Nebraska Newspapers

    THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: StTXDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1001.
The
By
nopals ut I'rccediim Chapter.
Ramon Oarcln, known as Kl fiarrla, hav
ing been induced to bellcvo Hint his wife,
Dolores, Is unfaithful, stubs a village for,
Hafacl Flores, whom he finds presumably
kissing Dolores through the window. Ills
estates are confiscated and ho becomes a
hunted man. At the samo time, a young
ficotch adventurer, Hollo Illnlr, comes to
Spain, and during an Inn quarrel Is aided
by John Mortimer, an Englishman. The
two start to visit Don Ilaltasar, nboot
the monastery of Montblanch. Hlalr and
Mortimer are entertained lavishly by the
nbbot, and meet litlcnno St. Pierre.
French gallant who Is studylnK for holy
orders. These three, with Kl Harrln. who
has found protection at tho monastery are
commissioned by the abbot to capture tho
queen recent and her little daughter In thl
Interests of the church. Hnroute for the
camp of Cabrern, tho Carllst general, they
pass tho homo of Kl Harrlii, who learns that
Dolores was riot false to him and that his
downfall was plotted by Luis Fernandez.
Dolores Is Imprisoned In Luis' home and tho
on to whom sho has Just Riven birth Is
about to b.; burled allvo by Mils' brother,
Tomas, when El Barrla falls upon him,
Kl Harrla rescues his child and takes It to
the Convent of the Holy Innocents, whero
Conchaa Is also staying. Then, nldfd by
nollo Illalr and his companions, ho cap
tures Fcrnnndei' home and rescues his wife.
Hlalr and his comrades, captured by den
eral Cabrera, cannot prove their sympathy
with tho Carllat cause bcrnuso Blair was
forced to leave his credentials at the con
vent as security for Dolores. They are
entenced to bo shot at daybreak. Conchas
arrives from tho convent with credentials,
naves their lives anil Inter Joins Blair's
Party In search of the queen regent. Tho
adventurers learn that tho queen regent's
court at Han lldcfenso hns srattcred be
cause of the black plague and Cardono and
I-n Olraldo nre sent forward to reconnollcr.
They leurn that a band of gypsies are plan
ning to rnld the castle, and Hollo hastens
to the rescue of the royal purty. Hollo and
party bnrrlcado tha palace, rrs st tho
zypslcs, who succeed, however, In kidnap
ping the I'rlncess Irnbcl.
(Copyright, 1301. by a. It. Crockett.)
CIIAI'TKK AX.VIII.
Concha Wultn for the MornltiK.
Tho dend woman was carried Into tho
mortuary attached to tbo smaller chapel of
tbo Collcglatn and placed In ono of the
rude cofllns which had been deposited thcru
, in readiness, opon the first news of the
plague. This being done, tho mind of
nollo turned resolutely to tho problem bc
foro him.
Every hour the situation seemed to grow
moro difficult. As far as Hollo was con
cerned, ho owned himself frankly a mer
cenary, fighting In a cause for which he, as
a freeborn Scot, could havo no great sym
pathy. Hut mercenary as ho was, In his
reckless, gallant, dovll-takc-the-hlndmost
philosophy of llfo, there was nt least no
traco of treachery nor any backgolng from
a pledged and plighted word. Ho had
undertaken to capture tho young queen and
her mother, to bring them within tho lines
of Don Carlos and until utterly baffled by
death or misadventure this was what ho
was going to contlnuo to attempt.
If, therefore, tho little princess wcro not
In the castle, sho must Immediately be
sought for outBldo It. The palace of La
Oranjn was, as ho woll know, surrounded
by eager and bloody-minded foes bent on
tho destruction of alt within Its walls. It
was conceivable that Isabel might already
bo stain, though In tho absenco of the
daughter' of Munoz bo doubted whether the
gypsies would go to such lengths. To ho
he-Id to ransom was a much moro probablo
fate. At any rate, It was clearly tho duty
of. some ono of tho party to make an at
tempt for her recovery.
At tho first blush Sergeant Cardono ap
peared to be tho person designated by ex
perience and qualifications for tbo tflflk.
Hut, on the other hand, how could Rollo
entrust to tho most famous of ox-brigands,
a gypsy of gypsies, of tho blackest blood of
Egypt, tho search for so great a prize as
tho llttlo queen of Spain?
Ills thoughts turned next to El Sarrla.
Concerning Hamon Oarcla's loyalty thero
was no question, still less as to his courago.
But ho was hardly tho man to dispatch
alone on a mission which Involved so many
dellcato Issues.
The others wetl, they were good fol
lows, both of thorn, John Mortimer and
Etlenne. Hut It was obvious to his mind
that tho quest vn not for tbom. Hollo
must go himself. That was all thero was
to It. After which remained tho question
as to who should command In the palace
during his absence. Hero the sergeant
was obviously the man, both from his natu
ral talent for leadership, as well as from
tho confidence placed In him by General
Cabrera.
Whllo ho .was settling theso questions
In bin mind Hollo had been standing at
one of tbo windows whoro tho two roval
servants, young men of Castile, had been
set to watch, with La Olralda between
them to perform the samo office upon them.
To theso ho did not think It necessary to
ay more than thoy wero to recelvo and
oboy tho orders of Sergeant Cardono as
his own; tho old gypsy would of a certainty
do 10 In nny case.
Then tho young man passed on to the
balconies occupied severally by Etlenne
and Mortimer. Ho told them that ho con
sidered It his duty to venture out to
seek for tho missing girl. It came within
the terms of his commission, ho said, that
he should leove no stone unturned to re
cover tho princess. Neither Etlcnno nor
Mortimer offered any objection.
"Tho saints and tho holy Virgin bring
you safely back!" said Etlenne. who was
still In his pious mood. "I will not ceaso
to pray for you."
"floodhy and good luck, old fellow," quoth
John Mortimer. "Ilut I 'say, If I should
want more ammunition, where am I to
get It7"
Such were tho charactorlstlo furowrlls of
Itollo's two comrades In arms.
Equally slmplo was It to satisfy El Sar
rla, from whom our "Firebrand" parted
on tbo great southward balcony, which he
guarded alono,
"He bf an easy mind. I will be responsi
ble for all I can see from this balcony,"
said tho giant, calmly. "May your adven
ture bo prosperous! I would I could both
remain hero and go with you."
All that Hollo had now to do was to In
form tho sergeant of his plans and to say
goodby to Concha. Theso tasks, however,
promised something more of difficulty,
The si recant was Immovable at his pqat
behind the thick twisted vino stems at the
balcony, ovor the twin doors, by one of
which the royal parti bad attempted to
escape. Whllo Rollo was explaining his
Intentions, Cardono bit his Up and remained
silent.
"Do you, then, not approvo?" asked
Rollo gravely, when he had finished,
"Who Is to command here In your ab
sence?" answered the sergeant in tbo
young Soot's own national manner.
"Tho command will naturally devolve- on
yourself," said Hollo promptly, "you will
have the entire responsibility within tbo
palace!"
"Which Includes complete discretion, of
course?"
"Certainty!" answered Hollo.
"Then," said tbe sergoant firmly, "my
first act will be to lay Senor Don Fernando
Munoi by the heels!"
"As to that, you can do as you like,"
said Rollo, "but remember that you may
tod yourself with another mad woman on
I
Firebrand.
S. R. CROCKETT.
your hands In tho person of tho queen
regent!'
"I know how to deal with her!" replied
tho sergeant, "go your way, colonel. De
pend upon It, tho palaco will bo defended
and Justice bo done!"
Hollo nodded and was turning on bis heel
without speaking, for tho thought of his
Interview with Concha was beginning to He
heavy on bis mind, when n whisper from tho
sergeant called him back.
"When ou nre ready to go, return hither,"
ho said. "I havo the safest way out of tho
palace to show you without bo much as
tho opening of a door or tho unbarring of
a window,"
Hollo nodded, again. Ho marveled how
It wus that the sergeant had appeared so
opportunely nt his elbow when ho hail
called upon him for help. Now ho was In
tho way of finding out.
The darkness was of the sort which might
bnvo jcen felt as Rollo stumbled along
tho passages to the opposite side of tho
palace, whero Concha, a loaded musket
leaning on cither side, was wntchlng keenly
tho squaro of gray grass and green trees
In front of her. Dark as tho night was
without, tho girl had drawn tho curtains
behind her, so that she was entirely Iso
latiil upon the bolcony upon which she
kneeled. In this, as usual, she had obeyed
Hollo's commands to tho letter and mado
suro that no faintest gleam of light should
cscapo by tho window at which sho kont
her watch.
But tn splto of the Intervening room and
tho thick curtains the girl had beard his
footsteps, light and quick, across tho entlro
breadth of the palace, from tho moment
when ho had quitted Sergeant Cnrdono to
that when, drawing aside tho hangings
with his baud, he stood behind her.
Nevertheless, Concha did not movo Imme
diately and Hollo, standing thus close to
her, was for the first time in life con
scious of tho atmosphere, dellcato yet vivid
of youth and beauty and charm with which a
loving and gracious woman surrounds her
self ns with a garment.
Hut theso wcro stern times. He had
como to iier balcony for a purpose and thero
woh no time to bo lost,
"Concha," ho began, without ceremony,
for after tho kiss, regulated and conscien
tious ns It had been and clearly Justifiable
to his senso of honor and duty, somehow
tho prefacing "Senorlta" had como to bo
omitted "Concha, tho llttlo queen Is lost.
Sho may bo wandering out thero to uicot
her death among brigands nnd murderers!
It Is my duty to go and seek her. Listen!"
And then when at last she turned from
tho window and slowly faced him Rollo
told her all that had taken place below.
"I know you wero in danger when the
shots went off,", sho sold, "yet since you
had not called for me, not given mo leavo
to quit my post"
Sho did not finish her sentence. It was
n kind of reproach that ho had called for
the scrgeaut and not for her In his hour
of need. Sho know on whom she would
havo called.
"You did well better than well, to stand
by your post," said Rollo, "but now I must
mako over my authority to another. Tho
sergeant Is to command hero in my ab
sence." "Do you then mako my allegiance over
to tho sergeant?" said Concha, in a qulot
tone.
"Cod forbid!" cried nollo, Impetuously.
And llttlo Concha, looking abroad over
tho darkening hills, thought within her
heart that the morning was surely coming.
Hut yet when he told her of tho despcrato
quest on which he was bound, that which
hod been glad became tilled with forebod
ing, nnd tho fnlso dawn died out again
utterly. Tho hills wero both distant and
dark.
Ilut ns Rollo continued to spenk bravely,
confidently, and took hor hand to nsk her
to bid him godspeed, Concha smiled once
moro to herself In the darkness. And so
at last it camo about that sho even hold
up her lips to be kissed. For now (so
strangely natural grows that quaint cus
tom after ono or two trials) It seemed as
if no other method of saying goodby wero
possible between them. And to Rollo the
necessity appeared even stronger.
And what is more, sho let him go from
her without a murmur, though sho knew
that her heart of hearts was his. And
that nbovo all carrying off queens nnd
honors military, moro than many towns.
captured and battles won, she wished to
hear from Rollo Blair's lips that hla heart
alBo was her own her very own. Many
men had told her that same thing In theso
very words nnd sho had only laughed back
at them with n flash of brilliant teeth, a
pair of tho blackest Andalusian eyes shin
ing meantime with contemptuous mirth.
But now It scorned that If she did not
hear Rollo sny this thing sho would die
which shows tho difference there may be
between words which wo desire to hear
spoken and thoso that others wish to speak
to us.
Yet In splto of It all, or hecauso of It, she
let him go without a word or a murmur,
because of the thought of morning that
was In her heart.
eiiAi'Tim x.wiv.
nollo to the He-scrip.
And this was the manner of his going.
He sought the sorgeant upon his balcony,
outsldo which climbed nnd writhed a great
old vino stem ns thick as a man's leg.
"So," eald tho sergeant, "now listen.
Lot yourself down band-grip by hand-grip,
gripping as best you may with your knees
to mako tho less nolso. You will bo wholly
hidden by tho outer vino leaves. Movo
slowly nnd rpmcmber I am hero to keep
watch and ward. Then stand a whllo ln the
shadow, to recover your breath, nnd when
yau hear mo whistle thrlco like n swallow's
twitter underneath tho caves, duck down
ns low as you can and make straight for
tho thickest of tho underbrush over thero.
I havo watched It for an hour nnd havo
seen nothing move. Yet that signifies less
than nothing. Thero may bo a score, aye,
or a hundred gypsies underneath tho
branches, and the frogs croaking undis
turbed upon the twigs above all the while.
Yet it Is your only chance. If you find
anything thero in shapo of n man, strike
aid cry aloud, both with nil your might,
nnJ In r moment I will be with you, oven
ns I was before."
Hollo grasped tho sergeant's hand and
silently thanked Ulm ns bravo men thank
one another at such times.
"Nay," Bald the sergeant, "let us wait
till we return for that. It Is touch nnd go
nt the best. Ilut I will stay here till you
aro safely nmong the. bushes. And then
I shall havo some ctrtaln words to speak
to Senor Don Fernando Munoz, duko of
Hlnnzares and grandee of Spnlu, consort
In ordinary to her majesty, the queen re
gent." Even as he spoke, Rollo, whose cars were
ncuto, turned quickly and dashed Into tho
ante-chamber. He thought he hoard a foot
step behind them as they talked, and at
the name of Munoz n suspicion croased'hlm
that some further treachery was meditated.
Ilut the upper hall was barron and empty,
the scanty furniture scarcely sufficient to
stumble against. If any one had been there
ho had melted like a ghost, for neither
Hollo's swift decision nor tho scrgeant'n
omniscient cunning coutd discover u traco
of an Intruder.
Ho did not find the task a difficult one.
For ho was light and agile, Armed by con
tinuous exercise and an adept at the climb
ing art. As he bad been, indeed, ever since,
on tho cast-windy brncs of Fife, whero
swarming rookeries crown the great hog
back ridges, he had risen painfully through
the clamour of anxious parents to possess
hlmsolt of a hatful of speckled bluish-green
eggs for tho collection wherewith he was
to win the trlcksomo nnd skittish heart of
Mistress Teggy Ramsay, who (tell It not
In the ducnl house which her charms now
adorn) was herself no Inexpert tree
climber, in the days when Hollo Hlalr tem
porarily broke his boyish heart for her
sake.
So In brief (and without n thought of
I'eggy) Hollo found himself upon the
ground, his dress n little .disordered and
his bands somewhat scratched, but safo be
hind his screen of leaves. Remembering
the advices of tho sergeant, Hollo waited
for tho appointed signal to fall unon his
ear from above. Ho could seo nothing In
deed but the branches of the pine trees
waving low beneath them, feathery syrlnga
bushes, upland fern, and evergreens with
"THE HUGE FELLOW FELL BACK
leathery leaves.
What might bo hidden thoro? In another
moment ho might ruah upon tho points of a
hundred knives. Another mlnuto and llko
Mosslro Francois, cure of Meudon, it might
bo his to get forth in quest of tho great
Perhaps.
At tho thought ho shrugged his shoulders
and repeated to himself thoso other last
words of tho samo learned doctor of Mont
pellcr: "Ring down tho curtain tbo farco
Is over."
But at that samo moment ho thought of
llttlo Concha at tho loft and tho bitterness
died out of his heart as quickly as It had
como.
From abovo camo the contented twitter
of a swallow nettling under the leaves, yet
with n curious carrying quality in it too,
at onco low and far reaching. It was tho
sergeant's signal for the nttcmpt.
Hollo set teeth hard, thought of Concha,
bont his head low, and, llko a swlft-drlnk-tng
shadow, sped silently across tho smooth
upland turf. Tho thick leaves of tho laurel
parted before him, the sword-ftowcrs of
Spain pricked him with Its pointed leaves,
nnd then closed llko a spiked barrier be
hind him. A blackbird fled noisily to quieter
haunts. The frogs ceased their croaking.
Panting, Rollo lay still under tho branches,
crushing out the perfuno of tho scrubby,
scented geranium, which ln tho watered
wilderness of La Granja takes root every
where. But among the leaves nothing moved hand
or foot against him. Nor gypsy nor moun
taineer stirred ln the thicket. So that
when Rollo, after resting a llttlo, explored
quietly and patiently the little plantation,
going upon all fours, not a twig of pine
cracking under his palms, no hostllo knife
sheathed Itself between his ribs.
From tho first Rollo had rcsolvod to find
the little pavilion of which Ln Oiralda bad
spokon. It was In his mind that tho girl
mlcht, if free nnd unharmed, bb ho hoped,
mako her way thither. He had Indeed
only tho most vaguo and genornl Idea of
its locality. Tho old gypsy had told him
that It was near to the northern margin
of tho gardens, nnd thnt by following the
mountain stream which supplied tho great
wntcrfnll ho could not fail to come upon it.
But cro be had ventured forth from his
hiding place ho heard again the swallow's
twitter, louder than before, and evidently
for his ear. Could It bo a natural echo
or his own disordered fancy which caused
a whlstlo exactly similar to read) him
from tho exact locality ho meant to search?
Hollo moved to tho -extremity of the
thicket from whence tho more regular gar
dens wcro visible Hn concealed himself
behind a pomegranate tree, and whllo ho
stood and listened, mellow and clear the
call camo again from tho vicinity of the
waterfall.
It wsb obvious, therefore, that the gyp
sies were still within the enclosure of the
palace, so Rollo gnvo up tho idea of keep
ing straight up the little artificial rivulet,
whoso falls gleamed wanly before him, each
square and symmetrical ns a flag hung
out of tho window on a still day,
To the left, however, there were thickets
of red geranium, tho .prince's flower of old
Casttllan lore, five or six feet high. Among
theso Rollo lost himself, passing through
them like a shndow, his head dropped a
little and his knife ready to his hand.
When ho was half way along the edge of
the royal demesne lie. saw across the open
glade a strange sight, yet ono not unwel
come to him.
The palace storehouses had bean broken
into. Lights moved to and fro from door
to door, and above from window to window,
A train of mules and donkeys stood waiting
to be loaded.
Then Hollo understood in a moment why
no furthor attack had boen made upon tho
palace. In losing the daughter of Munoz
they had Inst both Inspiration and cone
t Ion, and now the natural man craved only
booty, and that as plentiful and as safely
as possiuie. so there in the night torches
were lighted, nnd barn nnd byre, storehouse
nnd cellar, wero ransacked for these things
which nro most precious to men gaunt
nnd lantern-Jawed with tho hunger of a
piague-strlckcn land.
After this discovery tbo young Scot
moved much moro freely nnd fearlessly.
And this same careless confidence of his.
for n reason which will presently nppenr
had wellnlgb wrecked his plans. All sud
denly Hollo camo upon the open door of a
llttlo low building, erected something nftor
tho model of a Oreck temple. It was un
doubtedly tho pavilion which hnd been
mentioned by La Olralda as the place where
the goats had been milked.
Of this Hollo was further nssued by tho
collection of shining silver utensils which
wcro plied for removal before tho door. A
light burned dimly within. It waif a dark
anlcrn 8Pt on ghclf nmonK tno broken I
platters and useless crockery. Tbo door was
open and Its light fell on half n dozen dusky
figures gathered in a knot about some ccn
ttal object which tho young man was not
al io to see.
Hollo recoiled Into the reeds as If n ser
pent had bitten him. Then parting the tall
I tasselted canos carefully, he gazed out upon
WITH A SORT OF MOCKERY OF ALARM
tbo curious scene. A window stood open
tn the rear of tho building und tho draft
blow tho flamo of tho open lantern about,
threatening every moment to extinguish it.
Ono of tho gypsies, observing this, moved
to tho bracket shelf to closo tho glass bull's
cyo of tho lantern.
A couple of others looked after him to
soe what ho was about nnd through tho
gap thus mado Rollo saw, only with a
shawl thrown ovor her whlto nightgear,
tho llttlo queen herself, held fast In a
gypsy's baro and swarthy arms.
"I hnvo told you before," he heard her
Bay ln hor clear, childish treble, "I know
nothing I will toll nothing. I have noth
ing to give you and It I had tho whnlo
world I would not glvo a marnvedl's worth
to you. You aro bad men and I hato you!"
Rollo could not hear what tho men said
In reply, but presently ono dusky ruffian
bent over tho girl, a thin cord in his hand:
high and bitter rose a chltd's cry of pain.
It went straight to Hollo's heart. Ho
had heard nothing like it sinco Peggy Ram
say got a thorn ln her foot tbo day bo
had wickedly persuaded her to strip and
run barefoot over tho" meadows of Castlo
nialr. He compressed his Hps, moved his
knlfo to'sce that It camo' easily to hand.
Then as calm'y as If practicing at n mark,
ho examined his pistols and, with tho ut
most deliberation, drew a bead upon tho
burly ruffian with tho cord. Tho first pistol
cracked nnd tho man dropped silently.
Instnntly thoro ensued a great commotion
within. Tho most part of tbo gypsies
rushed to tbo door, standing for a moment
clear against tho lighted Interior,
Hollo, nil on flro, with tho Idea that the
villains had been torturing a child fired hla
second pistol Into tbo thick of them upon
which arose a sudden sharp shriek and n
furious rushing this way and that, Tho
lamp was blown out or knocked over in the
darkness, and nollo, hesitating not n mo
ment, Bnapped bafck tho great Albaclan
blado Into its catch and rushed like a
charging tiger nt the door, Twlco on his
way was he run against nnd almost over
turned by fugitives from tho pavilion. On
each occasion his opponent's fear of tho
mysterious fuBlllado aided by a sharp ap
plication of tho point of the Albacoto
cleared Hollo's front. He stumbled over a
body prone on the ground, sot his hand on
the cold stone lintel, and In a momont
was within.
Ho said aloud: "Princess Isabol, I am
your friend! Trust mo, I havo come to
deliver you from theso wicked people."
But thero was no answer, no did ho dls
cover tho little queen's hiding place till
an uncontrollable sobbing guided him to
tho spot.
The child was crouching underneath tho
polished Htove, with which In happier days
sho bad so often played. Rollo took tho
llttlo maid in his arms.
"Do not bo afraid," ho whispered; I, Rollo
Blair, am your friend, I will olthor tako
you to your friends or lay down my llfo for
you. Trust mo! Do what I toll you and
all will be well!"
"Your voice sounds kind, though I cannot
seo your face," sho whispered. "Yes, I will
go with you!"
He lifted her up on his left arm, whllo In
his right hand he held tho knife ready to
bo plunged to the hilt Into any breast that
withstood him.
One swift rush and they wcro without
among the reeds.
"I will take you to your mother I
promise it!" ho said, "but first you must
come through tho town with mo to the
houso of tho good friars. The palace is
surrounded with wicked men tonight, We
cannot go back there, but tomorrow 1 will
surely tako you to your mother!"
"I do not want to go to my mother,"
whispered the little queen: "only take mc
to my dear, dearest Dona Susans!"
And then It was that Rollo first realized
that be had undertaken something beyond,
his power.
.
CHAI'TKlt ...VV.
The Ktct'ittlon of Snliimnni'n.
But, Indeed, the problem before Hotlo was
ono difficult enough to cause him to rost
pono Indefinitely nil less Immediate nnd
pressing evils. As they crouched among
tho reeds and Hollo endeavored moro com
pletely to gnln tho good will of tbo llttlo'
queen, they heard tho bell of tho hermltago'
of San Ildcfonso strlko the hour sonorously. '
Rollo could hardly bellcvo his cars ns I
the number lengthened itself out till ho1
had counted 12. Ho had supposed thnt lti
miint tw 3 nr 4 In the mornlni? n ih i.. i
Ilut tho night had worn slowly. Many
things which tnko long to tell hail happened
ln l,rlcf 'JCC' nml whl,.t. t" Holl nDP"'l
tho worst of all It would bo yet flvo hours
till daylight.
As they crouched nmong tho reeds tbo
effect of his sudden dlscomflturo of tho cap
tors of tho child Isabel becamo apparent.
Tho whole palaco was ringed with a sudden,
leaping flro of musketry. Tho angry fusll
lado was promptly answered from tho bal-
BEFORE ROLLO'S VEHEMENCE."
conies, and Rollo had tho satisfaction of
knowing from tho shouts nnd yells of pnln
und fury beneath that not only wore his
folk on the nlcrt, but that ho had reason to
bo satisfied with the excellence of their
marksmunshlp.
Hollo, Immediately upon hia return to tho
thicket, had recovered nnd recharged his
pistols by touch, and presently, having
made all ready, ho caught up tho llttlo girl
In his arms, urging hor to bu silent what
ever happened and to trust everything to
him.
Isabel, who was of nn affectionate nnd
easy disposition, though ever quick to
nnger, put her arm readily about tho young
man's neck. Ho had ti winsomo nnd
gracious manner with all children, which,
perhaps, was tho same quality that won him
u way with women.
nollo had an idea which had como to him
with tho cblmo of tho hcrmltago bell as It
tolled tho hour of midnight. There, it any
where, ho would find good men, interested
In tho welfaro of tho princess, and with
hearts largo enough to remain calmly at tho
post of duty, even in a deserted and plague
ruined town.
To tho hormitago of San Idlefonso, there
fore, recently enlarged and erected Into a
roonnstory, Hollo directed his steps. It
was no easy task nt such a time. Thero wns
tho grent railing to negotiate, nnd a pas
fngo to forco through a town by this tlmo
allvo with enemies. In splto of tho dark
ness tho gypsies nt nny point might stop
his way, nnd ho wns burdened with a child
whom he must protect at all hazards.
But this young man loved to bo driven
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into a corner. Dangor excited him
as
drinking might Another man. Indeed, so
quick wero his parts, so ready his inven
tion, that Wore ho bad left tho reed bed
he had turned over and rejected half n
dozen plans of escape. Yet another sug
gested itself to which for thu moment ho
could seo no objection.
Ho spoke to tho llttlo Isabel, who now
nestted closely nnd confidently to him.
"Did they not tell me," ho said, "that
there was somowhero nbout tho palaco n
dairy of cows?"
"Yes It is true," nnswer tho llttlo queen,
"at least thero is n place whero they nre
brought in to bo milked. It belongs to
n,v mother. Sho loves them nil nnd often
Usca ,0 tahc mo thc 10 onJoy ,ho slfi,lt
nnd to drink the milk with tho froth
upon It."
"Can you show mo tho way, little Princess
Isabel?" said Hollo.
"Yes, that can V, indeed," sho mado nn
swer, "but you must not tako nwny my
mother's milk palls nor lot tho wicked gyp
sies know of them. Old Plebnld Pedro
drives the cows In nnd out every day, riding
upon bis donkey. They live at my mother's
farm In tho valley, that Is called In French
Suns Soucll' is it not n pretty name?"
"His donkey?" said Hollo quickly, cntch
ing nt tho Idea, "whero does ho keep it?"
"in n little shed not far from the dairy,"
sho nnswered, "tho stnblo Is covered nil
over with yellow canes, nnd it stnntls near
a pool whero thu green frogs croak."
It had been Hollo's lntcnlon to drive some
of tho roynl cows out before him ns a
booty, pnsslng himself off nB ono of tho
gypsy gang. But upon this Information
ho decided that Pedro, the cowherd's ass,
would suit his purpose much better so bo
that ho was fortunate enough to ilml it.
Ho wns suro that nmong so many gypsies
nnd tll-condlttoncd folk who had Joined
tho tribes of Egypt for tho sake of nd
venturo nnd booty thero must be many
who wero personally unknown to each
other. And though he could not spenk
deep Romany tiko Ln Olralda nnd the ser
geant, Hollo wns yet moro expert nt the
"crtbbed Gltano" than nine out of ton nf
the northern gypsies, who, indeed, for tho
most part, used n moro thlovcs' slnng, or
ns It wns cnllcd, "Trnmpors' Dutch."
Tho llttlo gtrl directed him ns well as
sho could, but nevertheless, It wns somo
tlmo before ho could find tho place ho was
In quest of. For Isabel had never been out
nt night before, nnd nnturntly tho forms
of nil things nppcarcd strungciy nltcrcd to
nn Imaginative child. Indeed It may bo
ndmlttcd thnt Hollo stumbled upon tho place
moro by good luck than because ho was
guided thither by tho ndvlco of Isabel. For
tho utmost tho child could tell him was only
that Piebald Pedro's hut wns near tho
dairy, r.nd that the dairy wns nenr Pedro's
hut.
Hollo set tho princess on tho ground bid
ding her wntch by tho door nnd tell him If
nny ono enmo Into sight. But tho llttlu
girl, not yet recovered from her fright,
clung to his coat and pi ended so pltenusly
to bo allowed to stay with him thnt ho could
not Ins. st. First of nil ho groped all round
the light, cnne-wnttled walls of Pedro's
nui ior any caimcm wmcn m gni servo 10
,iirin.0 hi,,, am,. ii, ,i n f i
" , . " ...
me oiu cnwneni s miiKing mouse siuneu
In nn omnty corn chest. He pulled tho
crumpled ld gnrment nut nnd donned It
without bcruplc. His own sombrero, much
tho worse of wenr and wenther, served woll
enough, nnd with tbo brim turned down, to
glo tho young mnn tho nppenrnnce of a.
peasant turned brlgana for the. nonce.
His next business wns to conccnl the llt
tlo girl ln order that thoy might hnvo a
chance of passing tho gypsy picket nt tho
gates, and of escaping chunco questionings
by tho way.
Rollo thercforo continued to search In
the darkness till he had collected two
largo bundles, ono of chopped straw und
the other of hay, which hn stuffed Into
the panniers, ln tho larger of which bo
meant to find room for tho princess. Onco
sottlcd, n shett was thrown over her shoul
dors and tho hay was lightly scattorcd
over all. Then Bho wns ordered to lie
down nnd to keep especially still If sho
should hear any one spenk to her com
panion. And so naturally did tho llttlu
girl tnko to secrecy nnd adventure that
after having nssured herself of RoIIo'b
kindness not a murmor passed her Hps.
On tho contrary, sho promised all care
ful obedience, nnd It was no great while
before they set out, mnklng so bold ns
to pass onco moro by her own prlvnto
kitchen. For Rollo had resolved to tako
possession of somo of tho silver utensils
tint ho might havo somewhat wherewith
to satisfy plunderers It they ahould chnuco
to bo stopped nnd tho nss' burdens In dan
ger of being examined too closely.
They found the silver vessels nnd pans
lying whero they hnd been plied outsldo i
tho door. Appnrcntly no ono had been
near them.
They kept wldo of tho palaco itself, how
ovcr, for though tho flro had Blackened,
nnd tho besieged only replied when ono of
their assailants Incautiously showed him
self, yot tho placo wns evidently still com
pletely besot, nnd the loaded trains of
mules nnd donkoys dopnrtlng from tho
storehouses hnd rel'caHcd many of tho
younger nnd moro adventurous gypsies who
had bought no' beast with them on which
to carry off their plundor.
At about tho samo tlmo a red glow began
to wax and wnno uncertainly nbovo tho
granaries most distant from Hollo nnd his
charge. A ruddy volumo of smoke slowly
disengaged itself from tho roofs. Win
dows winked red, and then spouted flamo.
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It waa evident that the gypsies bad Orsd
tho plundered storehouses,
Tho mnttrr happened 111 enough for Rollo
nnd tho little queen. They had to pass ln
the full glaro of tho flro through group
of gypsies assembled nbout tho great (tato
chaffering nnd disputing. But there ap
peared to Hollo nt least, n chanco of gettlmt
past unobserved, for nil seemed to lift
thoroughly occupied with tholr own busi
ness. Hollo accordingly settled tho llttl
queen deeper ln tho grent pannier nnd re
adjusted tho hay over her. H then hune
an additional pair of coppor vessels across
tho crupper, chirruped to the beast and,
went forward to faco his fato with as good
heart ns might bo within his breast.
"Whither gocst thou, brother?" cried a
volco from behind him Just when Roll
wns full between tho portals of tho great
gate.
"Brother, I go into the town to complete
my plunder." nnswered Hollo ln Homnny,
"nnd to help my kinsfolk of tho aitnno!"
"Strangely enough thou spcakost,
brother," was tho reply. "Thy tongua
is not such ns wo wanderers of the Castile
spenk ono to the other!"
Hollo lntiKhed henrtlly nt this, his hnnd
nil tho whllo gripping the pistol on Ms
thigh.
"Indeed," said be. "it wero great marvel
an' it wore. For I nm of Isrca, which is
near Ornnnda nnd, what Is morn, I am,
known thero ns n pretty fellow with mr
bands,"
"I doubt M. not," said the Castlllnn gypy.
turning nwny, "ntid.. not to speak of tho
pistol, that Is n prntty enough ploythlnis
of n toothpick which hnngs nt thy gtrdlo
brother."
As ho turned nwny cnrclcssly ho pointed
to tho long knife tho sergeant hnd given,
him and which, owing to somo mysterious
marks upon its hnndle proved on mora
than ono occasion of service to nollo.
Presently, as he was urging his donkey
to tho left nut of the silent town, ho cams
upon a knot of gypsies, who stood with
heads nil bent together, as if in ronsultn
tlon. They wero deep within the shadow
of an nrchwny a llttlo raised above tho
lovel of tho street nnd Hollo could not seo
them before he was. as It were, under their
noses. Ono of them, n great, brawny hulk
of a man. sun-blackened tn tho huo of nn
Arab of tho Hlf. struck his knuckles with
n clntig on the broken vessel which sheltered
tbo llttlo queen.
Hollo caught his breath, for It seemed
certain that tho child must cry out with
finr.
But tho llttlo maid nbodo silent.
"Ha. brother." snld this grent hulk, In
deep tones, nnd In better Homnny than tho
former had used, "thou nrt strangely mod
est in thy plundering. Hny nnd strnw.
brass kettles nnd tin skillets my friend,
nre llko thnt ncnthcrd's clonk of thine; they
cover n inultltudo of things better worth
hnving. Whnt hnst thou under thy pot
nnd puns?"
Tho young man's often-tried fnte stood
ngaln on tiptoe. Ho knew well thnt hn wan
within n pinprick of getting hla throat cut
from ear to car. But nevertheless tho cool
hend nnd fiery heart which were the hlnh-
rlght of Hollo Illnlr once moro brought him
through. Ho Instantly Inld his hnnd unon
i,lu mttn i,r,,n i ,
""J"1"" hand o and half drew It from Ita
. icnincrn slienth.
"I would hnvo you know, sir." ho cried
In nn Incensed tone, "that I am Rutz Ell
croca of Lorca, own sister's son to Jose
Mnrla of Honda, who gave mo this knife,
ns you may seo by tho handle. I nm not to
bo Imposed upon by cut-purses nnd bullies
no, not though ns tho dovll on a saint's
day."
Tho huge fellow foil back n step, with a
sort of mockery of alarm, beforo Hollo's
vehemence. For he had advanced into tha
mlddlo of tho hlghwny, so as to bar tho
path by tho moro bulk of his body. He ap
peared bettor satisfied, however, though by
no means Intimidated.
"Well," ho growled, "you nro n cockerol
off n good dunghill, If things bo as you say.
At nil events you crow not thnt unhand
somely. Hut whither go you In thnt direc
tion? You nro woll Inden ns to your shoul
ders, my young friend. That plate looks
ne If might bo silver. I warrant It would
melt down Into n hundred good duros with
tho double plllnr upon ench of them. You
do not want for moro. Turn nnd go another
wny. The hermitage Is yot to bo tapped
nnd I wnrrnnt that monks' roost hath good
Htorc of cuch llko gold and silver both.
That wo clnlm ours, remember.
"And, sir, what do you expect one man
to do?" cried Rollo. "Can I take and rob
tho nrmcd and defended rctrcnt of tho
frlnrs? I wnrrnnt they havo cither burled
tholr pinto In n safo plnco or havo kopt a
sufficient guard thoro to protect It even
as they have up yonder. Hark to them!"
(To ho Continued.)
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Washington Star: "And how Is my old
Bchool friend Blmson getting on?" said tho
man who had roturncd to Ills native city
after n long absence.
"Oh, bo's doing flrst-rnto."
"Hut bp was such n bright boy wo always
expected ho would display especial ability."
"Woll, I don't know that ho hasn't dis
played especial ability."
"I never hear him mentioned In connec
tion with any of your elections,"
"No; that's Just tho point. Ho has shown
ability to go nhend quietly nnd build up
11 business. Ho doesn't hnvo to run for
ofllco."
on.ultntlnn I'rre. Trrntmout by saftll,
(,'nll or alilr. til) , 14th St.
dub. auAni.ua a suahles. dmui.