The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-07-18
FENALLOSA.

FENALLOSA.
"Will you to marry me?" Those
were the words that, coming from the
veranda in a deep rich voice and most
tenderly impassioned tone, broke the
capricious silence that had just then
fallen for moment on the singing and
laughing of the lighted rooms within.
"Will you to marry the ?"
It was Ignacio Fenallosa's voice and
ne was repeating question that, under
various disguises, he had asked of Chrys-
tie perhaps hundred times before.
Ours was the prettiest. if not the busi-
est, little village in the world, with all
its empowering green close upon the
sea, and its two great counting houses to
which belonged all the wharves and
warehouses of the South American
trade carried on there and this was "a
young South American who had come
there, with some others, in care of the
consignees of the houses at home, for
mercantile and English education. He
was probably progressing reasonably
that is. we did rot know whether he was
or not, for we saw little of him-when
at length Chrystie came home, not as
wild as hawk, because she was, after
all, more like a dove, but shy,
startled, swift-moving creature, with
cloud of hair just shade more yellow
than faxen, with immense dark dashed
eyes that you took at first for black eyes,
till you learned how dark the blue star
lit midnight sky can be, and with
skin where the rich red came and went
like torch that the wind blows on,
tall, 1.-the, slender beauty, wayward as
the weather, and born to have her will.
Fenallosa was strolling by, one Septem-
Der day, as she sprang from the coach
and ran up the cracking path, and threw
her arms round John Allan, her brother
in-law, who came to meet her. The
youth stopped deliberately and survey.
ed the scene, then lifted his stick and
shook it at John, and strobe on. We
heard afterward that he that night as
=. .sembled the other young Spaniards, as
Cray we're called in the village, and the
rel tof their comrades, and gave them
td understand that if they chose to
enter, the race was free and fair, but
there was to be no foolishness, since for
his part he meant to carry the girl with
the corn silk hair overseas with him and
the priests blessing and he appeared
next day with tassel of corn silk from
some late field in his button-hole, and
RS many days thereafter IS there was
any to be had.
He did not wait for an introduction,
but climbed the fence one sunset, and
accosted her in the garden with such an
air of alteration and reverence that she
could not be offended ; but as he could
then only speak Spanish, and she could
only speak English, all she could do was
to retire with great dignity at which
he was by no means abashed, for that,
he knew, was her proper course, and he
considered that he had now made her
acquaintance, and he followed it up.
A few weeks later he was heard to COM
plain to young Juan that he had learned
ell the English he wished; he had
learned "No" and "Nevare," and he
was going home in the next brig.
Unnecessary to say that the brig sailed
without him. She sailed many times
without him, indeed, but never without
on his part previously. He was leaning
one spring day, over the rail of the
veranda, the lazy roller creeping under
neath--for our house was close upon the
sea, built SO by grandpa's whim, the
summer parlors almost, and the veranda
quite, overhanging deep water, the solid
old stone foundations belonging once to
n lighthouse that had been removed
when the brig rolled out again with all
sail set. "Some day, said he to Chrys-
tie, looking back at her, "you will be
sailing out in her with me, and never
back" If Cbrystie had nodded, he
would have been content, and have ask
for no more Just then, being strenuous
that she should do nothing unbecoming;
but she shook her head. He SO took it
all for granted that dissent on her part
seemed absolute rebellion, and then he
snatched his bat and stalked off without
word, and meeting Leon at the gate,
pitched him clean over the fence aud
into the ditch. OF course challenge
was the result, and duel was arranged,
and l have no poubt would have come off
but for notes that flew from the naughty
Chrystie to the combatants. in conse-
quepce of which. and in total ignorance
that each note had been counterpart of
the other, they both appeared before her
and bound themselves over to keep the
pCctS. IDuO l4COh Moo hSniC youthy
and it did not much signify. AS for
Fenallosa, we rather wondered at Chrys-
tie, for he was like nobody else in the
world, and with an irresistible personal
charm, it seemed to us-such eyes were
never seen except urder Spanish brows,
the fine black hair lay in great locks on
a forehead that had something infantile
in shape and hue, but the rest of the
face was an unbroken bronze tint, except
for the thin curved lips, and the teeth
which made his laugh, the whole face
breaking into dimples, dazzling. If
Chrystie were not in love with him, the
rest of us barely escaped it, John Allan |
in the number. OF course as soon the |
danger of the duel was over, Chrystie |
took occasion to quarrel with Fenallosa's
attentions, and to tell him to visit us no |
more If he could not cease annoying her. |
We expected him te take her 81 her word;