Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-07-04
A TRAGEDY. OF THE TROPICS.
BY A. CLIFFORD.

ny back through the outer streets OF the
own toward the bay, in tn. waters of
which the good American ship had been
flying the stars and stripes for some
weeks past, had his ears suddenly assail-
ed by low cry, in which he recognized
a woman's tones, and, at an abrupt turn of
a corner, found himself directly upon a
built man, at whose feet a
young female covered, shrinking down.
The broad white glare of the full moon
revealed the group as clearly as though
it had been daylight.
the man was of middle age, a dark,
animal looking creature, whose features
were distorted by passion. The woman
was very young, with eyes like fawn.
At the apparition of this third upon the
scene, the man dropped her arm and
turned tiercely.
But already Voss was upon him.
What are you doing to that woman
you great. cowardly brute?"
But if Tomaso Juarez were cowardly
enough to beat his wife whenever his
RACES got the better of him, he was not,
therefore, so cowardly but that he could
return mans grip upon his collar with
a blow. And this he did. But Voss,
cool, in possession of all his wits, and
with his superbly trained physique, had
easily the advantage over his adversary,
and the encounter might have terminatd
badly for the one who had first given
provocation for it had not the affair been
suddenly impaired another turn by the
unprecedented appearance upon the
scene of two individuals delegated to
keep the peace in those parts, and at
sight of whom Tomaso Juarez took to his
heels, leaving Voss to give such explana.
ton of the affray as he might; which
explanation not appearing satisfactory
to the aforesaid guardians of the peace
he was summarily led off by the same and
placed in custody till the morning.
Naturally, the occurrence made great
stir. In that sleepy South American
town, where the weeks succeeded each
other in an endless monotony, it was not
every day that an adventure of this sort
having United States navy officer fol-
its hero, could be served up as the tid-bit
to the feast Of gossips. And the story
grew in proportions, naturally, also, and
became adorned with many suppositious
circumstances which added picturesque.
ness and interest to its bald facts. A
man did not usually throw himself int
an affray of this kind merely from a
chivalrous necessity of protecting any
member whatever of the weaker sex. 1t
might be, of course. But-but--Anita
Juarez was very young, much younger
than her husband-end-and-
These tales came to the ears of a young
lady, a North American, a compatriot OF
Lieutenant Voss, who happened, with
her family, to be temporarily residing in
the town. 1t was from their house he
had been coming the night of the scan
dalous affair. For so the young lady,
with curl of her lip and a knitting of
her straight, naughty brows, called it.
She thought that Lieutenant Voss should
have sufficient respect for the uniform
he wore not to get into such Glow rows"
Perhaps she thought it especially "low
row" since those other things had been
insinuated.
But the sensation had its day and then
subsidized and died out. And that vas
the end of the adventure. Or, rather,
no it was not the end. For Voss, re-
turning to his ship one other night by
the same way, came upon the young
woman whom he had rescued and IN
stantly recognized her. The look of
burning gratitude in those fawn-like eyes
would have proclaimed her identity to
him even had her face, in the brief
glimpse he had had of it, made no i'm
preston upon his memory. But it had
done this. The impression had been
one of great loveliness. And yet he
discovered nov that it had not done Anita
yuarez Justice. She was, in truth, Won
derfully beautiful young creature. He
stopped-what else could he do?-and
spoke to her. And after that he returned
that way many times.
Oh, those still, balmy nights under the
hot Southern skies, when the stars glow,
and burn, and culver as though they,
too, had caught the lovers fervor !
When the whisper that steals from his
lips is no softer than the low breath Of
the perfume. laden wind as it stirs the
t-esses his fingers so lovingly caress!
To Voss, born and bred in Northern
climes, and with the colder Northern
blood in his veins. there was that at
times in the passionate abandonment of
Anita to her love that moved him with a
strange half plying pathos. She was a
wild. shy, untutored child of nature; a
child, verify, in her righteousness,
though woman in every fibre of the
rich temperament that was so uncon-
scious of its own depths or heights, its
own measureless capabilities for self