Argosy, Vol. 122, No. 1 — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

VIALS OF HATE. traitress with terror that she should tremble at mention of his name. The Zorrillas were a nest of vipers. Like vipers let them die, the males, while the females—well, the pity of it was that Gail- lard honor forbade their extinguishment. The boat came to the little island in the bayou, so long in dispute between the two families. Here the prisoner was taken from the boat and marched through the woods by light of the torch to the old mansion where had lived the first Gaillard and the first Zorrilla, until that hour when jealousy of a woman divided them. Gaillard knew the place well; the old dwelling still habitable, yet sound; and he needed not the Barbaneras’ hands to guide him through its bread hallway or into its main room. Though he knew that Hernando Zorrilla had seized the island and therefere must have maintained possession by a strong armed force, the prisoner saw no guards. Possibly they were stationed along the bayou, or perhaps they had been withdrawn altogether for the time to assist in labor on the estate in repairing damage wrought by the storm. Whatever the situation in that respect, this was a place of confinement —if confinement and not death was to be his lot, as suggested—that he infinitely preferred to one directly under old Zorrilla’s eye. But why had he been brought here? With more of the cord that Emilio pro- duced from his pocket Gaillard’s feet were secured, after which he-was lowered to the floor so that his back rested against a wall. Then José Barbanera lighted a candle, set it on the mantle of the fireplace, and seated himself on a box, left here by some previous visitor to the dwelling. The rays of the candle’s flame but em- phasized the emptiness and deselation of the room, whose windows yawned without panes and whose staied, musty walls breathed age, abandonment, slow decay. The floor was yet damp from rain of the night before that had penetrated the dwell- ing’s roof and sides. From the eaves with- ewt came the faint squeaks and rustles of _ bats which there had lodgment. A wretched house, an insignificant island, one would have thought, over which to wrangle. 109 Emilio Barbanera paced thoughtfully to and fro for a time, twisting the points of his mustache with alternate movements of his hand. | “That girl, we must have her even if she crossed to this Gaillard’s estate,” he addressed his brether. ‘If she has the papers, as I believe, she must never be allowed to get away.” “It was that scoundrel who escaped that took them,” answered the other. “ Nay, I think net. Hew should he knew of them? And it was only a moment before I returned to lock the trunk. You saw him brought into the reom, and he had them net then.” “That is true; he had but a wet coat. Besides, he was with the old man.” “Then abselutely it was she,” said Emilio. ‘She has been some days in the house; she could have spied on us, seen them, and very likely was saying at the moment we were called forth. Ah, I shall wring her neck some day for this. Probably she darted into the room, feund the trunk unlecked, ‘seized the papers, vanished again.” “ But where has she remained to-day?” José inquired, with a grave lift of his shaggy eyebrows. “No ene has been seen here about the house or the grounds.” “T think she went off with that young fellow. That, at least, is the only reasona- ble explanation, unless she drowned herself in the bayou. Oh, the miserable creature, after all I’ve paid her. Let me but have my hands on her pretty white neck! If she had fled, Isabel must persuade her to return.” His gaunt, somber-faced brother waved a hand toward Gaillard, who had listened to this discussion with only partial under- standing. . ‘That must wait till morning,” said he. ‘‘ But this fowl, he needs attention at once, for he has come into eur hands more quickly than we had expected, thus saving us the trouble of going for him. The girl can’t get away yet. Meanwhile, we should pluck what the gods have given us, as is the saying. Go, then, my little Emilio, and prepare such papers as are necessary fer him to sign.” cComiclbooks.com