging downward as if In
Ironical welcome to tho son of Ruey
the Beloved. Tho sight Induced In
Rlcardo a sense of profound sadness;
his Irish Imnginntlon awoke; to htm
that mute figure seemed to call upon
him for pity, for kindness, for for
bearance, for understanding and sym
pathy. Those outfiung arms of the
martyred peon symbolized to Rlcnrdo
Ruey the spirit of liberty, shackled
and helpless, calling upon him for de
liverance; they brought to his alert
mind a clearer realization of tho duty
that was his than ho had ever had be
fore. He had a great task to perform,
a tnsk Inaugurated by his father, and
which Rlcardo could not hope to fin
ish In his lifetime. He must solvo
Uie agrarian problem; he must de
velop the rich natural resources of his
country; ho must . provide free, com
pulsory education and evolve from
the Ignorance of the peon nn Intelli
gence that would build up that which
Sobrantc, In common with her sister
republics, so wickedly lacked the
great middle class that stands always
as a buffer between the aggression
nnd selfishness ef tho upper class and
tho helplessness and childishness of
the lower.
Rlcardo bowed his head. "Help me.
O Lord," he prayed. Thou hast given
mq In Thy wisdom a man's task. Help
me that I may not prove unworthy."
Mother Jenks, grown Impatient at the
lack of news concerning Webster, left
Dolores to her grief In the room across
tho hall and sought the open air. for
of late sho had been experiencing with
recurring frequency a slight feeling of
suffocation. She sat down on tho broad
grnnlto steps, helped herself to a
much-needed "bracer" from her brandy
flask and was gazing pensively at the
scene around her when Rlcardo came
up the stairs.
'"Ellol" Mother Jenks saluted him.
"We're 'avo you been, Mr. Bowers?"
"I have Just returned from capturing
Snrros, Mrs. Jenks. He Is on his way
to the arsenal under guard."
"Gor strike me plnkl" the old lady
cried. " 'Ave I lived to seo this day 1"
Her face was wreathed In a happy
smile. "I wonder 'ow the, beggar feels
to ave the shoe on the other foot eh
the 'eartless 'ound; I'm 'opln' this
General Ruey will ave the blighter
shot."
"You need have bo worry on that
score, Mrs., Jenks. I'm General Ruey.
Andrew Bowers was Just my summer
name, ns It were."
"Angels guard met Wot the bloom
In' 'ell surprise won't we nvo next
Wot branch o' the Ruey trlho do you
belong to? Aro you a nephew o' him
thnt wns president before Sarros shot
1m? Antonio Ruey, who was 'art
brother to the president, 'ad a son 'e
cnllod Rlcardo. Are you Mm, mlgb I
arskr
"I am the son of Rlcnrdo the Be
loved," he answered proudly.
"Not the lad as was away at school
when 'Is father was hoxecuted?"
"1 am that same lad, Mrs. Jenks.
And who are you? You seem to know
a deal of my family history."
"L" the old publican replied with
equal pride, "am Mrs. Col. TSnery
Jenks, who wns your father's chief of
hartlllery an' 'ad tho hextreme honor
' dyin In front of tho same wall with
im. By the w'y, 'ow'a Mr." Webster?"
she added, suddenly remembering the
subject closest to her heart Just then.
"His wounds are trifling. He'll live,
Mrs. Jenks."
"Well, that's better than gettln'
poked In tho eye with a sharp stick,"
the old dame decided philosophically.
"Do you remember my little sister,
Mrs. Jenks?" Rlcardo continued. "She
"I Am Qentral Ruey."
was In tho palaco when Sarros at
tacked It; she perished there."
"I believe I 'ave got a slight recol
lection o' tho nipper, sir," Mother
Jenks answered cautiously. To herself
she said: "I s'y, 'Enrletta, 'ere's a
pretty go. 'H dont know the lamb Is
llvln' an' in tho next room I My word,
wot a riot w'en 'e meets 'err
"I will see you again, Mrs. Jenks. I
must hare a long talk with you," Rl
cardo told her, and passed on Into the
palace; whtreupen Mother Jenks once
more fervently Implored tho Almighty
to strike her pink, and the Iron re
straint of a long, hard, exciting day be
ing relaxed at Inst, tho good soul
bowed her gray head In her arms and
wept, moving her body from side to
side the whllo and demanding, of no
one In particular, a single legitimate
reason why sho, a blooming old bag
gngc and not fit to Itve, should bo tho
recipient of such mnnifold blessings
as this day had brought forth.
In the meantime Rlcardo? with his
hand on the knob of the door lending
to the room where Webster wns having
his wounds dressed, paused suddenly,
his nttentlon caught by the sound of a
sob. long-drawn and Inexpressibly pa
thetic. He listened nnd mnde up his
mind thnt n woman In the room across
the entrance hall wns bewailing tho
death of a loved one who answered to
tho name of Cnllph nnd John, darling.
Further envesdropplng convinced him
thnt Caliph, John, dnrllng, nnd Mr.
John Stuart Webster were one nnd tho
snme person, and so he tilted his hend
on one side like a cock robin and con
sidered. "By Jingo, that's most interesting,"
he decided, "The wounded hero hna
a sweetheart or a wife and nn Amer
ienn. too. She must be n recent ac
quisition, becnuso all the time wo wero
together on tho stenmcr coming down
here ho never spoke of either, desplto
the fnct thnt we got friendly enough
for such confidences. Something fun
ny about this. I'd better sound the old
boy before I stnrt pnsslng out words
of comfort to thnt unhappy femnle."
He passed on into tho room. John
Stuart Webster hnd. by this time, been
washed nnd bnndnged, nnd one of the
Snrros servants (for the ex-dictator's
retinue still occupied the palace) had,
at Dr. Pachcco's command, prepnred a
guest chamber upstairs nnd furnished
a night gown of nmple proportions to
cover Mr. Webster's bebandaged but
otherwise naked person. A stretcher
had Just arrived, and the wounded man
wns nbout to be corrled upstairs. Tho
late financial bncker of the revolution
was looking very pnlo and dispirited;
for once In his life his whimsical, ban
tering nature was subdued. His eyes
were closed, and he did not open them
when Rlcnrdo entered
"Well, I have Sarros." the latter de
clared. Webster paid not the slightest atten
tion to this announcement Rlcardo
bent over him. "Jnck, old boy," he
queried, "do you know n person of
feminine persuasion who calls you Ca
liph?" John Stunrt Webster's eyes and
mouth flew wide open. "What the
devil 1" he tried to .roar. "You hnven't
been spenklng to her, have you? If
you have, I'll never forgive you. bo
cause you've spoiled my little surprise
party."
"No, I haven't been speaking to her,
but she's In the next room crying fit
to break her heart because she thinks
you've been killed."
"You scoundrel I Aren't you human?
Go tell her it's only a couplo. of punc
tures, not n blowout" He sighed.
"Isn't It sweet of her to weep over an
old hunks like me!" he added softly.
"Bless her tender heart I"
"Who Is sho?" Rlcardo was very
curious.
"That's nope of your business. You
wait and I'll tell you. Sbc's the guest
I told you 1 was going to bring to din
ner, and that's enough for you to know
for the present. Vaya, you Idiot and
bring her In here, so I can assure her
my head Is bloody but unbowed. Doc
tor, throw that rug over my shanks
nnd mnke mo look pretty. I'm going
to receive corapnny."
His glnnce, bent steadily on the door,
hnd n It some of the alert bright wist
fulness frequently to be observed In
the eyes of a terrier standing expec
tantly before a rnt hole. The Instant
the door opened and Dolores' tear-
stained face appeared, he called to her
with tho old-tlmo camaraderie, for he
had erased from his mind, for the
nonce, the memory of the tragedy of
poor Don Juan Cnfetero nnd wns con
cerned solely with the task of banish
ing the tears from those brown eyes
and bringing the Joy of life back to
that sweet face.
"nello. Seeress," ho called weakly.
"Little Johnny's been fighting again,
and the bad boys gave him an ati-flred
walloping."
There wns a swift rustle of skirts,
and Bhe wns bending over him, her hot
little pnlms clasping cngorly his pale,
rough cheeks. "Oh, my dear, my
dear I" she whispered, and then her
voice choked with tho happy tears and
she was sobbing on his wounded shoul
der. Rlcardo stooped to draw her
away, but John Stunrt bent upon him
a look of such frlghtfulness that he
drew back abashed. After all, tho past
24 hours hod been quite exciting, and
Rlcardo reflected that John's Inamora
ta wns tired and frightened and prob
ably hadn't eaten anything nil day
long, so there was ample excuse for
her hysterin.
"Come, come, buck up," Webster
soothed her, and helped himself to a
long whiff of her fragrant hnlr. "Old
mnn Webster hnd one leg In the grave,
but they've pulled it out again."
Still she sohbed.
"Now, listen to me, lady," he com
manded with mock severity. "You
Just stop that. You're wasting your
jiympnthy; and while, of course, I en
Joy your sympathy a heap, Just pause
to reflect on tho result If those salt
tears should happen to drop Into one
of my numerous wounds."
"I'm so Borry for you, Caliph," she
murmured brokenly. "Yon poor, harm
less boy I I don't see how any one
could be so fiendish as to hurt you
when you were so distinctly a non-com-batnnt"
"Thank yon. Let us forget The
Hague conference for the present, how
ever, nave you met your brother?"
he whispered.
"No, Cnllph."
"Rlcardo."
Tea, Jnck."
"Come here. nick, you scheming
unscrupulous, blood-thirsty adventurer,
I have n tremendous surprise in storo
for you. The sweetest girl in Uie world
nnd she's right here "
Rlcardo laughingly held up his hand.
"Jack, my friend," he Interrupted,
"you're too weak to make a speech.
Don't do it. Besides, you do not havo
to." He turned and bowed gracefully,
to Dolores. "I can sco for myself she's
the sweet st girl in the world, nnd thnt
she's right hero." He hold out his
hnnd to her. "Jnck thinks he's going
to spring a surprise," he continued ma
liciously, "quite forgetting that, a good
soldier never permits himself to be
taken by surprise. I know nil nbout
his llttlo secret, becnuse I heard you
mourning for him when you thought ho
was dead." Rlcardo fnvored her with
a knowing wink. "I nm delighted to
meet the future Mrs. Webater. I qulto
understand why you fell In love with
him, bocnusc, you see, I love him my
self and so does everybody else."
With typical Castlllan courtliness ho
took her hand, bowed low over It. and
kissed It "I am Rlcardo Lulz Ruey,"
he said, anxious to spare his friend tho
tnsk of further exhnuBtlng conversa
tion. "And you nrc "
"You're n consummate Jncknssl"
gronned Webster. "I'm only n denr old
fnmlly friend, nnd Dolores Is going to
mnrry Billy Geary. You Impetuous
Idiot I She's your own sister, Dolores
Ruey. She, Mark Twain, nnd I hnvo
nmple cnuse for common complaint
ngnlnst the world becnuse the reports
of our denth hnvo been grossly exag
gerated. Sho djrtn't perish when your
father's ndmlnlstrntlon crumbled. Mlsg
Ruey, this Is your brother, Rlcnrdo.
Kiss her you damn' fool forgive me.
Miss Ruey oh. Lord, nothing mntters
any more. He's gummed everything
up and ruined my party. I wish I wero
dead."
Rlcardo stared from the outraged
Webster to his sister and hnck ngnln.
"Jnck Webster," he declared, "yoa
aren't crnzy, nre you?"
"Of course, he Is the old dear," Do
lores cried happily, "but I'm not." Sho
stepped up to her brother, and her
arms went around his neck. "Oh,
Rick," she cried, "I'm your sister. Tru
ly, I nm."
"Dolores. My little lost sister, Do
lores? Why, I can't believe It I"
"Well, you'd better believe It" John
Stuart Webster growled feebly. "Of
course, you can doubt my word and
get nwny with It now thnt I'm flat on
my back, but If you dnre enst asper
sions on that girl's veracity, I'll mur
der you a monthfrom now."
He closed his eyeB, feeling Instinc
tively thnt he ought not spy on such a
sacred fnmlly scene. When, however,
the nffectlng meeting wns over nnd Do
lores wns ruffling the Websterlnn fore
top while her brother pressed the Web
sterlnn hnnd nnd tried to say all the
things ho felt, but couldn't express,
John Stuart Webster brought ,tbem
both hnck to a realization of present
conditions.
"Don't thank me. sir," he piped in
pathetic Imitation of the small boy of
melQdrama. "I have only done mo
duty, and for that I cannot accept this
purse of gold, even though my father
nnd mother are starving."
"Oh, Caliph, do be serious," Dolores
pleaded.
Ho looked up at her fondly. "Tnke
your brother out to Mother Jenks and
prove your case, Miss Ruey," he ad
vised her. "And while you're at It,
I certainly hope somebody will remem
ber I'm not accustomed to reposing on
a center table. Rick, if you can per
suade somo citizen to put me to bed,
I'd be obliged. I'm dead Ured. old
horse. I'm nh sleepy "
His hend rolled wenkly to one side,
for he hnd been playing n part and
had nerved himself to finish it grace
fully, even In his weakened condition.
He sighed, moaned slightly, and
slipped Into unconsciousness.
(To be continued)
RASMUSSEN TO STUDY ESKIMO
Danish Explorer's Ambition Is Said to
Be to Make Thorough Study of
the Northern Race.
The remarkable studies carried out
by the Danish explorer, Knud Rnsmus
sen. among the Greenlnnd Eskimos
are described by W. E. Ekhlnw In tha
Geographical Review. Rnsmussen,
who Ib pnrt Eskimo himself, was born
and trained in Inngungt-s and eth
nology ut the University of Copen
hagen. It Is his ambition to make a thor
ough study of the whole Eskimo race,
from eastern" Greenlnnd to Siberia, and
be has already visited every Eskimo
settlement In Greenland. It Is said
that he knows every Greenlnnd Eski
mo personnlly. Mr. Ekblaw believes
it safe to say Uiat no one else has
ever come Into such direct contact
with a whole people as he has.
Late In 1910 ho returned from a
visit to Ammnssalik, on the enst const
He wns surprised to find thnt the enst
Greenlnnd Eskimos preserve mnny of
the customs of the central Eskimos,
who still Inhnblt tho nncestrnl home
of the race about Hudson bay. He
found thnt they are more closely re
lated to the central Eskimos than are
any of the other tribes of the entire
Greenland const, nnd that only recent
ly have they been affected by. contrast
with tho Greenland west const culture,
Scientific American.
Sure Enough.
"Oh, Clara!" exclaimed the yonna
man on the sofa; "you bave broken
thoso two cigars I had in my pocket"
"It's really too bad, George," replied
tho sweet young Uilng, "but why don't
you bur stronger cigars?"
i