The Argosy, August 1905 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

<Pive thousand I” eee the Vir- _ ginian for the third time. It was necessary that time be given in whieh to make his preparations, and except by counting the prisoner had no means of reckoning time. Five min- utes would seem to him an hour. Did he ask too soon that a priest be sent to him, Haddon would not be at the stone house to respond,’and the only oppor- tunity would have been thrown away. The impatient voice of the Mexican sounded behind the Virginian. “Come, senor, others are waiting.” Haddon stepped to the ground, pushed those nearest roughly aside, and elbowed his way through the crowd. On its outskirts Sergeant Bradley and the horses were waiting. Beside the latter the first Mexican was standing. “The sefor is satisfied?” he asked. “ Yes,” answered Haddon coldly; “I have seen sufficient.” “And the senors desire to cecupy my brother's cellar? ” * Begone, you fool! ” said Haddon an- erily. “ Do you then imagine Mexican officers desire to sleep in a cellar? ” He made a significant gesture. The citizen of Chaleo cast a frightened glance at the frowning face above him, turned and disappeared. “We have got rid of that fellow; now it is time to act,” said Haddon sharply, and turned his horse’s head away from the direction of the stone house. CHAPTER VIII. THH LMON -00 D4 AR. Tue old stone house near the center of Chalco, the old Chaleo, was divided into two sections by a narrow hall which ran completely through the building. On either side of this passageway opened the rooms on the lower floor of the building. For generations the place _ had been used as a prison, or something worse, and the condition of the rooms left much to be desired. When Santa Anna’s army moved ies nil ooenpied, Chalce,” certain. of yamine a the ty LO at 2> Ney ve b ere > - 7 ee 0 7 ‘ Y) UW) Paine’ es wih the ‘Hes of turning it into a habi- ation The examination made them decide iS otherwise. It was one thing to fight te the hated invaders from across the Rio Grande, but quite another to begin hos- tilities with the rats and yermin which held the ancient prison with a strong hand. So it happened that, except for a few slovenly recruits, the honse was un- _ inhabited. These recruits spent their time wandering about the town, rob- bing and browbeating the citizens. Only the guard and the man who was condemned to die at sunrise oecupied the gray stone building. The former passed his time lolling on the door- step, consuming innumerable cigarettes. ‘here was no fear the prisoner would 2 walk out and make off; the iron ring in : the wall had done its office too long to a yield to the struggles of one miserable le American. Sufficient it was that, once each hour, the Mexican soldier opened the door of the prisoner’s room and looked in. The man inside was always in the same position—his back to the wall, his eyes closed, his white, strained face turned toward the barred window. It was during one of these hourly PY. visits to his charge that the guard found the man looking toward the door. Heretofore, for hours, he had failed to exhibit any signs of life or interest. The . soldier stood upon the threshold and stared. He removed the cigarette from F between his lips and blew a cloud of smoke into the ill-smelling room. “ Perhaps the—the sefor desires some % water? ” The soldier was from the south, be- yond the city of Mexico. He was moun- tain bred, and there was in his heart a spark of pity. Yet he spoke almost in a whisper, for it would not do for ihe leering crowd outside to know he had offered the prisoner anything. ; The American motioned the man. to come nearer. “I desire only that a priest be sent to oy me,” said he in a faint yoiee and in : broken Spanish. we The Tore ores | in Sear ~~, 4a >” ae ? comicbooks.com