range that he should have
introduced his own child without knowing it!"

"Yes," returned Chiquita. "And yet it is not so strange after all.
Persons of his character invariably blunder in the end, clever though
they be. Another strange coincidence is that they were married just six
years ago to-day in the little Mission church of San Isidor at Onava."

"Why, that was before Don Juan's death, and in direct opposition to the
stipulations of his will!" exclaimed Padre Antonio excitedly.

"Just so," answered Chiquita. "That's what caused the trouble. The
entire property should have gone to the Church, but Felipe destroyed the
record of his marriage before his father's death and the birth of his
child."

"The scoundrel!" cried the Padre.

"But that is not all," continued Chiquita. "Everything seemed to be in
league with him to further his plans. Father Danuncio, who secretly
married them, also died before Don Juan did, without divulging the
secret."

"Strange!" ejaculated Padre Antonio.

"There were three witnesses to the marriage--Joaquin and Manuelita
Flores, whom Don Felipe has cleverly put out of the way, and Bob
Carlton, the gambler, who, at that time, was Don Felipe's intimate
friend; but he, too, is gone and never dare return."

"The clever scoundrel!" interrupted the Padre.

"Yes," answered Chiquita. "When it comes to deviltry, Don Felipe has yet
to meet his match. But as I was about to say: Six months after the
marriage, Don Felipe deserted Pepita, then the child was born, and
knowing that he would unhesitatingly make way with it should he learn of
its existence, Joaquin and I took it to Onava, where we knew it would
be hid effectually from the world. Of course old Juana and all the other
Indians in the village thought the child was mine, and I let them think
so in order that its identity might the better be concealed until we
were able to prove to whom it belonged."

"But why did you not tell me this in the beginning, my child?" he asked
with a note of reproach in his voice. "I might have--"

"Ah, that was to protect you, Padre _mio_! It might have been wiser had
I done so, and yet I think not. I felt impelled to keep you in ignorance
of the facts, for I knew that Don Felipe would stop at nothing. What
would your life have been to him, had you come between him and his
position? His wealth is too vast. I knew that, as surely as you raised
your voice against him, as you would have been obliged to in the