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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1901)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, POETLAMD, NOVEMBER 3, 190L ,3r r. thrilling mtm tT,B4$E mm TliE wouking or the TWM Sim DEBTOR prison r V (Copyright, 1301. hy Dodd, Mead & Co.) CHAPTER I. - ." The lady sat at "the open, window of her lodging jln iCing street, Covent Gar den. It was a lodging' over a print shop, the sign -of which a -stiver quill, argent in gules dangled from the front of the house and creaked in the wind. The fronj room where she sat and lived commanded a fine -view of the street; the back room In which she slept overlooked the church jard of SL Paul's, whore funerals all day long inclined the heart to wholesome, meditation. Both in the front and at the back there was apparent to the senses the neighborhood of the market; since the time was late June and the season was warm and fine, one perceived in the mingled. waxes of fragrance the crushed strawberry of yesterday; the de cayed oherry of last week; the trampled peas and broken lettuce loaves; the pun gent Spring onion, last year's russets, the cabbage stalks, which lay In heaps and all the things which are offered for sale In that great market. It is not, taken al together, an exhilarating fragrance;, but the residents of King street are accus tomed to it; they have it with them all the j ear round at every season; they no more complain, of it than the people near Billingsgate complain of the smell of fish which hangs forever In the air. The lady was a widow quite a young widow; not more than four and twenty the weeds which spoke of her condition were so modified, so to speak, as to be token a w ldowhood of two years, at least; they signified hy their shape, by the man ner of wearing them, by some feminine cunning Which would be difficult to ex plainyet it was to be discerned by an artful touch invisible yet perceptible by the hand which pats the bow and smooths the strings and Introduces some small change Into the form, a confession of Christian resignation; perhaps, also, though this, be sure, the widow would never allow she was herself unconscious THE FIREBRAND (Copyright 1001. by S. R. Crockett) CHAPTER !XLIX. (CtinUhufcd ) It was enough more than enough. From Sarrla to Espluga, In "Francole, Concha raged through the villages like fire thrdugh TSummer grass. The Abbey--be friars, the accumulated treasure of centuries, the power of pit and gallows, of servitude and holy office all these were to end on the 20th of the month. Mean time, a man was being tortured, done to death by ghouls a friend bf El Barrla, a friend of Jose Maria nay. feavlbr of two Queens, and the beloved of Generals and Prime Ministers! Would they help to save him? Ah, would they not! Other rumors came up, thick and rank as toadstools on dead wood. There was sUch an one of the village of Esplena, such an other of Camptllo ln the nether Francoll they refused the friars this and tfte other! Well, did they not enter the monastery walls, never to be heard of more? Given the ignorant prejudices of -villagers, the hopes of plunder awakehed by a lawless time and uncertain government Concha, a prophetess, volleying threats and prophesyings, and what wonder Is It that ln an hoar or two a band or 1000 men was pouting through the gates of the great abbey clambering over the tiles and with fierce outcries diving down to the deepest cellars. But froln gateway to gateway not a brother was found. All had been warned In time. All had de parted, whither no man knew. El Sarrla. hy his reputation for desper ate courage, for A while kept the mob from deeds of violence and spoliation. But still Rollo was not found. Concha, pale of face and with deep cir cles uhder her eyes, ran this way and that her fingers bleeding and bruised. In her despair sh flung herself upon one obstacle after another, calling for thjs door and that to he forced. And strong men followed and did her will wlthbut halt or hesitation. But of all others it was the 'cool, prac tical John Mortimer who hit upon the trail. He remembered how on their first visit to Montblanch, Rollo himself, at a certain place, near the dobr ot the strong room in which the relics were kept, and declared that he heard a Bound like a groan. And there ln that very place Concha was driven wild by hearing she knew not whence the voice of her love. It seemed to her that he called her name. Meh ran Tor crowbars and for ham tners. The floor was forced up by mere strength ot arm. The dislodging tft'a heavy stbne gave access to an under ground passage, and men swarmed clown one after the other. El Sarrla leading the wayr a bar of iron like a weaver's beam in his hand. The searchers found themselves in a strange place. -The vaulting which they had broken through so rudely enabled them to scramble downward through great beams and wheels to a raised plat form covered with moth-eaten black. The groaning which Concha had heard was silent, but El Sarrla held up his hand for silence, they could hear something scuttling away along the dark passages like rats behind a wainscot Without regarding for the moment something vuguo and indefinite which lay stretched out on a strange mechan ism of wood, El Barrla darted like a sleuth-hound on the trail up one bJ tha passages into which he had seen af fugi tive disappear. It was no long chase. The ipUrsued doubled tq the right under .a 4ow arch way. The passage opened suddenly upon a kind of a gallery, one side of which was supported On pillars and looked out up&n the great gulf of air ahd space On the verge of which the monastery was built The quarry .came into -view as they reaohedjthe sunlight dazzled and blinking a smallish, lithe man, running and dodging with terror In'ihe eyes' of "him. ;i r f" 'of It the .tSng'waslgdue to her dress1 maker thatfaCthhf sn was, at last, in cllned the Ind sometimes works uncon"- ouiuupiy una iikb awiicn is umy snowii to be at work "by the breathing, which In the engine of time is a ticking to con sider dispassionately, and critically, yet with a certain sympathy any overtures which might fcfe made should such pre- sent themselves of entering again flponM tho married state, which Is consecrated by Holy Churoh, yet denounced by poet and satirist, as offering fewer prizes than the state lottery., v This morning, however, her face -hehed her dress. Thece was no look of VenOs In If; there was no softness of possible love. Her face comely and attractive, j of the soft kind; her cheek like a peach; her eyes large, Uinpld and full of soft sunshine, was now disturbed and jan gled, like a harpsichord out of tune, with anxiety and doubt. It was full of care, and care has no business with such a face; it was full of trouble,, and trouble" Wa's-an emotion for which that face was not Intended bj na ture; her lips trembled, and they ought to have smiled; her cheek, which should -have remained soft and touched with the tender hue of the wild rose ln June, changed color as her thoughts went wanaenng nere ana mere, ana always came back to the same point. Whatever that was, the tears gushed out and rolled down her cheek. Had there been any joung man present of reasonable feeling for the sex he would have cast himself at her feet, crying aloud that her face was made for happiness, n,nd that he would himself, at any cost take upon himself, with no other hope of reward than to see her once more freed from trouble, all her cares, her anxieties ana the consequences, If any, ot her lollies, If there had been follies; or of her mis fortunes, if there had 1een misfortunes. On her table lay two or three open letters. She glanced at them from time But he was no match for hla pursuer, and before he had gained the end ot the gal lery the giant's hand closed Upon the heck of his enemy. Then Luis Ferhandez, knowing his hour, screamed like a rabbit taRe In a snare. And through -the manifold corridors of the abbey and up from underground rang the dread word "Torture!" "They hae been torturing him to death in their accursed prisons. Kill! Kill! Death to the friars wherever found!" For the blind mouths of downtrodden villagers, long dumb, had at last found a tongue. Ramon Garcia looked once only into the face Which glared Up at him. In that glance Luis Fernahdet read his fate. Without a word of ahger or any fcound El -Sarrla walked to the nearest open ar cade'of the gallery and threw his enemy over with ohe hand, with the contemptu ous geture ot a man who flings carrion to the dogs. Luis Fernandez tell 00 feet clear ana scarce Knew that he had been hurt J "God grant us all as merciful a. death' J pried Concha, "little did he deserve It" j They untied Rollo from the trestle work Of the rack which the miller of Sar i ria had UseS to gratify his reVen&e. At first he could hot stand on his feet. Hla hands trembled like aspen leavust and he had perforce to clt down and lean his head t against Concha's shoulder. "Nay, do not weep, little one, he said. "I am not hurt YbU came In time.. But there he smiled) another turn of ' that Wheel and I would haVe told them all." Meanwhile the hammers Were clanging. At the sight of Rollo' pale, drawn face, the populace w entwUd. Their mad clam, or rose to he&Ven. All that nlftht the I great abbey of ilountblahch, with Its j garniture ot stall and chapel, ceVvcn reredos and painted picture, went blazing to the kleE. j At such times men knew no half meafe- Iures, drew no line distinctions. For, espe cially In -Spain, revolution Were never yet rtected with a spray ot rosewater. The i great order or "Our L&dy of Mbuhtblanch, which had endured a thousand years perished in one day for the vengeance of Luis Fernandez and the madness ot the priest Ahselmo. But in the sacristy of a little chapel by the gate, safe frohl the spoilers' hand, but lit irregularly by the burstifig flames, and to which the wild cries of the Icono clasts penetrated. Concha sat nursing Rollo. From, time to time he Wbuld doze off, awaking with a start to hnd his hand clasped, ln that of his betrothed. Her ear was cry hear his lips, and when he wandered she soothed him with .the tender croonlngs of mother over afelck child, moaning and cooing over him with in articulate love, her hands a hundred times lifted to caress him, hut ever fluttering aside lest they should awake the beloved from, his repose. "Who Is it" he said once, -more .clearly that! usual. VPt with nm fpmnltw nt foBr j in his eyes very pitiful to see. "it ts I concha, Ah, how sort how tender at such times a woman's voice can be. The wind in the barley, the dove calling her mate, the distant murmur of a sheltered sea neso j are not one half so sweet The angels' l voices about the throne thev are not is 1 human. Children's voices at play they have known ho sorrow, no an. They are nbt isb divine. "It is 1-Concha." "Ah beloved do not leave me they may come again." "They cannot They are dead." Keen as the clafeh of rapiers triumphant as trumpets sounding the charge, rarig the voice that waa earetwblle sb soft so ten der. 'Avl the same, do not leae me! I need you, Conchai" , , , t ,Who wNJula have htelievecl that thls-swltt ana resolute R61loTithls''fitebrand,adveh- fcto time, not as if to derive consolation or .hope from their utterances, "but as if (JytCfcliear their reproaches; as if she could nccaoose dul -ook upon tnem. jine lei tors were. In truth, accusing voices; they accused the ladv, yet not in words, of folJes anfl extravagances; they "warned Tier; too late of -what may happen to a -woman left early In lire without a guide and counsellor; a woman who un derstands nothing It is a common fail ing with women of the simple rules of compound addition and subtraction, and therefore goes on spending without com prehension of what her expenditure .means until the day comes when she finds herself at the 'endof her fortune. -and with no means apparent of paying for her food and dress and lodging. These letters showed her that she wa$ that "" B.",p?l.r,.,,rf-... S 7f?.r?Z2I a?L.or '"I yr, is eii uosutuia, ann oas no irienus ; who will pay I'it her. The end of such a woman is clear; she must tube shelter in a prison, where in a short tlmg the manner, the language, the ores, the thoughts of the polite world drop off from the residents, and hey all become plunged i i.i ii i.i . , ........ ' SKSTZTa those temples which, outside, raise mettM and women to a higher level. If fclltorness and self-reproach and hu miliation are the Wholesome correctives for the eoul, ven thougfa the come too JatB to save from open shame, then, in Qeed, Isabel 'VVeyiand IuIb morning was taking a sovereign remedy against X Jtnow" hob haw many plaguey disorders and dis eases of the soul, auch as vanity, self conceit, complacency, pride of family, pride of rank, the self-respect which is -akin to arrogance, and -the Whole in numerable tribe of cognate ailments. The street below was crowded with I people; au ay long and most or tne night there Is a full and flowing tide of human life honing up and flown the street, which iK hot, however, ode of the most fashlonabte resorts oc London. ln Ule morning, rrom 6 o ciock until noon. there are neoole of the market, tin. oor- ters-who carry baskets on their heads, the barrows filled with fruit and vegetables, which are carried away to be hawked- 1 aoout tne streets or tne city ana suour&s; after noon there are the people who walk on the piazza, a crowd of . weft-dressed People, yet not like the heaux of the park; they are country people, members of Parliament, lawyers, actors of Drury Lane and Covent Garden, poet? and wits; In the evening they are the people who frequent the coffee-houses, the taverns and the gnmlng tables; later on they are the people who take supper after the play and drink In tho night houpes among the ribald company of the place. No sooner have the rakes gonfe away to bed that the market people begin again, so that the whole four and twenty hours, there Is ln King street a continual flocking of people to Covent garden and a continued noise of footsteps, voices, barrows, drays atid carts, with the fre quent fights of hackney coachmen, chair men and the porters of the market. The lady looked out upon the street. The beaux walked delicately, their cloud ed canes hanging from their ruffled wrists; the porters carried baskets of kfrult upon their heads, rudely pushing their way within the posts; the street criers, in never-enaing procession, oawiea their wares fruit from, the market, fish 'from. Billingsgate; herbs for medicines; laces, gingerbread, needles and pins, matches, rabbits poultry, baskets, knives to grind and kettles to mend; and the A Story BttfeknaMMMMSoMtfi turer of OUrs, w'ould have been brought so low or so high. But his words were bet ter than all sweet elnglng $h the ears of Concha Cabezos. She" clasped his hand tightly and smiled She would have spoken, but could not, ' "Ah, I knew that would not leave me," he murmured, turning a little toward her. Ut was foolish to ask." Then he was silent ror a nioment ahd as Bhe settled his head more easily on an extemporized pillow, he glanced toward the olosed shutters of the little sacristy. "When will the morning come?" he asked, wearily. ( Fbr answer Concha threw open the dbbr and the new-rlen sun shoWh upoh his pale fate. "The morning Is here," she said, with all the glory of it in her eyes. CHAPTER L. ThU3 ended the princely abbey and Its Inmates. And bo It stands Unt& this day, a desolation of charred beams, dedecratcd altars, fir4scarred walls, roofless and o'ergrown, to witness it I lle4 Time that scarcely yet set Its least finger-mark upon It Under the White-hot Southern sun, and ln that dry, Uplahd air, Montblanch may remain with scarce a change for mahy a hundred years. Bzquerra's ham mer strokes are plain on the stones. The crowbar holes wherewith Sarrla drove out the fiagstohes. over the torture chamber once called the place of the holy office these any man may see Who chooses to Journey thither On mule back, jolting tar tana, or by the pl&ih Song offlcfe of heel ami toe. As to the brethren they had had, thanks to Rollo Blair, due and sufficient warning. They had mounted their white mules and ridden over the mountains Into France, by a secret way long Bettled upon hnd laid With trlendly relays of food ana equip age. Only the Father Confessor, the gloomy and fanatlo Anselmo, was found dead in his bed, whether from excitement of re viving his ancient functions of Inquisitor In chief, or from poison self-admlnlstered, was never rightly known or indeed In quired Into. Men had other things to think of in those dais. On the day which followed the great spoliation, a man limped painfully and slowly along the ravine beneath the still smouldering turrets and gabies of Mont blanch. Thirty yards or so beneath hltn he saw a congregation; of vultures, the national and kUthorlzed Scavengers of Spain. So thickly dld.theae Unholy fowls cluster that the man, being evidently cUrioua, w!aB compelled to throw several stofaes among them before he cbuld Induce them to move that ho might catch a glimpse- of their quarry. Then havlm? made his observation, he said: "Ah, brother Luis, you that were! So clever and despised poor Tomas, giving him ever the' rfiUgh word and the bitter Jest "hath hot that same poor Tomas the best of it how? He at least shall not bb meat Jar Vultures yet awhile. Ko, he will drink "many a good draught yet that Is. When he hath sold the freehold bf the mill and disposed of any outlying properties that are. lert Luis liked red wine, t liked White add aguardiente. Ha. ha, Luis will neve? again taste the flavor of the Val de'l PenaS he was so fond of and the more will he lft fOr Tomaa." He stood Nand meditated awhile. Then he struck hla- pockets lugubriously. "1 Wish I had a cup of good aguardiente now," he mutteredi Anon his face brightened as he looked 1 dt the dark object among the vulture folk. "carambai i nave it it win neip me over a dltticulty. Brother Luis' pockets were 'always Well lined The blifds have no need bf golden .ounces, "nor do they arry' 6ff silver ddros. Besides, this IS the key to the strong box hidden In the ravine. Ah! -I 5-emember that he carried It about his neck. These, can do no good now toXuls, or Indeedfor the matter .of,, that to "any vulture alive.' It were brily hackney coach rattled'over the stones; the brewer's dray, Vrith its casks of beer, dragged heavily, grunting -and groaning; ladles with dingle-dump hoops; fans.hang. lng from their arms, and little caps tied modestly under their chins, slowly walked along the plazxa where ,they would meet their gallants; old gentlemen, their age betrayed by the shaky knees, stqpped in front of the fruit shops, of which there are many in King street. The lady's Christian name was Isabel. Her surname was Weyland. She was, the widow of the late Honorable Ronald "Weyland, only brother of the Earl of Stratherrlck, In the Scottish Peerage, and Sll?0! for his wife, when still no more than six and twenty: This 'bereavement fell unoh her- three years .before the morning when re flnfiB? in Klnr itreet She hid been UvWthe life of ft lad of oUal tV and .-,..,. L,1.,.,. .wri-i -..:... i.j XtUiUVM, tuwiuui UUIUViCUl UiCUUO, IU1U iivt present difficulties were,. the result. Sea looked down upon the dSir. de- llghtfUI epitome of the town; Bhe looked but -stoet -paid small attention: ft Uhe no ucea we moving panqraraa at aii it was . . . ..v r. -.lV ,. ..,...' -..,. Dmv to tisk. -cerseii wiin a. smKina neari. lolwould'be before the sight of this tree and chei?fui Wte, this tontem- platiun of tho world In action whiroh fills the young with longing, Insplreii man hood and makes old age forget lis cares would be flhall1 lbued to her "by the shutting of a door in imagination she 1 heard; it slams and thfe turning ol a. Key In a lock in Tier mind she" heard Its-harsh grating. The thought tt this poiBlblUty trahBforthed the crowd below Mr; they wero no longer cbmmon people, nretendera of, fashion,, -deml reps; they bfecame glori fied; happy beyohd all xpres$lon) vi able beyond all woW6. "Truth to say the current 6f lire In King street la a turild stream dt best; there are dens and pur lieus about Covent Garden of which men do not speak to women; which womh, even with other women, profess not to know either by name or by legation." But to Isabel, this morning, ths street be came a iparkllng brook, bright and trans parent prattling over pebbles, in compare tott with the murky (stagnation ot tne prison which awaited her. .For, indeed,, the hour had at last ar rived; lhelme certain to those who live beyond their me.aps when the Catchpoie threatened and the Bailiff murmured, and the creditor, a truculent and relentless perspii held out his hand and saldr "Pay me? X will Wait no longer. Pay mo! or 21ba" "Oh!" she groaned, 'I have been a tool. Heavens! "What a fool 1 have bean!" She had, mdeed, yet at such a crisis in her affairs,, eslf -reproach helped her not A way had to be found some way any way of borrowing, of raising moneys ot prolonging credit; some way else her creditors she shuddered and trembled. , She might wilte to them, she might call upon them and plead with them. If they woUld forbear, sTin w6uld, perhaps, at some future time but she had no security to offer. If they would not forbear, if they took such revenge as was in their poWer she would .never be able to pay them. Alas! She -frus herself the daugh ter vt a city merchant; eh knew what was thpught, and sald of the debtor who would hot or could hot pay his deb tip; she know the rage, the thirst for re venue, that fills the brea&t of th,t- trades man who finds that he has made a bad debt. "Why. his business, his profits, his livelihood all depend upon the payment of debts; nothing can be -Invented or al lowed hy the law which can be too bad for the defaulting debtor; the prisons are AlMnM)Mda of the Early Carlist Uprising'. kind and fraternal to take such things for a keepsake. I ever loved Luis. He wag my faVorlte brother." So saying, Don Toia& descended slowly to the body for indeed he had bem rough ly used hy the mob before they brought hint to El Sarrla, that tl outlaw might do with him aa With his brother For they wanted to see the sight. The vul tures, slowly and reluctantly, withdrew Ott heavily flapping pinions. "Ah,'' meditated lmas, as he went placidly about his grUesotae iuslhess, "what a. flhe thing It Is to be klloWtt for a man quiet and harmless. For Ramon Garcia said to me, with a wave of his hand, 'tfhere Is the door. Get through It hastily, and let nie see yoUr face no more.' Then to the robber crew he saldt 'Without his brother, sehOW, this fellow 18 a serpent without the fahgk, harm less as a blade of grass ambhg the stones which the goats nibble as they wag their beards.' " So after a pause this moat resectable man finished his tafk and Went his way, Jingling full pockets ana pleasing hlhtaeif with Jmcdltatloha Upon the abiding use fulness ot a good character and of being ln all things blameless; hUrable and a man of peace. There dwells an old peasant now at Montblanch. who will guide yoU oVer the place tof a real, and sn& you the place hafore the great altar Where Ramon Gar cia, sometimes Sailed El Sarrla, cast him self down Then he shows you where the Abbot stood, when he stopped the pursuit of the outlaws, to his own ultlmlito undo ing. ' 4,Ycs. Excellency," he says in a voice like green frogs' iioaklhg ln the Spring, "t?Ue It is as the sermons preached last Easter Day. For these dim old eyes saw It also the chamber of the relics I will show you, and tho cloisters with the gFavfe ot the Father Confessbr Aflselmo." Last of all but this will Cost another real ahd Is Worth the money) the peas ant guide shbws you the place of the hoiy office. That black stain against the wall is where thy hurht the last rack in Spain. Qne or two great wooden wheels, with scarce a spoke remaining, loom up. Imag ined rather than seen, in. the dusky shad ows above. "his. way along a passageCtake. care of ydul: honorable head), hnd I VlU show yotUhe window ftbm Which L1ili$ Fprnan aefc was cast fbrth like tho eVll beast he was!" "And was anything ever heard .there after ot the Prior, or the'BrethrenV' you ask, Itfoklng ground 6n alt the Wasted splendor. ' The old man shakes his head, bht there is something ih h& ey whloh, it ybu aH wise, cabies ydu to4 slip him. -aplee Of silver. - "Nothing more," he ssysi uoi thing!" Thfem iboklng about hira cautiously, he adds: -'But upbn a certain eyeklftg near to the tltoe ot sundown there loame one all clad In poor garments bf leather, Vorn and frayed. He w6fe a broad, hat, and we names oi. many uuij yiavc;x weic uui oh his staff altogether sUbh a wander ing pilgrim the man was aa you may see at any fair ln Spain. "And very humbly the penlbht asked oermlEslbn of me to view tfitf inilna. So j knowing him for a pilgrim ad thinking that perchance- he,deslred to say a prayer berpre the great altar (and? also because I had ho irreat exnectattbns bf a sift). I j let him go Ms way, unattended and so out of my yegetabla garden A Jlttl after sunset to close the great gate. SUch being the order bf the t30vernor of the, province, Who pays Sne- a. yearly stipend tf duros it is. nml Very littler but iiep-ehdUpoh generous charity of those who, i like your excellency, come hlther)ell, aa I say, coming out of. my pottage -garden, I re jnemberjpd ot thiapllgrim. U went in "search ot him, ahd l&l'he stoojl weeping full of pjor wretches who would pay if they could: but belnk locked Up and for bidden termor, -erjnot rpay; sh$,knw. tnat aa appeaxrxo tne; mercy tr nercrea (tora would only harden thercJThearfB. While lfr would humiliate her;TBthno,r-sult-v , - " She thought of flight hut w higher? And when her slender stock waa gone, what would she do next? Aud again she clasped her hands and wailed, MAlaa! I haVo bVert a fool! What & fool I havkheenl" She took Up ono of tha letters -and read it again, although she knew It by heaft. The first was from a draper on Ludgate Hill. "Why,'1 ahe moaned, "I have been a customer of the man ever since I was a widow. Yet he threatens me!" It was true that oho had ordere'd many things of him and had paid for most; but then she hnd not paid for the last things, which were costly. And now he had written to her, with wofds unmis takable. "Madam: I beg respectfully to call your immediate attentlbn to the very largo account now standing, unpaid In my bookc. I find that It la now nothing lesa than 93 5s lid. I must, therefore, most re luctantly request you to discharge this debt at once. I Cannot believe that the Widow of the- late Hon. Rolahd Weyland and the sister-in-law of Lord Strathmore Us unable to pay a bill of S5 only. In deed, my own position forbids me to wait I have, therefore, to inform yqu that if within 24 hours, I db not receive the mon ey in full 2 must takjs the uaUal steps and lfeauo a Writ. In that case the money must be paid in full, wjh costs, and im mediately. It It is hot paid I shall have to Instruct my attorney to proceed as the law pennlte and directs. "Madam. I cannot believe that a lady who has dealt with me for so long and1 Uhtil this year with no difficulty about payment will' fall to meet her just liabili ties. I could, In ordinary circumstances, wait your pleasure, but at the present mumeui ray posuwn is surious, ana -l khoW not iKat may happen to me unless this money iSfcpald. I have the honor to remain madam, your most obedient-and humble servant. - "JOSEPH 'FULTON." "When Bhe had read this letter thfough lor tho tenth time, she laid It dowh upon the table and. with her chin In her hand, she fell Into another meditation of a most Unpleasant naihre. Bhe waa interrupted hy the sscrVaht of the house, who came to tell her that Mr. Fultbn Wad IJelow and begged the honpf of speech with her.. 3?he writer oftle letter followed the moid upstairs and enteredwlthout fur ther Ceremony. He was a man of ehort stature and of appearance displeasing. Although he was dressed as a citizen of substance and posltjgiv his "lace was marked by intemperance; his short neck lay in folds over his lace cravat; his cheeks Were red and swollen; his noso was painted these are all indications of strong drink. Moreover, hl& voice was thick and his shoulders unsteady, as If, which was Indeed the case, he had re cently come from a-tavern. It Is not un common for a respectable citizen to show signs of drjnlc in tne evening perhaps ln the afternoon; but It is not (happllj) usual fbr a man of business to' betray his indulgence In the morning. "Madam," he said, "I came to ask it you have received my letter?" "Sir, I have received It I havd read It. Here It Is on my table " "Ahd what, madam, may I ask, Is your answer'" , "My answer, my answer Mr. Fulton, 1 have, hot yet thought f the answer. The letter only arrived this morning. Per haps ln a month or two-" "No, madam, by yoUr leave. Not a mouth or two but a day or two. "Permit me to remind you, Mr. Fulton, that when I ordered those things, one of the reasons which persuaded me to take them Was ybur assurance that I should be allowed six months" Credit " "I do not remember any such assur ance," he replied boldly. "Cbme, Mr. Fulton, I think If you rack In the place where the Abbot's great chair had been. "Then looked I in his face ahd all at once I knew him. It was Don Baltasar Varela of a surety, the last Abbot ot him as well as I knew my old dame. Montblanch. Kef many ears I had known And through his tears he also knew that I knew him. So he said presently! 'Re- veal not that I came thither, and I will give thee this together with my bless ing!' And with one hnnd he gave me a golden ounce worth 60 pesetas and more in these bad times. And with the other, as I kneeled down (for I am a good Chris tian), he bestowed upon me his episcopal blessing with two fingers, outstretched, being, as ybu remember, a bishop as weil as an abbot! "Then after he had stood awhile and the shn was quite gone down, Baltasar Varela, Abbot of Montblanch the last they say of 84, Went out Into the darkness,' weeping very bitterly." In another southern province far from the vlllago of Sarrla there is a white house with sentinels before it They do hot j slouch as they walk nor lean bentbacked against a pillar when nobody is looking, as 13 tho wont of Spanish Sentries else WhSrfe. It Is the house of the Governor of the once turbulent Province of Va lencia. The Governor is ono General J .Hiair, JJUR6 of c&eteuon del Mar anu nat J ted grandee of Spain, hut he is khown from MUrcla oven to Tarragona as "Don Hollo." For he has cleared the southern countries Of Carllsts, and put down tho i Red Republicans of Valencia ahd Caf j tagena With Jovial good humor, breaking their heads affectioh&tely with his stout oak staff when they rioted. They had been accustomed to be shot in batches, and rather resented the change at first as re floating oA their seriousness. However, they haVe grown to understand the fire 1 brand General and to like him. Usually they favor him with a private message a day or two before they Intend to make a revolution. Whereupon Rollo goes him self into the woods and cuts himself a new stick of satisfactory proportions. i In this manner he has survived an abdl , cation, twd dictatorships and a restora tion with the undiminished credit, holding j his province easily and asking from Mad rid neither reinforcements of soldiers nor of, money. I His" wife Is hot receiving today, but ln English fashion there are a few friends who drop ln for dinner, habitues of the house, beloved comrades of Don Rollo's, with whom for the Senora concha is tho bid Concha still) hb wife flirts a little, chats a great deal ahd gives them the best advice, In return for boundless admi' ration and delight In her beauty and wit 'Dolores," she says to a friend who has arrived and sits patiently folding her lit tle hands on a sofa, 'It was pretty of you to dome in such a lovely gown just to please these poor Old bachelors. Here, Etlenne, hold the baby, and be ure not to drnp him, sir. There what did I tell you? You have made him cry! Monster Well, he shall be sent aWay sweetest pet, that he shall! He is & buffalo of the marlama, a tiger of the jungle, an bgre out ot a storybook that he is, sweetest! There. La Gifalda. take the darling away! Oh. and give him but stay-I Will come, too. else the little villain may howl till midnight" She continues to talk quickly as she goes to the door. "What a V6icef-just like his father's when ho Is ln the place of arms and the men do not please him; There, sweetest Bhegoes behind the curjtaln), there!" And. contented, the young man stills that parade voice 6f Mb Into gentle mur murhitfs like those ot a bee within the bell of a flower. ' ' Presently- a tall young man- comes strid ing Jh, Jn a plain, uniform-.. with the atarred shoulder straps of sth,e Wghest rank.' Befund" him is" a oroad-chested. your brains a little you will remember that -promise of six months credit, of which only six weeks .have expired. vMyJS'gfie started and turned pale For thera asJT5'V8lri ."'55 X .5?rt JJSfeSSM credit. I want that credit, fehdTJteuit have It" "Madany ad regards that promise? his voice grow4hlck "I cannot remember it How, then, can I allow it?" .J "Slty th$ ladya temper b-gan to rise, "I,percelve that you do not Intend to re member that promisor I have, tbereorg, nothing more to say I have no aiawer to give. You will do What you please. But I demand that credit." The man's manner changed. He be came suddenly cringing, and, he tried to be persuasive. He leaned over the table and essayed a smile which became a fixed grin. "adam," he said, "I am most unwilling to press you. But my own affairs " 'Your ow'h affairs, sir? "My own affairs, madam." He hesi tated and epoko at random. "Thoy are in confusion I know not what may hap pen, in, fine, I am urgently in want or the money.' "Can h. substantial citizen of Ludgate Hill be In urgent want of 95?" "You mistake, madam." He rose up With dignity "Every man ln business Is sometimes pressed. It Is not the- amount; it is the occasion " "I must tako the credit you promised I am sorry for your position." "As for my position, it s more, than assured. I am a citizen, a- freeman 'Of the Drapers Company; my affairs are on a large scale. I am considered as the equal of any merchant" he assured her, with swelling words and looks. "I must take that credit,' she per sisted. "Madam," his face became purple; "J must have- that money." Ho banged the. table with Ills fist. "I say that I must have that money," Now here the lady made a great and grievous mistake, for she ought to have referred the question to her attorney; there was nothing unusual ln a credit of elx months, and what was mora Impor tant, the debt would have been found on examination to be due to the man's cred itors and not to himself. For, Instead of being a prosperous tradesman, as he as soited, he was nothing better than a man of straw, who Intended to get this money for himself and to defraud his creditors. Tne man, ln a word, might threaten, but he could do nothing. This, however, the lady did ont know. "Go," she said. "You may do what you please." The man hesitated. Tho lady pointed to the door. Her face and manner were hard and unbending. "You will take the consequences," he sald:" "Go!" Again she pointed to the door. "You will take the consequences of robbing yes, of robbing a substantial city merchant Madam, a 'substantial " The lady rose. He said no more, but vanished. She sank back Into, her chair. "Ol" she groaned again. "What a fool! "What a fopl t ha'vaJjeen!' She took up the second letter. It was from her dressmaker, a certain Mrs. Bry mer, and was much shorter, yet to the same effect. "Madam: i am most sbny to trouble you or any of my customers. I can Walt, as a rule, for a long time, but your bill Is now, I find, upward of 70; this Is too lafge a bill to run on any longer. The necessities of my business compel me to ask for payment aa soon as Is conve nient to yourself. It Is with the greatest reluctance that I press you for payment Suffer me to call upon you tomorrow about noon. "We may, perhaps, find moans to adjust this difficulty quietly and Without trouble. I assure you that I have assisted mahy ladles to get through diffi culties and at the same time to pay me their liabilities. I remain, madam, with much respect, your obedient servant, "PATTY BRYMER." The letter Is not threatening like- tho Other," Isabel murmured, "but I know the woman. She Is very resolute. I am more afraid of her than Of the man, Ful- I lll llll ! fcllMMlMI deep-bearded veteran, his chest blazing with decorations. The younger man, whose hair gives promise of early threads of gray, enters with swift Impetuosity, dashing a chance servitor out of the way and opening the inner door as If a gust Of wind had been rioting through the corridor. "Where Is Concha?" he cries, as soon as he enters. "Here!" replies a voice, a little muffled. It Is true, from a neighboring room. "No stay where you are! I shall he back ln a moment." "Ah, Etlenne John, how are you' Have they glVeh you any breakfast? Etlenne, any more loves? There aro four pretty girls ln the Plaza Vlllarasa. I saw them on the balcony, as I rode through with the Sagunto regiment the other daj " "Trust him for that!" comes the voice from behind the curtain. "My Lord Duke,'' says Etlonne, In a master'ar-cercmonles Vblce, "sb long as I am permitted dally to gaze upon the beauty of your Incomparable wife, how can this heart turn from that to the ad miration of any meaner object?" "What nonsense Is he talklhg now?" asks Concha, returning demurely. "I know at least three girls of this City of Valencia who have the best reasons for expecting M. de Saint Pierre to make pro posals for the hondr of their hands. But What can jou expect ot such a wretch ' "Well, Master Etlenne," says Rollo, "you will now have a chance to forget Mlstrera Concha and make some fair Cas tlllan happy. For I must send you im mediately with these dlspatchee to Madrid. You will stay a Week and return with the answers. That will give sueh a lady-killer ample time t& bring matters to a head with the most hard-hearted of the senor ltce of the capital." "Ah," sighs Etlenne, kissing a hand to I Concha, as he appeared to taKo nis leave, "your husband wrongs me. He who hath so much, misjudges cno who have so lit tle. Truly, I shall soon be ablo to say, turning about the old catch: My soul Is lit Valencia, My body Is In Madrid! "Well. John, this Is great seeing," said Rollo, when Etlenne had departed to see about horses and an escort, "what In the world has brought ybu hither? Surely your father cannot want you to make Another 1000 In order that you may have the right to attend his twirling spindles from 8.10 every morning to 6:30 every night?" "Oh, I am a partner now," Mortimer answer, "even though my father Insisted upon pocketing every penny of the profit on the Abbot's prlorato. Strict man of business, my father' He said It Would teach me In the future to be spry about getting my goods shipped. And when I explained, he only said that What had been possible for him here in England, sit ting at fease In his armchair, ought to have beon possible for me, on the spot, and with money ln myv pocket." "And What did joU do?" asked Rollo, smiling. "Well, at any rate, I struck him for a commission on having secured the order, and the convent onions were good for the rest So now I am a partner In the firm with a good quarter Interest i "And whatNare you doing here? More onions?" laughed h!o friend. John blushed a6d looked down at the carpet. They had a carpet at the Gov J emors house though ln her heart Con- 1 cha always wanted to have It up when! any one came, lest they should .tread J npon It torf Ant1 1t1t ''Via nn in T think you spdlled me a bit for staying at j home, fo? mill hours and that sort of thing. So now I am to be foreign agent and buyers I've ,been taking lessons ln the language, and If you can put any business In my, way I shall be glad." ton "What will she say when I confess hV'whole to her2" wi a step on the suir-the step on the stair the sound of a st&y. may be a sound of terror to a debtor. TBhert was tnfe ste& of her dressmaker H&e creditor who -was going to call at 12. what shouM sne come for, but to otg, to accuse, and to threaten? A tap at thfe door, -and her visitor turned the handleaq(J came in. It was, in fact none ofhfr than the dressmaker, MrsBrymr,author of the short epistle you have heard. ., Isabel half rose, aha gasped out certain -words than meant nothing; she sank hack ln her chair, sick, and faint with terror. She had neverv bef oro beon -dunned, and sho kneW not wha!t her creditors' could tdo Tile woman was plalnfy dressed.. She was a little woman, and now old Her face was lined and seamed wlt,h a thou sand crow's feet It was the faco .of a woman muoh occupied with affairs, shrewdvand. hard. It was also stamped with the wisdom that comes to some women by experience and affairs She looked very wise, and as inscrutable as an oracle. Sho stood in tha deor for a minute, looking with curiosity at her customer, as if she would learn the whole truth from her face Then she advanced a step, closed the door softly and rapped the table, not threateningly, but softly, with her knUcklos. ''Well, madam?" she said. Mrs. Weyland Inclined her head. She could not speak. "I am very sorry, madam, to be Im portunate" "If you can give me time" Mrs. Brymer everybody knows her shop In Monmouth street therek. is no moro celebrated dressmaker In the, whole of London smiled quietly. There was no appearance of threatening about the wo man; sho was not unchll or disrespect ful, but her face expressed her resolu tloh she was come to get her money. "You ask for time, madam. Truly, I would give you with pleasure as much time as you please all the time there is If you can show me how much the bet ter you would be. If you had It or how much bettor I should bo. Take time, madam, if you please, but It Is not Un reasonable to ask what security you have to offer ln case I give you time " "No, it 13 not unreasonable. And jet and yet OI Mrs. Brymer, what answer am I to make?" Sho began to cry again. Mrs. Brymer took a chair and planted it opposite to her customer Then she sat down firmly and with resolution. "Now," she said, "I have come for an explanation and a confession'" "A confession?" Mrs- Weyland made a show of sitting upright with indignation. "Madam, I know a few things, but not all. I know that you aro ruined, you have lost, I believe, the whole ot tho fortune that your husband left you It was 4000 at the card table; you are ln debt to others beside mself; If you can not pay what you owe but indeed, I am sure that you know the terrible alterna tive." "Mrs. Brymor," Isabel replied, with some dignity, "If jou know all this, there Is no necessity for you to rehear&o It; nor is there any necessity for me to confess my affairs to you." "They are my own affairs. Your lady ship owes me the sum of 90 with some shillings and pence. I can no more af ford to lose this money than you can afford to pay It" "Then, I do not understand" "Madam, I will bo plain with ou. Let me know exactry the state of jour af fairs, and I may be able to help you, but on conditions. "The only help I want Is money or time, and that ou cannot give me." "There are other ways besides finding money or time. Let mo remind you ladyship that If you do not get help, ar I cannot pay your debts, the end is cer tain. You can, therefore, do no harm to your affairs by lotting me know the truth, and you may find It to your advantage. My reason for offering to help you Is nothing in theworld but to get payment of my claim " I (To Be Continued ) By S. R. CROCKETT. AutHor of 1 "The SticKit Minister." I Rollo took him to the window by the arm. "Do jou see those fellows?' he de manded. As he spoke he pointed to a. detail of the wiry little Valenclan soldiers, In their white undress blouses and bragas. "Now, John," he went on, "I can't get stuff hero that won't tear the first tltie they do the goose step or even sneeSe ex tra hard. The contractors are thlees, every man Jack. What can you do for me? I have 20,000 of these fellows and lots more coming on, down ln the huertas and rice fields." "Heavens," cried John Mortimer, ' this Is an order, Indeed. Walt! I will let you know my best possible in a moment" And he pulled out a notebook crammed with figures. "I can give you very good terms, In deed," he said, after a moment Conch jumped to hfer feet and clapped her hands. "Oh," she cried joyously, "and I know Senor de Mendla, the head of the custom. And. O Rollo! jou and he can arrang1 all about getting it through, and all my drees stuffs as woll. It will be quite an addition to our income, if Don Juan sells you the stuff cheap." For hn Instant Rollo looked, a little in dignant, and then went up to hits wife and kissed her. "My dear," he Bald, "ou can never un derstand. We don't do those things In our country." At which John grinned incredulously. "I hae done business in Glasgow," he said suggestively. "At any rate." said Rollo, nettled, 'I don't do them." Here Concha pouted adorably and kicked a footstool with her slippered toe, which certainly was not doing her any harm. "I am sure we. are very poor," she cried, T wish that wretch. Ezquerra, whom they have made a General, had given us much more than he did. I think jou should write to him, Rollo." "Better keep In with Ezquerra," laughed the Governor; "you and I are rich enougn, Concha, and baby shall have an Ivory ring to cut his teoth upon. You shall have one hew dress a year, and there are always enough vegetables In the garden with which to toss up a salad. Oh, w'e shall live, spoilt one, we shall live!"' And he kissed her, not heeding the oth ers. "But why must we keep In with Ez querra?" said Concha, still unsatisfied. "Ho was ah executioner once." "Well," said Rollo. "the fellow has been at his old trade again, It seems. He may be dictator any dty now. They say he has ended the war In the north mur dered 14 of his own brother-generals and bought 14 of the other side. Bravo, Ez querra, I always knew he would do some thing ln the fine old style one of these dftysl But 14 at a time is epic, even" for Spain!" "And so the war Is ende'--well, that is always one good thing, anyway!" said Concha, careless of the means. "Come, Dolores, let us go and look at the babes. These people want to talk politics. They don't want us It's easy to see that'" So, taking the arm of Dolores Garcle (who had glanced once at her husband when he came In and nevor looked at him again), little Concha walked to the door sedately, as became a matron and the wife of a grandee. Then, In her old flash ing manner, she turned nbOut swiftly, ahd from her finger tips bteV the company a dainty, collective kiss. ,T10 curtain closed, leading the three men staring after her. But ln another moment It was put aside and 'Concha's pretty 'head peeped out. "Rollo," she said softly, "you can como up Whon you like when you Tiave quite finished your polltlcar-just to look at baby. He hasz-not seen ioi Bince morning! THE ENDJ. ,