Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

192 When his name was called, he stood while the charge was read: “ Taking up arms against the duly constituted government.” There was no defense to be offered. He had been captured on the battle-field, fight- ing aS a commissioned officer in the army oi rebellion. When the question was put to him he could only plead, ‘“‘ Guilty.” ‘As a lesson to those who may be tempted to follow the example set by such men as you,” pronounced Flores, ‘I sen- tence you to be flogged to death in the patio of the cuartel.”” Turning to the officer in charge he added: “ Let the execution take place at sunrise to-morrow.” It happened so swiftly that Larry did not sense the full import of the words until he felt himself being seized on either side by guards and started toward a cell. The whole examination had not lasted ten min- utes. Surely, there must be some awful mistake. They could not mean to impose such a terrible sentence as this! At worst he had expected to face a firing squad; but not a death so horrible. Placed in solitary confinement, he was left to his own thoughts. No furniture of any kind appeared in the damp stone cham- ber, which was unlighted except for the barred opening in the heavy door for the passing in of food, and through which the guards peeped at intervals. Night was com- ing on. It had been sunset when he was led from the room where the trial was con- ducted. A few minutes more, and he was in that darkness which comes with dramatic suddenness in the tropics. Throughout the night he paced unceas- ingly the narrow confines of the cell, while the thought of the cruel whips caused his flesh to cringe—at times even made his heart stop beating. At last the utter hope- lessness of despair seized him. ‘There could be no escape. No one would ever know what manner of death he died, for such things as this were not made public. It would be given out that he had been ex- ecuted. Months later his people would hear that he had lost his life. There would be inquiries, verification, a consular report showing that he had forfeited his citizen- ship, and then—oblivion. Well, perhaps it was better so. Even ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, with this awful fate closing down upon him, he was not sorry he had to die as a soldier in a lost cause. It was better than the way he had been headed. What was it Joe had told him? ‘“ You may meet with death, Larry, but itll be a clean death, and if you stay here yer soul ’ll rot.” Yes, it was better this way. But this particular mode of death—how he had recoiled in horror at the bare recital of its cruelty! Fragments of those tales flashed through his mind now—“ took an hour to kill him ”—‘ over five hundred lashes ”—“‘ tried to kill himself by pound- ing his head on the stone floor.” What would Lucille think, if she ever found out? Would she care? He could only remember her as his boyhood sweet- heart now. How long ago it seemed! He might as well let himself go and think of her all he wanted to while he could. How could she have forgotten so soon? Oh, there must have been some terrible mistake about it all. Why hadn’t she returned his letters, if she didn’t want to answer them? Again a great question came into his mind— ‘‘had she received them?” But she must have. So many couldn’t have just gone astray unless some one was keep- ing them from her. But who would have done that? Her father wouldn’t. Charlie Brandon had allowed them to be engaged, why should he try to make trouble after he came away to earn enough to marry Lucille on? His mother had written that Brandon had gone broke since then himself, and the family had moved away. ‘The next word was that Lucille was to marry a rich old gink. Just that meager news, repeated as a rumor. His mother hadn’t known that he and Lucille had gone as far as an en- gagement, or she might have secured some details. And month afterward came just another touch—Lucille was reported to have taken a business position. Rumors, frag- mentary, contradictory, maddening; and the one outstanding fact of Lucille’s own silence and indifference. It was all wrong. His whole life had been wrong. He had never intended to do the vicious things he had. Why was it they had thrust themselves upon him? 2A GOMIIGIOO SS (C@) nn