The Portland daily press., 1886-07-17
THE ALFA-CATHERER.
es-Democrat.

recently murdered in the Sahara while try
ing to reach Timbuctoo by way OF the Desert
1t was among the SpanlardS OF the Ana re-
gion that the Arabs under Bou Amana COM
mitted such terrible maSsacreS lew years
This was how Frasquitto Torres first fell
in love, r.
going to his daily toll, driving his two don
KEYS before him, all pompooned and more
prettily harnessed than any other alfa-gath-
erer's donKeys in the colony. trasqulto
strobe leisurely, with his rifle on his sho9l-
der to provide against any i'll chance on the
road; he was thinking about his last Trip TO
Rel-Abbes and the results of having spent
there the whole of his two.months pay, even even
to the last douro, when he suddenly starteq
and lifted his head. Notes OF a song Ieaea a5's
his ear, becoming more and more sonorous
as he proceeded. Frasqulto listened III ecs-
tasy: he recognized the old Almerian ar:
All! those never-to -be-fOrgotten songs OF
ones native land! how they to9cI LAM anu 'h hnLH
they seize iupon the memory and leave one
the victim of an unconquerable, yet pleasur-
able melancholy, even after years Oh aD-
senee. e.., Ito 4l,oo
sang was that of a young girl Frasqulto
can9ht sight of her as he advanced few
naces further along the cratic Arab path
way. He saw at a turn in the WOOD tnat sne
was gathering alta in the company OF an old
woman. Two little donkeys, tethered near
nv. were peacefully grazing. The altatier
approached unperceived by the young girl
He was then able to observe her at MS lei,
sure She wore a red pettlcoat, 1lounced anu
scalloped. and bodice of dark cloth, over
which a white silk kerchief was thrown-in
short, a costume mountain girls were not IN
the habit of wearing.
GOOD guard you!" exclaimed Frasquito as
he passed; ,,;+,, codp, ronlied
the two Spanish women, looking up.
Frasouito stopped, while his animals quiet
lv pursued their way, although more leisure
" than before, nibbling the grass as they
ssWhy, What company do you work for p
curiously asked the alfatier, in order to break
the ice. =, ~,
His eyes never left the. young, girl,tall,
1.-THE. sinewy Under her kerchief she kept
pushing back, with childish impatence, a
wealth of tossed hair that half yelled the
brilliancy of her intensely black eyes.
1--WE work for Parientes's alfa-yard,, re-
piled the old woman. clasping her hands up
on her apron with the weary gesture OF per-
sons who have suffered a great deal.
'But, woman, belong to that yard my
self. How comes it l never saw either OF
YOU before?" ,,.,
I'VE only came here yesterday" the young
girl broke in. .
Frasquito listened, all absorbed-plunglng
his delighted gaze into the charming dlmples
which formed themselves in Rafaela,s smll-
ing face as she spoke, and STRIVING 10 stuuS
the charms of her figure, whose harmony OF
curves could be guessed even through Ine
amplitude of her garments. She noticed the
preocupaton of the alfatier and felt sllgntly
frightened at the flame in his eye ana lthe
ouiverng of his n0strilS In order TO con-
cceaI her embarrassment she resumed her
work. .od -
her task, with surly look Frasqulto Went
on his way after salutIng the TWO WOMEN thev
responded; but all the long day ne dreamed
The opportunities they found of seeing
each other became more frequent. Iney
went all together to the place where the AHA
grew in friZzled tufts, round like birds nests.
Frasquito would leave the two women there
and 20 to work himself at some distance on.
But they never lost sight OF him; ana they
could ALWAYS hear his song echolnS away
through the quivering hot air, and domlnat-
ing the strident crying of the grasshoppers
that sounded forever around them IKE
vast and mysterious cracking OF the ialiu'
The young girl would answer MN ana p ~ u
hard at their task rolling up the ALA as tney
went along upon the little staff hung to their
left wrists, tearing away the stalks and plnd-
ing them into bundles, would nearly always
manage to meet at last and nave 1rlenuly
chat to the great VeXatl0n OF the aVarlclous
Teresa. who mourned the time thus lost.
Or at noon, when the sun was roasting the
nlain and calling up burning yaporS from Ine
ground, the three would make their way &c
Some shady place and prepare st bTeaKlas a:
sufficient to do all the cooking. Ihey Would
eat their puchero-roasted Sardines-and
wash the meal down with glass OF anisette
and water: after which they would take
their siesta. upon the dry groun No., Du' 'hS
two Young folks did not always sleep: =.
One morning old Teresa Albanl had as
acreeaEle surprise. When she woke up IL
her gourbi, she found that her daughter was
no longer there, She rushed forth TO MAKE
Inquiries. Frasquito Torres had also dIsap-
reared during the night. There could be nc
more doubt on the SUBJECTIVE had carried
off Rafaelal - Ma
that she attached any very great importance e
to her daughters fault-public OPINION is
not very severe on such escapades IN the
afterwards: and besides such incidents al
ways end by marriage. But she was wrotl
viii Rafaela and Frasquito Tor their dlssIin
mlatiou; she was angry with herself also Iol
va how sug been more watchful; land She re
nOe Hs af,0ye everything else, the none!
5er daughter made at alfa-gathering- nearl.
five francs a day, an enormous sum for WON
en- accustomed to receive scarcely ohe LIAM
a day in their own country. -. l.
Some fifteen days LATER she was able Z
discover where the two lovers had gone
They were at the alfa-yard of Pepe SllYas
ten leagues away. Teresa went there, 1oune
them, scolded them ana ma al sybo aGLSa al
return together to the santiel OF ParlenteS
and forthwith begin to prepare tor the "ed
ding. - ,a vo
TRev returned as agreed upon ana re
sumed their former mode of life; Tor IL wa
necessary to save little money before the!
could 20 to Bel-Abbes. Fras9ulto retlre'
with many sigh to his solitary !g0urDl
while Rafaela returned to live with mel
mother. But every morning an , tnree Wei Wen,
to work together; the donKeys W 1fn
all tethered side by side; and the ana
lunches were mingled. 1t was beginning a.
over again; but Frasquito resigned hlmSell
ard even bore with every possible a Ilil1y
ance the old woman could intlict upon nm
though he resolved within himself that n!
would arrange matters differently after III
One Of those little trifing quarrels WhiG;
often arise between lovers, momentarill
separated him from his betrothed Ralaeli
a feeble and tickle character, listened TO ne
mother, who could not forget the Wron
Frasquito had done her, and VINO feared !
be separated from her daughter from purel
avaricious reasons. Teresa perpetually e1
aggerated all the mans little faults, an
succeeded in making matters so much Wors
than before that the result was delhll
rupture. ,,o;1o
with his noyia He humbled hlmselI,
spite of ali his natural pride. Circumyente
Inv her mother. Rafaela persevered oDsllla! '
~ in bar resolve, without ever ioreseeni
no nm fort ,l0dUe consequence 'J'AN
coonette and did not feel sorry to see I'll
suffering of that man who had been LOT
time her master, and to whom she had ylelt
ed almost without protest. Something {
disillusion and great deal OF selilsh calcuii
ton also entered into her new decision ST
knew that the folly she had been guilty 9
would not prevent her from marrying, an
from finding. perhaps, better husband tina
Torres Thd influences of her radiant beal
ty could not be lessened by any ethical pre-
ndices in that strange world of the alfayaro
Wing somewhat outside the pale of laws hi
man or divine.
Frasquito became a prey to the most pr
fonnd despair on hearing this decision.
He grew melancholy, and the natural il
ritabiIity of his character betrayed him I'M
FITS Of outrageous violence; two or thre
nIaTrels which he had with other .alfa-gatl
ere sii on account of a few coarse tests mac
at his expense. came very near to having
fatal ending He took to drinking as meal
of Consolation; but the more ne drank I, u
more intense became his melancholy. Se Sc
eral times on meeting Rafaela ana her mot ~
or. he had either shouted vile insults az tne
or exhausted himself in threats OF violenc
The young girl did not accept the warnin