Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-06
'.Perhaps that is the reason. ), said poin-

dexter. gravely.
But Mrs. Tucker refused to accent the
suggestion with equal gravity, and began
to laugh. The laugh, which was at first
frank, spontaneous and almost child-llke.
was becoming historical and nervous as
she went on, until it was suddenly checked
/ by Poindexter.
i II have had no difficulties with Don
Jose Santierra,' he said, somewhat coldlY
ignoring her hilarity; shut perhaps be is
not inclined to be as polite TO the friend Of
the husband as he is to the wife,.
mir. Poindexterl, said Mrs. Tucker,
quickly, her face becoming pale again.
u beg your PARDON said Poindexter,
flushing; but
You want to say" she interrupted,
cody, that you are not friends, see. Is
that the reason why you have avoided this
house9s she continued, gently.
Il thought l could be of more service to
you elsewhere he replied, evasiYelv. Il
have been lately following up a certain
clue rather closely. l think am on the
track of confdante of-of-that wo-
man."
A quick shadow passed over Mrs.
fuckers face.
''Indeedl" she said, coldly. SeThen am
to believe thatyou prefer to spend your
leisure moments in looking after that crea-
ture than in calling here? ~
PoindeXter was stupefed. Was this the
woman who only four months ago was al
most yindictively eager to pursue her
husbands paramOur? There could be but
one answer to it-Don JOSEF Four months
ago he would have smiled compassionate
~ at it from his cynical prominence.
Now he managed with difficulty TO stflie
the bitterness of his reply.
'If you do not wish the inquiry carried
on" he began, ''Of course
81? What does it matter to meg' she
said, coolly. do as you please"
Nevertheless, half an hour later. as he
was leaving, she said, with a certain hes
itating timldity: 'sDo not leave me so
much alone here-and let that woman
CO."
This was not the only unlooked-for Sc
quel to her innocent desire to propitiate
her only friends. Don Jose did not call
again upon his usual day, but in his place
! came D0na Clara, his younger sister.
When Mrs. Tucker had politely asked az
1 ter the absent Don Jose, Dona Clara
wound Der swarthy arms around the fair
Americans waist and replied: s1But why
/ did you send tor the abOgadO POindexter
when my brother called:'
But Capt. POindeXter calls as one of
my friends" said the amazed Mrs. Tuck
I er. HE is gentleman, and has been
I soldier and an officer" she added, with !
/ some warmth.
ssAh, yes, a soldier Of the law-what
Y =
geldGTfRes, my sister; but not a gentle |
mana cdHarer0 to protect a lady"
Mrs. Tucker would have uttered has /
ty reply, but the perfect and goOd-natured I
simplicity of Dona Clara withheld her. /
Nevertheless she treated Don Jose with a
certain reserve at their next meeting I'M
til II brought the supplemented Castillan /
so dangerously near the point of demand /
ing an explanation which implied too 4
much that she was obliged to restore him 4
temporarily to his old footing. Meantime I
she had brilliant idea. She would write 1
to Calhoun Weaver, whom she had avoid 4
ed since that memorable day. She would /
say she wished to consult him. He would 4
come to Los Cueryos. He might suggest /
something to tighten this weary waiting /
at least, she would show them all that I
she had still old friends. Yet she did not
dream of returning to her old Blue Grass
home. Her parents had died since she
left. She shrank from the thought of drag
ging her ruined life before the hopeful
youth of her girlhood's companions.
Mr.. Calhoun Weaver arrived promptly,
ostentatiously, Oracularly and cordially
but a little coaTsely. He had-did she re-
member Expected this from the first.
Spencer had lost his head through vanity, |
and had attempted too much. ItreQuired |
foresight and firmness. as he himself
who had lately made successful :.'o0mbi-
nations which she might perhaps have
heard of-well knew. But Spencer had
got the ''big head" ''As to that woman
a deyilish handsome woman, too!-well,
everybody knew that Spencer always had
a weakness that way-and he would say
but If she didn't care to hear any more
about her, we'll, perhaps she was right.
That was the best way to take it, Sit
ting before her, prosperous, weak, egotis-
teal, incompetent, unavailable, and yet
filed with vague kindliness of intent,
Mrs. Tucker lOathed him. A sickening
perception of her own weakness in send
ing for him, new and aching sense of
her utter isolation and helplessness, !
seemed to paralyze her.
Naturally you feel bad,' he continued,
with a large air of profound student of
human nature. Naturally, naturally
you're kept in an uncomfortable state, not
knowing jist how you stand. There amt
but one thing TO do. Jist rise up, quiet
like, and get a divorce agin Spencer.
Hold on. There amt a Judge or jury in
California that wouldn't give it TO you
right off the nail, without asking ques-
tions. Why, you'll getitb by default if you
wanted to-you'n just have to walk over
the course! And then, Belle"-he drew !
his chair nearer her-''when you've set
tied down again-well!-I don't mind re-
newing that offer l once made We, before
Spenner ever came round VEL don't
mind, Belle, swear l don't. Honest In
gin! Pm in earnest; there's my handw
Mrs. fuckers reply has not been re-
corded. Enough that half an hour later
Mr.. Weaver appeared in the courtyard
with traces of tears on his foolish face, a
broken talsettO voice, and other evidences
of mental and moral disturbance. His
cordially and oracular predispositiOn re-
manned sufficiently to enable him to sug-
gest the magical words Blue Grass"
mysteriOusly to Concha with an indica-
ton of his hand to the erect figure of her
pale mistress in the doorway, who waved
to him a silent but half-compassionate
farewell.
At about this time slight change in her
manner was noticed by the few who saw
her more frequently. Her apparently in
yincibIe girlishness of spirit had given
way to a certain matronly seriousness.
She applied herself to her household cares
and the improvement of the hacienda with
a new sense of duty and settled earnest
ness. until by degrees she wrought into Il
not only her instructive delicacy and taste,
but part of her own individuality. Even
the rude rCsHcheroS ana tradeSmen VINO
were permitted TO enter the walls in the
exercise of their calling began to speak
mysteriOusly Of the beauty of this garden
of the dlmdrjai. She went out but seldom,
and then accompanied by the one or the
other of her female servants, in long
drives on unfrequented roads. On sun
DAYS she sometimes OFONe 10 the nall Z
ruined mission church Of Santa Inez, ana
hid herself, during mass, in the dim mon
astic shadows of the choir. Gradually
the poorer people whom she met in these
journeys began to show an almost deyo-
tional reverence for her. stopping in the
roads with uncovered heads for her 70
pass, or making way for her in the tieRdd
or pldzd of the wretched town with dumb
courtesy. She began 10 feel a strange
sense Of widowhoOd. that, while il at
times brought tears TO her eyes, was not
without a certain tender s0lace- In the
sympathy and simpleness Of this impulse
she went as far as TO revive the mourning
she had worn for her parents but with
such fatal aecenting OF her beauty, and
dangerous misinterpreting Of her cOndi-
ton to eligible bachelors strange TO the
country, that she was obliged 70 put il OF
again. Her reserve anud dignifed man
ner caused others TO mistake her nation
ality for that of the Sautierras. and in
''DOna Bella the simple Mrs Tucker was
for while forgotten. AT times she even
forgot it herself. Accustomed now almost
entirely TO the accents Of another Ian
guage and the features OF another race
she would sit for hours in the corridor,
whose massive bronZed enclosure even
Al =