The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-04-19

imagine, too, the captain general may
have spoken to his son sometimes, but It
is certain there was no quarrel between
them prior 10 the time that Frey Raphael
sought the presence of the count and
with much agitation informed him that
Don francesca had requested him to
celebrate a marriage between himself
and the Indian girl
The shock to the feelings of the father
when he heard this story was naturally
very great. Don Alphonso Medina came
from one of the proudest families IN all
Spain. He had been himself distin-
guished soldier, he had risen high m the
service of the government, and for his
only son and heir he could look for a
marriage among the greatest houses Of
his own country. That francesca should
dream of marrying the daughter OF even
one of the Spanish families then IN
Carthagena would have been sufficiently
monstrous; but an Indian, a slave--l
He did not believe the story. The Frey
Raphael repeated it over and over again,
declaring in the ostpositive way that he
had reasoned with Don francesca until
beyond any question he had found him
to be in earnest. Don francesca did not
appear to be mad, he said, but seemed
to be perfectly cool. He had even said
he thought be could induce his father to
consent At this the captain general
forgot his courtesy and stormed and
swore until Frey Raphael fairly ran out
Of the room. Then Don Alphonso, in a
maze of perplexity and anger, sent for
Colonel Honradez, to whom he told the
tale
Colonel Honradez, after cursing him
self for not having had the girl killed,
suggested the bestfhing was to have this
negligence on his part remedied at once,
and offered to see the work done properly.
To this the captain general demurTed--
not, need scarcely say, on the girls ac-
count, Cor Don Alphonso would gladly
have seen herself and her whole tribe
burned rather than such trouble as this
should have come-but because he knew
something Of his sons disposition. Were
such thing done francesca would never
forget nor forgive If he really loved the
girl, and at this thought the captain
general once more became almost insane
with anger. At Last he asked Colonel
Honradez to call on Don Roberto Patri-
clio, the alcalde, tell him the whole story
and request his presence at the palace
that evening, when the three men would
have consultation. OF course neither
one would say anything in the meantime,
and sending for Frey Raphael he eau
toned that worthy man to be equally
silent. The story was told to the old
lawyer as be and the soldier sat In that
large cool room on the second story of
the municipal building from which you
look down the street past the Church of
San Juan de Dios and Don Roberto drew
his thin lips closer together az he listened.
It was about s o'clock when the al
calde and Colonel Honradez called on
Don Alphonso and found Frey Raphael
with him. The chaplain repeated the
story he had told in the morning, to
which the captain general was able to
listen quietly, for no man ever saw Don
Alphonso lose control of himself twice in
the same day, Colonel Honradez again
suggested his idea of the readiest way to
solve the difficulty. Not only did the
captain general refuse, bat the Frey
Raphael argued in the strongest way
against 1t. He said that, knowing
Don francesca as he knew him, he
was certain he would never make up
with his father if anything Of the kind
were done Francisco was gentle and
kind, and he certainly loved his father
very dearly, but he was man who, when
he once had reason, as he supposed, to
dislike a person, never forgave. If he
loved this girl nothing could be done to
her by any consent of his father. The
Frpw's advice was that Don AIphonso
should try to wean his son back, but to
this plan the captain general would not
consent, saying CURLY that he would not
talk over the rsatter with his son in any
way.
The alcalde had been listening to the
others as they talked, smile now and
then showing itself on his face. at last,
when the captain general turned to him
for his opinion, Don Roberto suggested
quietly that Don francesca might be or
dered off with some soldiers to inquire
into the rnmor which had reached them
during the day that an outbreak among
the slaves in the town of Santa Lucia
WIS feared. During Don Francesco's alb
sence something might happen. The
other men looked at each other with that
look which follows the suggestion of an
obvious way out of difficulty, and the
council broke up.
The next morning Don francesca was
hurried away at an early hour, but he
had time to tell his father he wished to
talk with him SO soon as he returned.
He found ten minutes, too, in which to
gallop ont to the little hut and tell the
girl where he was going.
''She was filed with foreboding and
besought him that he might stay with
her." says the relacion- "a pitiful picture
in few wordsl
What happened to francesca Medina
at Santa Lucia, or while journeying
there and back, do not know, for the
relacion is silent on this as on many
other points of interest But it was not
two days after he left that Nechtla was
seized by order of the alcalde and
thrown into Quartet. The prison Of Car
thagsns then, as now, was in the eastern
section of the city. WHAT it was like in
day when all pl1sols we've s-Doues OF