The Argosy, Vol. 61, No. 4 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

586 one of your colleges. To be explicit, I graduated from a college in what is called Fordham, in the city of New York. I learned to love your country and your people. A greater hospitality and love of justice I have never seen than I saW there. ““As soon as I met Innors in the prison, and heard his story, I knew there was more trouble to come. And it did come. Weeping, inconsolable, his wife and daughter were brought in as prison- ers—for what? For telling the alcalde that the United States would protect the husband and father. Monstrous! Yet that was not, of course, the true reason. The true reason was that Magnuz and Fonseca wanted to get them in their power. ‘“Miss Nellie told me of you. The girl sincerely and_fondly loves you. Be assured of that. What? I have proof. Had I not learned that you were here, I would have sent this to you by post.” ‘This remarkable and friendly padre then drew from beneath his cassock a sealed letter, which he handed to me. ‘Read it,” he said. “But,” I exclaimed, “this is ad- dressed to me at the address of the West Coast Company in New York. How did you know my name was Ford?” ‘Tove is a true artist,” he replied. ‘“Miss Innors described you to me fully, and I was sure I made no mistake.” I opened the letter. It was short, and rather hysterical, reading: DEAR Bos: Papa is in prison condemned to be shot. Mama and I are also in prison because we dared remonstrate with the judge who sentenced papa. There are two men here named Magnuz and Fon- seca, who ruined the works at Estalona, and now wish to force mama and me into a marriage with them. It is too horrible to think of. Mama has a fainting spell every little while. I am ‘sending this by a good priest, who graduated from a New York college. Can’t you in some way manage to res- cue us? I shall go mad if papa and mama both die. I shall die too. Help us for God’s sake. ‘Read it,” I said to the padre. “T have already read it. I read it before it was sealed.” THE ARGOSY. “Tell me, my excellent friend, after receiving my thanks for what you have already done, what you can about the governor and his method of travel. About where would he be now? How many men has he with him?” ‘“You must remember,” replied the padre, “that this is not the real gov- ernor of the department. That person- age was compelled to go to Spain for his health, and a deputy, or acting gov- ernor, was appointed for the interim. He is a Zambo. As such, he does not need a large escort, for the majority of the population are Zambos. “ He is traveling in the saddle from town to town, ostensibly studying im- provements and the need of them. As a matter of fact, the trip is nothing more than a prolonged debauch. I suppose he has a dozen men with him.” “Would an order from this acting governor be obeyed at the prison?” ‘“ Assuredly. He has the same power and authority as the real governor.” ‘Then I will bring an order to release the prisoner, or I will let my bones dry in the jungle. Will you carry my mes- sage to Mrs. Innors and Nellie?” ‘This very day.” He clasped my hand warmly, uttered a blessing, and in a moment was riding slowly back toward Choluteca with his head bent and a-book or rosary in his hands. ‘Well!’ exclaimed Wakler. a man for you!” ‘We'll sleep at Estalona to-night, feed and rest our horses, and start to- morrow to meet this Zambo,” I said, and we rode on. ‘ That’s CHAPTER VI. OFF ON A DESPERATE MISSION. ProBABLY I was tired out. Perhaps the fact that I slept in the house that was once the home of Nellie Innors had something to do with it. At any rate, I slept ‘with remarkable soundness. When I did awake, the morning sun was streaming in through the broken windows, and with it came a most appe- tizing savor. I walked out to where Wakler was working over a fire. EO OO