Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1918 — RAINBOW'S END [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RAINBOW'S END

By REX BEACH

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SYNOPSIS, CHAPTER I— Don Esteban Varona, a Enhan planter, possesses a great treasure oarcL Tnls wealth has been hidden in « well on the estate by Sebastian, a slave, and only he and his master know the seBFdt cache. Don Esteban’s wife dies at the birth of twins, Esteban and Rosa, Pon Esteban marries the avaricious Donna Isabel, who knows there is hidden treasure and tries to wring the secret from Sebastian. When the slave refuses she tries to hurt him by having Evangelina, his laughter, whom he loves dearly and who ■ the special servant of the twins, sold.

CHAPTER ll—Through Donna Isabel’s Scheming Don Esteban risks Evangelina at cards and loses. Crazed by the loss of pls daughter, Sebastian kills Don Esteban and himself. CHAPTER Hl—Many years Donna Isa- 1 M searched for the hidden wealth of the Ean she had married. A few years later she seeks to marry Rosa to the rich Don Mario, but Rosa Is promised to O Reilly, EM American, and awaits his return from ■ew York, whence he has gone to break FIJ his engagement to his employers daughter. Esteban Is secretly aiding the fnsurrectos. CHAPTER IV—Donna Isabel Is at the toebcy of Panchd Cueto, her unscrupulous administrator, who knows the deeds to the plantation are lost with the treasure. One night she walks in her sleep and meets her death In the treasure well. Esteban and Rosa are forced to flee when Cueto denounces them as rebels. 1 CHAPTER V—Rosa writes to O’Reilly Of their plight and urges him to come and save her. CHAPTER Vl—O’Reilly soon lands In Cuba, but finds he will have hard work fro reach Rosa, as communication witn OUS. r CHAPTER vn— O’Reilly meets Lesjle Branch, newspaper man, who Is a victim of tuberculosis, and they plan a way to join the Insurrectos together. CHAPTER VIII—In the meantime Cueto plans to lead Cobo, a Spanish colonel of volunteers, execrated for his cruelty, to the hiding place of Esteban and Rosa. CHAPTER IX—Cobo and his men capture Rosa, but she is immediately rescued by Esteban, and Cobo Is Injured in the fight. O’Reilly plans to reach the Ingurrectos by the aid of Doctor Alvarado, a friend of the Cuban cause. CHAPTER X— O’Reilly is about lo reach the Insurrectos, but his plans miscarry. He and Leslie Branch are arrested and sent back to America. Esteban tells Rosa of the coming of General Weyler to “pacify” the island. CHAPTER Xl—Esteban raids Cueto’s home and kills him, but Spanish troops eome up and Esteban escapes badly 'wounded. He does not reach home. With Esteban missing, Rosa, Evangelina and her husband, Asensio, with whom Rosa has been staying, give up hope and go Into a Spanish concentration camp. CHAPTER XII—In New York O’Reilly plans a filibustering expedition to Cuba and Is offered assistance by Norlne Evans, a wealthy girl, who insists on financing the venture and going along as a nurse. Soon the expedition starts for Cuba in a small tramp steamer. CHAPTER XIII—The filibusters land in Cuba and O’Reilly learns of Esteban and Rosa. Norine begins her duties as nurse. Rose, in Matanzas, visits her old home, which is in ruins. CHAPTER XIV—In a raid Esteban, dangerously 111, Is rescued from a Spanish prispn by O’Reilly and the Cubans. ' CHAPTER XV—Esteban tells O’Reilly he believes the treasure is hidden in the well on the plantation. O’Reilly learns Ithe town in which Rosa is held prisoner sand determines to go to her. ’ CHAPTER Jacket, a Cubap boy, O’Reilly starts out determined to save Rosa. After many trials they enter Matanzas, the City of Death.

t As' he’ breasted the summit of La Cumbre, O’Reilly beheld at some distance a bent figure of want. It was a negro woman, grubbing in the ear,th with a sharpened stick. After & suspicious scrutiny of him she resumed her digging. Nothing but a heap of stones and plaster remained of the Var-ona home. The grounds, once beautiful even when neglected as in Donna Isabel’s time, were now a scene df total desolation. A few orange trees, to be sure, remained standing, and although they were cool and green to look at, they carried no fruit and the odor of their blooms was a trial and a mockery to the hungry visitor. The evidences of Cueto’s vandalism affected O’Reilly deeply; they brought him memories more painful than he had anticipated. . Although the place was well-nigh unrecognizable, nevertheless it cried aloud of Rosa, and the unhappy lover could barely control the emotions it awakened. It Was indeed a morbid impulse which

had Brought him thither, but now that he was here he eould not leave. Unconsciously his feet turned toward the ancient quarry which had formed the sunken garden —his and Rosa’s trystIng place. O’Reilly desired above all things to be alone at this moment, and so,he was annoyed to discover that another person was before him—a woman, evidently some miserable paciflco like himself. She, too, appteared to be looking for roots, and he almost stumbled over her as he brushed through the guava bushes fringing the depression. His sudden appearance alarmed the creature and site struggled, panic* itricken, out of his path. Her rags :ould not qpneeal the fact that she was leformed, -that hep back was crooked, io he muttered a reassuring word to ler. This place was more as he had left :t —there was the stone bench where le had said good-tny to Rosa; yonder vas the well — “SenorJ” Johnnie heard himself adIressed by the hwtshbacked woman. Her voice was thin, tremulous, eager,

but his though* we busy and ha paid no heed. Wfaror! Do you look for something—some one—” “N-no. Yes —’* Ke-answered, abstractedly. “Yes, I vh looking for something, —some “Something yOwSfeve lest?” “Something I hfrtf lost!” The question came to hiUißMptiy, but it was so in tune with It* meod that it affected hMb HeCfound that his ’’eyes" were Wjfrriidg and thak an aching lump Wed into his throat. This was the breaking point. O’Reilly’s hearing, too, was going wrong, for he imagined that some one whispered his name. God 1 , This place was not dead —it was alive —terribly alive with memories, voices, a presence unseen yet real. He laid hold of the nearest bush to steady himself, he closed his eyes, only to hear his name spoken louder. “O’Rall-ye I” Johnnie brushed the tears from his lashes. He turned, he listened, but there was no one to be seen, no one, that is, except the dusk £ cripple, who had straightened herself and was facing him, poised uncertainly. He looked at her a second time, then the world began to sfiln dizzily and he groped his way toward hep. He peered again, closer, for everything before his eyes was swimming.

The woman. wist .thin—little more tljan a fyail that ■tijr Wind her, 'but/aer face, uplifted WW BJrt» glorfced. O’Reilly faring athSr unsfi she piA eycS, then he voiced a "RosaJ” WR 4 more he said he nevei*knew. . > . lie tbok figure into his arms, ,*Wses upon the pinched, .*&• But Bosa ilWAjpt rcSjSBrW etiengfh had adfiQgffigjfe firert in? his 'emBrae?;, Mpme'tk/e could eqUf hi of, tV^ s "®Or iaent, and did Wim te th tu» meil.c J.ay, Sbaagasslo*a Wn* < •f dtllnwa, IrW ** Pear finaftj .Mm tp Ms Cses t for fie tha - t E<l^a

left her ttothrißed. Quickly he bore her to the bench and laid her upon it. After a time she smiled up into bls eyes and her words were scarcely more than a murmur 1 “God heard my prayers and sent yon to me.” “Rosa 1 You are ill, you are weak—* Her eyelids fluttered. “I am dying, O’Rail-ye. I only waited to see you.” “No, no I” In agony he gathered her once more into his arms. “Oh, yes!” Her bloodless fingers touched his face again, then his thin, worn rags. “You, too, have suffered. How came you to be so poor and hungry, O’Rail-ye?” “I’m not poor, I’m rich. See!” He jingled the coins In his pocket. “That’s ’ money; money for you. sweetheart. It \ will buy you food and medicine, it will j make you strong again. Rosa, dear. I have looked for you so long, so long—" His voice broke wretchedly and he bowed his head. “I—l was afraid—” “I waited as long as I had strength to wait,” she told him. “It is too bad you eame so late.” Once again she lapsed Into the lethargy of utter weakness, whereupon he fell to stroking her hands, calling upon her to come back to him. He was be- ’ side himself now; a terrible feeling of impotence and despair overcame him. Hearing someone speak, he raised his eyes and discovered at his side that figure of want which he had seen dig- ’ glng on the slope below. It was Evan-1 gellna. The negress was little more' than skin and bones, her eyes were I bleared and yellow and sunken, her face had grown apelike, but he recognized her and she him. “You are the American,” she declared. “You are Rosa’s man.” “Yes. But what Is wrong with her? Look ! She is 111—” “She Is often like that. It is the hunger. We have nothing to eat, senor. I, too, am ill—dying; and Asensio— oh, you don’t know how they have made us suffer.”

“We must get Rosa home. Where do you live?” Evangelina turned her death’s head toward the city. “Down yonder. But whatls the use? There is no food in our house and Rosa is afraid of those wagons. You know —the ones with the corpses. She bade me bring her here to die.” The girl was not wholly unconscious it seemed, for she stirred and murmured faintly: “Those wagons! Don’t let them put me in there with the other dead. They pile the bodies high—•” A weak shudder convulsed her. O’Reilly beat lower, and in a strong, determined voice cried: “You are not going to die. I have money for food. Rouse yourself, Rosa, rouse yourself.” “She prayed for you every night,” the negress volunteered. “Such faith! Such trust! She never doubted that you would come and find her. Sometimes she cried, but that was because of her brother. Esteban, you know, is Yes, dead, like all the rest.” “Esteban is not dead,” O’Reilly asserted. “He Is alive. Rosa, do you

hear that? Esteban is alive and well. I left him with Gomez in the Orient. I have ceme to take you to him?” “Esteban 'alive? Ha l You are loot-

tag fas.” Evangelina wagged her heftd wisely. “We know better than that.” “I tell yon he Is alive,” O’Reilly Insisted. He heard Jacket calling to him at that moment, so. he hallooed to the boy; then when the latter had arrived, he explained briefly, witlgiut allowing Jacket time in which to express his amazement: “Our search is over; we have found them. But they won’t believe that Esteban is alive. Tell them the truth.” “Yes. he Is alive. We found him rotting in a prison and we rescued him,” Jacket corroborated. He stared curiously at the recumbent fiflgure on the bench, then at O’Reilly. He puckered his lips and gave vent to a low whistle of amazement. “So. This is your pretty one, eh? I— She — Well, I don’t think much of her. But then, you are not so handsome yourself, are you?” Evangelina seemed to be stupid, a trifle touched, perhaps, from suffering, for she laid a skinny claw upon O’Reilly’s shoulder and warned him earnestly: "Look out for Cobo. You have heard about him, eh? Well, he is the cause of all our misery. He hunted us from place to place, and it was for him that I put that hump on her back. Understand me, she is straight—straight and pretty enough for any American. Her skin is like milk, too, and her hair—sfae used to pus flowers In it for you. and then we would play games. But you never came. You will make allowances for her looks, will you not?” “Poor Rosa! You two poor creatures !” O’Reilly choked; he hid his face upon his sweetheart’s breast. Rosa responded; her fingers caressed him and she sighed contentedly. O’Reilly’s ascent of the hill had been

slow, but his descent was infinitely slower, for Rosa was so feeble that she could help herself but little and he lacked the strength to carry her far at a time. Finally, however, they reached the wretched hovel where Asensio lay. then leaving her there, Johnnie sped on alone Into the city. He returned soon with several small bundles concealed about his person, ' and with Evangelina’s help he set ' about preparing food. Neither Rosn nor the two negroe? had any appetite—their hunger had long since passed the point at which they were conscious of it —and O’Reilly was compelled to force them to eat. When he had given them all that he ‘ dared he offered what food was left • to Jacket. j The boy moistened his lips and his I fingers twitched, but he shook his head. | “Oh. I’m not so hungry,” he declared, indifferently. “I have, a friend In the • market place: I will go down there ' and stead a fish from him.” O’Reilly putted him on the shoulder, saying: "You are a good kid, and you understand, don’t you? These sick people need more food than we can buy for them, so we will have to draw lour belts tight.” . “Of course. Eating is a habit, anyhow. and. we men know how to get along without it. I will manage to find something for you and me, for I’m a prodigious thief. I can .«teal the hair from a man’s head when I try.” With a nod he set off to find his benefactor’s supper. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

A Woman, Evidently Some Miserable Pacifico [?] Himself.

“Esteban Is Not Dead," O’Reilly Asserted.