Log Cabin Library: The Queen of the Canons — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

=> — . 4 Lae Paes 7 ga 1 eer ohare ( . Oy »- ah S; ew 2 . Sahn a > : tg RPGS ~\ * a a a 4 + nae > %& ~ a8 a le ke CaS o 4 af \ ts ~ SS ee en —_——s os ol ian Os & > — ‘ . ne oe : © P ~ ie ta — » . 3) 7 gr ~f of your Juan.” _ ‘She gravely concealed the vial in the folds of her pretty / €ostume. “J shall do so to-night, when | senor.” “Do so; and be careful to throw away the empty vial outside of the house. Above all, be secret. Good-night.” She turned toward the house, and then came running back to him for another kiss and another embrace, just as a little child would have done. “Oh, my beautiful Juan, how I love you! “There, there, my angel! Now run along.” t He followed her soon afterward, uncgnscious of a dark es figure that lurked behind him like a shadow amid the trees. He retired to rest that night with much confidence in the success of his murderous scheme, for he had had another interview with Anita, who had assured him that She would keep good faith with him. And then he slept soundly and refreshingly, for the bad can do so when they are thoroughly bad. Bertie had retired from the sick-chamber, and Anita had taken her place. Markham rested feverishly upon a lounge near the open window, upon the earthen sill of which were several vials containing the medicines he was in ‘the habit of taking, and a pitcber of water, with a glass, | » It was about nine o’clock when, soon after Anita taking -her place at his side, he awoke from a fitful sleep, and asked for a drink of water. '~ She had not time to prepare the drug that had been given her by Juan, so she* supplied a glass of pure water. Then, as he sank into another doze, she emptied the contents of the vial into the glass, filled 1t with water, and awaited a similar request, throwing the empty vial. as far out of the window as she could. She then resumed her seat and waited, and in waiting fell asleep herself. There was one who had watched her every movement from without the walls of the corral; for, there being a light in the room, everything that she did at the window was easily discernible from a considerable distance. Suddenly the figure of a man—a strange and uncouth figure—bounded over the lofty wall, and landed on the sandy ground ot the inclosure with but little sound. He crouched in the shadow of the wall until assured that he had not been observed by any of the peon senti- nels. Then he began to crawl up the side of the house directly below the window, a feat rather easily accom- plished by a strong and active man, owing to the erumbling and irregular nature of the wall. Had the unprincipled little Anita been awake to see the head which at this moment arose above the window ledge, she would doubtless have imagined it to belong to a traditionally disagreeable personage, and been frightened out of the few wits she possessed. Baa 4 But the head only belonged to Jingo Josh. He silently ' emptied the glass, refilled it with fresh water, and re- - turned to the ground as he had ascended from it. ps Another bound and he was outside of the corral. The next morning Juan Camargo awaited the develop- ments of events with feverish impatience. H | every moment to hear that the invalid had undérgone a relapse and was either dead or dying. But he was by no means gratified. In fact, he was struck dumb with amazement, just before breakfast, by — ol e I am to sit with him, 9? = CE A 9 RS ae nae ern Semi tn ad ett ND Ey aa it Alan Tin yA. tenner ee _ on fom) + - o—<— ~ ~ eee im ae — -- -—‘himself walking forth, supported by Bertie on one side and Anita on the other. “Good-morning, Cousin Juan,” said Bertie, malicious smile, “are yov not glad? Captain Markham is so refreshed that he is coming down stairs to breakfast with us.” + Concealing his real feelings as well as he could, - — ae 7 oti. ‘ = eye opportunity cast a furious look at little Anita, who cowered beneath it like a stricken insect. “ Perfidious little wretch !” he exclaimed, as soon as he a b nd 4 er ie ee ~ ame ‘ 2 ee ee 2 P, Fx ~ «f a ae yal be cute 5 «" of +. ore =<" Fad on ies: ff a as bs "£3 Ld -- . AFSL eg —.* os —_ ae? ~ LILIES SO ENNIS A a . amaages. ets TAS : ce ae ea Mata le — — x Bs ss. ee of ee ~~ te ae . 2 ad - i j D> s = = 2 2 eS Pi > ‘me, and you will have won the undying love and gratitude could get her alone in the c. There !. He expected | seeing the door of the sick-chamber open, and the invalid | man, what can you mean 2” with a/it had been frustrated. Camargo offered his congratulations, which were re-| Texan,” said he, “for he has a lurking devil in his every eteived with considerable complacency, and at the first lineament; but little Anita—I can scarcely believe it. a. CS SUP é ~ OS ao « x » . * - —- —_—e - . LT ‘xx { ‘~~ ot ; 2s Pa e y” fe « < : ¢ = ss ~ —-= — Pte ae - a . _- = Tad Ee —) ss e — . 4 ee a. Se 2 > tea ee si Te a : “. < ee ; ‘ “ 4 they! “pus 4. — ” tat. Ka *. “\. Pp tas pe ai iat ie ‘ : F iD. d , ss é 2. s + ~ 4! ie +6 , . wey > oy nd. i = ey <<. le Pao? = er, A he Se a Me Oe / >. q en Ss) =~ joa ; “ . eT ne Py oe) Se . . = ; . . ° eo ~~ ‘ ' a IwW.O <9 aval; “JI. might have — ( r . ~ af ~ ~ be EN E> a ‘4 as - '< r . tet .a* known better than to trust you.” peat Pee SO Anita threw herself at his feet, and in an agony Of ee earnestness swore by all the saints in her limited calendar that she had obeyed his instruction to the letter. | a ae al ‘“Obeved them!” he exclaimed; “why that potion I | Berdans gave you was sufficient to throw twenty men into the Bee. slumber of death. I once tried the same stuff on a person at however, that’s neither here nor there.” | Anita could only renew her protestations, and so strongly that he was forced to believe her. She related how she had prepared the poison in the glass of water, =e and then gone to sleep; how she was awakened by another ae request for water on the part of the invalid; how she SES er gave him that which she had prepared for him. “eS ‘ “Did he remark nothing peculiar in the taste of the ag ae water ?” ee v ee ‘No, no, senor; he said, ‘Thank you, Anita,’ as he al- ways does, and went to sleep again.” “He would certainly have noticed a peculiarity,” said Camargo, rather speaking to himself. “The water must have been changed. By whom?” This reflection was by no means a pleasant one, for it in- volved the disagreeable supposition, or rather fact, that the dastardly attempt was known by some one else, by whom it had been frustrated. It could not be Bertie. No; had she known cf it; the ? first impulse of her bold and frank spirit would have — prompted her to charge him with it on the spot. It could not be Mrs. Hornett. No; she never entered the sick-room, and could not have acted asa spy upon Anita. Besides, Mrs. Hornett was his friend. Who then? | After racking his brains in vain with this question, Camargo dissipated his pique a little by terrifying Anita, and pretending that he was greatly displeased with her. ut he speedily made friends with her again, as it was very probable he would require her services in the future, and Anita, moreover, knew a little too much already to render it safe to discard her. Juan put the best face upon the new aspect of affairs. He even affected friendship for Markham, and as the lat- ter rapidly advanced in convalescence, exerted himself to amuse him as well as Bertie. But it soon became evident that the young officer must quit the house for his camp. ; On the morning that Markham had signified his inten- tion to depart, he and Bertie strolled toward the chaparral on the banks of the river to make their farewells and they were not interfered with. On their return to the house, one of Markham’s soldiers led his horse across the corral, saddled and bridled. A few moments later, as, followed by his sergeant, he | was about dashing into the ford of the Rio Virgin, a ery ~~ arrested him, and he paused as he saw Jingo Josh ap- ie proach. Iss “Thank you again and again, my good fellow,” he said, in reply to the exuberant congratulations with which the Black Scout greeted his recovery. - “But I is bout to ask yer fur a word in privatorium, = =, cap’n,” said Josh, with a mysterious look. ‘*Certainly.” “Den massa,” said Josh, as the sergeant rode out of hearing, “I is gwine fur to tell yer dat it am a queer chance as you am sittin’ dat hoss at dis ere peesent mo- mentum, fur dere ain’t many ob sick folks as manages 5 | fur to ’scape pizen.”’ “Poison !” exclaimed the officer, in amazement. “Why, Then to his utter astonishment, Jingo Josh told him in detail about the dastardly attempt to poison him, and how Markham was aghast at his narrow escape, and at the same time filled with indignation and alarm at the treachery of Camargo and the little Anita. 3 “TI am not so surprised at anything from that rascally I have reason to believe that she loves her mistress, who treats her more like a friend than a servant.” “So she do lub Mistis Bertie, cap’n,” gaid_ Josh, lifting a qe “~ =] =~ “| ee 7 ad — “ ps Bly“, om =. e . Aioed el Ta AO © Fe i te. Se ee f o Fe me ae ~~ ~ t= —- eS : “4 . we en a a ore “an A Say mes Fe ~} e “ -— s an ~ twa a ed aw eee —-