The Chilean man-of-war put
into Valparaiso, after calling at Coronel, nearly three days before the
_Kansas_ dropped anchor on the east coast. Hence, there was time for
things to happen, and they seized the opportunity. The copper market
had turned itself inside out; the firm of Baring, Thompson, Miguel &
Co. had rebounded from comparative ruin to a stronger financial state
than ever, and Senor Pedro Ventana, after shooting a man named Jose
Anacleto, had considerately shot himself. Evidently, Frascuelo lost no
time when he went ashore; Mr. Baring, too, reported that the dynamite
wrapper had been traced to Ventana's possession.
When Isobel Baring heard this final item she fainted so badly that Dr.
Christobal thought it advisable she should be taken to a hotel while
the ship remained in port. But she vetoed this proposal determinedly
when she recovered her senses, and straightway confessed to Elsie that
Ventana was her husband. She had foolishly agreed to marry him
privately, and Anacleto had witnessed the ceremony. Within a month,
she regretted her choice; there were quarrels, and threats; ultimately,
an agreement was made that they should separate.
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