Part 40 (2/2)

”But that would hardly be good business,” smiled Mr. Haynes.

”Business is a word that will interest me but little after I have established my rights in the world,” remarked Don Luis, mildly.

The true Don Luis Montez did establish his rights. He secured the estate built by Rabasco on the looted Montez fortune. The money paid Rabasco for the mining property was easily recovered through the courts and turned over to the rightful Don Luis.

Then the Americans secured the property at the original figure.

Don Luis soon won the affection of his daughter, and the two were wonderfully happy together.

Rabasco, the impostor, was sentenced to twenty years of penal servitude. On his way to begin serving his sentence he broke away from the military guard, and was shot to death.

Dr. Carlos Tisco died, of fever, within six months of the time of the real Don Luis's arrival. The governor of Bonista was discovered guilty of so much corruption in office that he died, while serving a sentence in prison.

Pedro Gato became an avowed outlaw. Senor Honda, while acting for the government in Bonista, sent the troops in pursuit of the outlaw. He was caught and shot by the soldiers.

As for Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton, they were happy indeed when they found themselves wholly reestablished in the respect of Mr.

Haynes and his friends. The young engineers had played a most daring game throughout, and would have gone to their deaths at the hands of the sham Don Luis sooner than to have betrayed their own honor.

Tom and Harry spent days showing the American investors through that forest stretch. It proved an amazingly wonderful mineral claim, and has since paid enormous dividends.

”Mr. Haynes,” Tom asked, anxiously, one day, ”would you have done the same as we did, had you been in our place?”

”I don't know, my boy,” replied the railway president, with a frank smile. ”I'd hope that I would have done the same, but I don't know that I would have had the same magnificent courage that you two displayed throughout. It isn't every man who has the courage to back his conscience with his life.”

Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton remained some three months longer in the mountains of Bonista. Finally, when they could be spared from the task of superintending the start of this rich mineral claim they returned to the United States.

”And what is to become of me, _caballeros_?” Nicolas mournfully inquired, the day before their departure.

”Do you think you could stand life with us, in the United States?”

asked Tom.

”Could I?” exclaimed the poor fellow, clasping his hands. ”Senor, do not jest with me! Can it be that you mean it?”

”I certainly do,” nodded Tom.

Ambition's lure led the young engineers back to the home country.

We shall speedily find them engaged again in the great fields of their calling, and we shall find them, too, in a setting of truly extraordinary adventure. All that happened to them will be stirringly told in the next volume of this series, which is published under the t.i.tle, ”_The Young Engineers On The Gulf; Or, The Dread Mystery of the Million-dollar Breakwater_.”

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