Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1918 — RAINBOW'S END A NOVEL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RAINBOW'S END A NOVEL

By REX BEACH

Msmon. ojr* 7Ef/Z£2/7 772A/L * ‘THEJPOTLERS * 7XM/?r CFTXE'SMSmx: ~ COPVW&HT, BY MAPPER. AND BROTHERS. f

SYNOPSIS. ■ CTTAPTWR I—Don Esteban Varona, a .Cuban planter, possesses a great treasure board. This wealth has been hidden In <a well on the estate by Sebastian, a slave, and only he and his master know the se•ret cache. Don Esteban’s wife dies at the birth of twins, Esteban and Rosa. Bon Eateban 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 W 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 W searched for the hidden wealth of the «an she had married. A few.years later she seeks to marry Rosa to the rich* Don Mario, but Rosa is promised to ORellly, Bo American, and awaits his return from Wow York, whence he has gone to break ft? his engagement to his e ’”P l< 2 r ®V’ daughter. Esteban is secretly aiding the fnsurrectos. CHAPTER IV—Donna Isabel is at the mercy of Pancho Cueto, her unscrupulous administrator, who knows the deeds to the plantation are lost with thetreasnre. One night she walks In her sleep and meets her death *“ thetreasure well. Esteban and Rosa are forced tn flee when Cueto denounces them as rebels. CHAPTER V—Rosa writes to O’Reilly pf 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 to reach Rosa, as communication witn the Insurrectos is difficult and dangerous. I CHAPTER VH— O’Reilly meets DeslJ® Branch, newspaper man, who Is a es tuberculosis, and they plan a way to |otn the Insurrectos together. CHAPTER VTII—In the meantime Cueto plans to lead Coho, 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 Insurrectos by the aid of Doctor Alvarado, is friend of the Cuban cause. CHAPTER X—O’Reilly Is about to reach the Insurrectos, but his plans miscarry. He and Leslie Branch are arrested and sent back to America. Estetan 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 come up and Esteban escapes badly "wounded. He does not reach home. Witn 'Esteban missing, Rosa, Evangelina and her husband, Asenslo, with whom Rosa has been staying, give up hope and go into a Spanish concentration camp. CHAPTER XII—In New York O’Reillj 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 ill, Is rescued from a Spanish 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 Jthe town In which Rosa is held prisoner determines to go to her. * CHAPTER XVi—With Jacket, a Cuban iboy, O’Reilly starts out determined to teave Rosa. After many trials they enter Matanzas, the City of Death. CHAPTER XVTl—After a long searcn O’Reilly finds Rosa, 111 and but a shadow of her former self. He tells her Esteban Is not dead, and she partially recovers her health. O’Reilly determines to search for the treasure In the well on the old plantation. ’ CHAPTER XVlll—O’Reilly finds In the .well indications that he Is on the right Jtrack, but Is handicapped by weakness .due to lack of food. Colonel Cobo learns someone Is looking for the treasure, ana resolves to investigate. CHAPTER XX. • / Morin, the Fisherman. i When Rosa Varona regained conBclousness sufficiently to understand jWhat had happened she proved herself a person of no little self-control. It was she, in faet, who first voiced the tear that Cobo dead was scarcely less i menace than Cobo alive. “What are we going to do with him?” the inquired. Jacket, too, appreciated the dangers ff the situation. “We must get rid of ilm quickly,” said he, “for his men ire close by; he will be missed and

.nere Win oe a search.” ‘ “I don’t intend to make him a pres>nt of that treasure,” O’Reilly said, jrimly. “It is our only salvation.” “But how.are we going to hide him?” racket inquired. “One might as well Ty to conceal a church; oxen couldn’t ioist him out of that hole.” “Precisely! He has made our work ?asy for us. We. cap’t take more than i small part of the money with us, anyiow; the rest will have to lie here until the war is over. Well! We shall leave Cobo on guard qver what remains !” Jacket was immensely pleased with this idea, once he had grasped it. ‘What could be better?” he cried. “The man’s spirit is evil enough to frighten people away and we wifi drop stones upon him, so that he ean learn the taste of his owh medicine. It suits me exactly to’think of Colonel Cobo standing on his head in a hole in the ground tor the rest of eternity!” ? O’Reilly was by this time suffering the full reaction from the events of the past half-hour and he was nearer exhaustion than he dreamed, but, conquering his repugnance for his unescapable task, he lowered himself once more into the well. His arms were weak, however, and his fingers numb, so he fey rather than slid the length of the rope. He managed to open the door of the treasure chamber, then en--1 tered and loaded his pockets with gold. I He sent up the jewel box at the end of the rope, dragged the body of Cobo into

the cave, then wedged the barricade back into place. It required the combined strength of , Rosa and Jacket to help him the last few feet of Ils climb. “Now fetch stones, rubbish, anything —and throw It in there,” he gasped. The boy and the girl fell to with a will, and after a time Johnnie joined them. Slowly, laboriously, the three of them carried debris from the edge of the quarry and bricks from the ruined house; they scraped up armfuls of leaves and trash —anything, in fact, which would serve to raise the bottom of the shaft and conceal the entrance to their enemy’s resting place. It was slavish work, but O’Reilly kept them at It until they were ready to drop. Daylight overtook them at their task. They were weak, sick, deadly tired; they could barely shuffle a few yards at a time when they finally reached Asenslo’s hut; nevertheless there was hope in their hearts, for O’Reilly’s ragged clothes sagged with the weight of gold pieces and the little metal box he carried was heavy. 4 Nor were they greatly concerned about the safety of the treasure they had left behind, for the entrance to the cavern lay deeply burled, and Cobo, the guerrilla, stood guard over the chests of plate and the casks of coin. Evangelina, vastly bewildere.d at the sight of the coin which was farced into her palm, went for food and spent-most of the day in cooking it. The treasurehunters alternately slept and ate. It was not until well along toward evening that Rosa and O’Reilly felt any desire to take’ stock of the contents of that jewel box, but finally, with heads together and with backs to the door of the bohio, they made a furtive examination. They found emeralds and sapphires the value of which they did not attempt to estimate; and, besides these, a miscellaneous assortment of semiprecious stones. 2

’ O’Reilly realized vaguely that he held in his lap a fortune greater than his wildest dreams had ever compassed. These were the jewels of a rajah. It seemed incredible that this ragged girl beside him was a regal heiress, the possessor of A treasure such as kings might envy. After a time he realized that the mere possession of these gems constituted a new and overwhelming menace. Morning found all hands more nearly rational and feeling the first gnawings of a healthy hunger. Even Asenslo confessed to a quite miraculous improve <nent. While Evangelinn prepared breakfast the lovers agreed upon a story to explain the origin of that mysterious gold piece, and later Johnnie warned Jacket for a second time to keep his tongue between his teeth. Jacket nodded his complete comprehension. “Sure! All Spaniards are robbers and they’d kill us for a peso. Yes, and the pacificos are no better. I tell you we need to get out of this place.” “I intend to arrange it at once, but—the sight of those jewels has frightened me. If we are searched —if we are even suspected: I’m wondering if Rosa can endure the hardships we’ll encounter when, or if, we get away.” “Exactly what I was thinking. I’ve been considering another plan. . I told you about my friend at the market. Well, he is a miserable Spaniard, but he has a son in the manigua.” “One of us?” Johnnie was surprised. “Yes. The old fellow owns a volandra in whloh he brings charcoal from the eastward twice a month. He might take us out of here—on his schooner.” “How well does he like you?” “Oh, we are like two thieves.” After a period of thought O’Reilly said, “Take ine to him, and remember I'm your brother’Juan.”

The Matanzas market did not present a scene of great activity when the two friends slunk into it tike most Spanish markets, the building was far from clean and housed odors unpleasant even to starving people. In the smelliest section, at one of the fish stalls, Jacket accosted a villainous old brigand in a rough Gallego cap, baggy blouse and trousers, and straw sandals. “Good day, my captain,” he cried,, cheerily. The Spaniard raised his head, scowled ferociously, then waved a long, thin-bladed knife in menacing fashion. “Aha ! So there you are, robber! Be off now before I silt your greedy little belly! Didn’t I promise to give you to the soldiers if you came back to bother me?” Jacket was unabashed by this hostile reception. He grinned broadly and with an Impudent eye he scanned the empty pxemises. “Where Is my little fish?” he demanded. “As I live, I believe you have sold it! What a-miser! For the sake of another centavo you would see me starve? There’s a heart for you! Come, give me my fish! Or must IHe down and die before your very eyes to prove my hunger?” “What a nuisance!” grumbled the marketman. He reached into a basket and flung a mackerel upon the table. “There! I saved it for you, and sent the good women of Matanzas away empty-handed. But it is the very last. Annoy me again and I shall open you with my knife and put salt on you.” “Ah! You are my good captain!” Jacket cried in triumph, possessing himself of the prize. “Where* would I have been but for you?” Turning to O’Reilly, who had looked on from a distance, he said, “Captain Morin, this is that brother Juan of whom I have told you.” Morin smiled at Johnnie and extended his dirty palm. “The little fellow can speak the truth when he wishes, it seems. I began to doubt that he had a brother. What a boy, eh?” “You have a son with the insurrectos?” “Yes.” The fisherman cast a furtive glance over his shoulder. “Why don’t you go and fight by his side?” Jaqjcet demanded. “God forbid!" Morin flung up his hands. Tm a loyal subject." “Well, we are going back to fight. We are going to escape and join Gomez once more 1” Jacket made the announcement calmly. “ ’S-sh ! What talk!” Morin was in a nervous panic lest they be overheard. “As if anybody could escape from Matanzas ! What made you come here if you are so eager to fight?" (TO BE CONTINUED.)

Dragged the Body of Cobo Into the Cave.