Page 199 (1/1)

Rosa Varona did not die On the contrary, under her lover's care she ly swift a recovery that improvement was visible from hour to hour; she rallied like a wilted flower under a refreshing rain It was O'Reilly's presence asdiet provided by his h the certainty that Esteban was alive and safe put added force into her deter up in her breast, and one day she caught herself laughing Thebeside her bed of leaves at the ti a question she had asked him many times: "Do you love me?"

For answer he bent and kissed her What he said was of no consequence

Rosa held his hand against her cheek, at a loss for words hich to voice her gladness

"Such happiness as ed to tell hihtens me With you byWar, suffering, distress--I can't ier exist"

"Nevertheless, they do, and Matanzas is anything but a paradise," said he "It is--hell, and we et out of it"

"Escape, do you mean? But that is impossible Asensio can tell you all about that The Spaniards used to issue passes for the o outside the lines in search of food It was just a trick They never came back--all of them were killed Every one knows better than to try, now"

"Nevertheless, we can't stay here irl's puzzled inquiry he explained: "My one--all but a few cents This is the last of our food and there is no chance of getting es to bring in so every now and then, but there are five of us to feed, and he can't furnish h for himself No, we th"

Rosa had not asked the source whence ca the life blood back into her body, and although that food was not much--a little meal, a plantain, an occasional scrap of ht be limited She met the proble that it means little to me," she confessed "I have you, and--well, with you at my side I can face the worst"