The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-25

toll, and to as much danger as lies in the
line of work. Perhaps you do not even
care for the address"
"Oh, yes" she replied; 81 might want To
send you Christmas card.".
"All the sarcasm on earth will not hurt
me, Elizabeth" he went on stolidly. i
have said my say and 1 am going"
"You have the expression of children
when they give dare Do you dare me-
to marry any one while you are away"
The fame in his eyes rose, and for a mo-
ment his hard lips quivered under tho
tawny mustache.
Yes he said, 81 dare you," and then
| he was gone.
That night Mrs. Gorgane's little cousin
Marie was brushing out the widows
! golden locks. She was jewel OF poor
relation, and no one but herself ever real
| lied the fact that she was one at all. Three
years Elizabeths junior, she was petted
! and spoiled and confded in by that stately
! lady to an alarming extent. Mrs. Gorgans
was VIGOROUSLY good to her own sex.
Poor Mr. Compton," said Marie, as she
| began to braid.
"That man really loves me-" Elizabeth
announced to the mirror. He would have
loved me as a girl Poor Mr.. Gorgane's
money is only nuisance to him"
Don't you love him a little, dear?"
Marie queried, with tears in her eyes.
Elizabeth own orbs were dry.
81 may" she said, ''if he comes back"
Yet with all this as a past basis Jack
Holden did not dare introduce Mrs. Cor
games name For one week they tasted
together all the pleasures of ranch life.
They rode over the wide range, they
slaughtered game, from birds to deer, and
they spent their evenings smoking and
swinging in the hammocks.
After the custom of men, they talked of
everything except what was nearest to
their hearts. On returning with bag
full one evening, the Mexican sheep fore
man met them at the gate of tn second
pasture.
"Senor," he announced, "Rocita has
| come back. She was very late in making
her first communion, but the Virgin has
blessed it,"
''Send her up to the house." said Comp
ton, land let her bring the mandolin. Now
YOU will have a new sensation and pic
turesque effect sure nough," he contin-
ued, addressing Holden as they rode on.
'sThis Rocita is the foremans daughter.
She has a dash of the Castilian and is
really very pretty. has way OF rem
dering her native m which would make
her fortune on New York stage"
The moon was just rising when Rocita
appeared. The old sheep foreman was
with her, and he sat down at some dis
tance with his pipe. She could not have
been more than seventeen, and she pos
sessed in a high degree the soft, girlish
beauty of the Latin races. Her eyes were
large and dark, with that gazellelike quail
ity which poets have immOrtalized.
She wore a scarlet bodice and brown
skirt. Over the heavy Is of her hair
she had draped somett 6 black, which
looked in the dim light an abridged
mantilla.
She spoke but little English, and that
little with the southern accent. Compton
greeted her with his Indifferent kindness
but the poor child did not know it was in
different She tuned her mandolin and
began to sing, accompanying herself with
its slow, sensuous chords. Fairfax smoked
and listened complacently. He was fond
of music, and beauty of any kind gave him
a superficial pleasure.
1t was this quality which had gained him
the reputation and to a certain extent the
record of a firt In reality he was at once
too proud and too cold to delil srately trifit
with any woman's atfectio Toward
such as had thrown themselves into hi!
arms the case was different.
Rocita sang one Mexican air after an
other as he called for them, but at last she
burst forth into a new melody. 1t was 81
heartbroken in its cadences, so mournful
so touching, that it bore TO Jack Heldent
ears the old, old story of a hidden low,
struggling with innocence, youth and de
spair.
Compton neither read nor wished to reaC
: the case.
Il brought you some earrings when
; went to town for this gentleman, Rocita
! | Where did you get that new song"
. He gave her the silver earrings, and Of
fered her, as he had done before, SOM
, money. She took the jewelry with a happ.
: smile that still had the JOY Of child in il
but she turned from the money with tn
scorn of a woman.
She's very pretty" Jack said, when sh
: had left them 81 would like 70 paint her.
by all MEANS" Fairfax replied; "let u
:, have her done in two ways. She know
the Mexican dances we'll. You can pos
her in a gay costume in the midst of a fan
dango,' with her foot on the skin of q leop
ard cat. for one Then we Will make he
rig out in her white communion suit, an
! you can paint her saying her beads 70
= might easily make hit"
Heden had kindly heart for all tina
: suffered, and Comptons business apprisa
. Jared upon him.
q The weeks few by and the first paintin
< Of Rocita in her dancing attitude was com
y pleted She always went through rhe ey
ercise before Helden began MS work, an
= thus it trauspired that something OF th
A flush and spirit Of the original worked it
. way onto the canvas. Compton looked o
, when his business did not require hin
- elsewhere. and II hurt Ee,den 20 see tn
q girls face light up with passionate We
4 come. Once she rose, and at his host
- request repeated the dance for the secoG
r time.
Oddly enough the memory Of one OF Mis-
Gorgane's speeches returned TO him The
/ had made a box party az comic opers
: and she had said 70 Marie; DO yol know
!, child, an always sorry for The actress /
n the soubrette role There Is sorseth;n
) pathetic in the <ong>and dance artist
imagine tat the leading lady, wEAJeye
4 her private criefs may ne, Is always coz
. forled by the sense OF her train and Il
| respect OF the troupe
IS Poor little Roc!ca," he thought. "she
I. PLAYING the soubrecte role 20 her own u
doing. a. she dances before the king
It The song she had given them on h
s night Of her return was often now IN ne
lrspertoire. Helden had translated II ms