Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

. et Fes wr = 8 a or ad ne hia Ps , - is ‘2 > _ The next morning Rosita saw him from a distance and turned her back. Her man- ner was sullen and angry and George real- ized that she had found Manoel asleep on her return to the house. She had seen through his ruse and was furious. Worried at the premonition of impending disaster, George retired to his hut. He crawled into his hammock and tried to get some sleep. He suffered from a slight fever and the sight of food nauseated him. “ Come on, my dear friend,” urged Dr. Ribiera about mid-day. “ This will do you good! See, they’ve sent us a stew of rice and chicken from the ranch house.” But George shook his head and the doc- tor mixed him up something from his med- - icine case instead. Dr. Ribiera smacked his lips over the unusual luxury of chicken and rice stewed with peppers, and ate greedily. In an hour he was dead. The end had come so suddenly, a violent attack of cramps followed by convulsions of the final agony, that George did not have time to call for assistance. He stared at his friend’s body with horror. Suspicion—more than suspicion, a cer- tainty of what had happened, dawned upon him. Picking up the dish with the remains of the chicken stew he threw it into the court- yard and instantly dogs were fighting over the bones. The largest and greediest of the curs was the one who first showed the re- sults. Even as George watched him, the gaunt and mangy hound commenced to dis- play symptoms of uneasiness. He ran about in a staggering trot, snapping and staring blindly, and presently collapsing in a heap, he was seized with a spasmodic con- traction of the muscles that ended in a death struggle. “ Poisoned!” As George gasped the ter- rible word, horrified at the death which had been planned for himself and his friend, he saw a strange figure in the door- way of the ranch house. A man dressed in neatly pressed white garments was a unique figure in the jungle. Even Dr. Ribiera and George had been un- ble to keep themselves presentable. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. se As the stranger emerged from the shadow _ of the doorway, approaching George’s hut _ with deliberate heavy steps, his features be- — came recognizable. It was Pedro Valdez! George strode out to meet him with his fists clenched. Valdez whistled over his shoulder and Manoel appeared followed by © Rosita. She was arrayed in umaccus- ‘tomed finery, evidently in honor of the master’s visit. George faced the group with blazing eyes. “You murderers!” he screamed. “ You cowards! You assassins! You’ve poisoned Dr. Ribiera!” ““What’s all this?” Pedro turned to his half brother with raised eyebrows and anger in his voice. Manoel shrugged. “ He’s crazy. I don’t know what he’s talking about!” Only Rosita shrank, cowering from Pe- dro’s stare. “Don’t deny it,” cried George. ‘“ The doctor is in the hut. Dead! He ate the food you sent him! I fed the scraps to a dog. Look!” He pointed an accusing fin- ger at the hound that lay lifeless in the © sun. The politician glared at his brother. “What kind of tricks have you been up to?” snarled Pedro. “ It is unfortunate that the doctor should have perished—but I could overlook that. He was unimpor- tant. But this man!” He flashed an evil smile in George’s direction. ‘He has been © reserved for a special punishment.” Valdez faced George with a triumphant sneer. ‘“‘ How do you like it here on my plantation, eh? So far it has been good, but wait. First you will be flogged. Then you will be worked like a slave and every week you will receive another flogging. ‘“‘ And that is not all. Your dear friend Guy Dalby has gone to New York to tell the police you are here. You will be ex- ecuted! Bound to a chair and tortured by electricity according to the law of your bar- barous country. How do you like that?” George was aghast at the plot devised by Guy Dalby and Pedro Valdez. His tor- mentor turned to Manoel and continued: ~ But fT told you that. vou. sarld work this