“It will interest me very much,” she declared. “Elsie has gone in. Frank will be back soon, and you will amuse me by telling me the story to pass the time.” “Then listen,” he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XXIV SEÑOR DEL NORTE’S STORY. “I have said, señorita, that the blood of the Hidalgoes is in my veins. Perhaps you did not know that Miguel Hidalgo, the priest, was the organizer of the first conspiracy against the Spanish provincial government in Mexico. That was in the year eighteen hundred and ten. For some time my people had been saying among themselves that they could survive and flourish independent of a foreign government. There were the signs and the spirit of nationality and independence. They wished to become a nation in many respects like the United States. The influence of the Spanish government was already declining when Miguel Hidalgo started the insurrection in the province of Guanajuato. At first it was a mere speck on the horizon. At the beginning he had less than a hundred men, but his army grew swiftly until it finally became a host of a hundred thousand men. He was brave and energetic, and would have succeeded in his scheme had not he been betrayed by treacherous enemies. He fell into the hands of the Spanish viceroy and was executed. “That did not end the matter, however. Although the patriots were broken up into small bands, another priest, by the name of Morelos, soon placed himself at their head and carried on the war. A national congress was convened, and an act was passed declaring the independence of Mexico. “It may seem strange to you, señorita, that with a hundred thousand men Hidalgo could not accomplish his design. It may seem strange that, although as many men, and still more, flocked to the leadership of Morelos, they were unable to crush the power of Spain. I will explain why this was. The Spanish army came equipped in the best possible manner, while hundreds of the patriots were without any arms save such implements as they could manufacture themselves. Being thus poorly armed, they were unable to cope with their enemies, and in December, eighteen hundred and fifteen, Morelos was taken and shot.