The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-11
CHLOE.

There was great noisei Shouts-hoarse,
shrill, sweet, harshl The deep bass of
| young men; the feeble quavering of old
ones; the silvery tones of women; the high
falsetto of children; all mingling in delight
and exultation, and without a shadow of
pity for the miserable wretches whose lives
were passing slowly out of their mangled
bodies through a score of wounds. The
! late afternoon sun beat down holly on
thousands Of heads, save where on one side
friendly walls afforded a shelter from its
rays. In the great open arena-the sky its
only canopy-a haze Of dust, with the
heavy vapors always attendant upon a vast
concourse of people, made the atmosphere
so hard to breathe that the multitude
gasped with the effort between its shouts.
Fans waved in a thousand bejeweled
hands, but the artificial current of air thus
created was hardly perceptible. 1t was
hot-steamily hot, and anything but a
Mexican audience, which had just wit
messed the slaughter of one of the fercest
and gamest bulls that ever put matador
in deadly peril, would long ago have left
the building.
That matador is brave fellow How
neatly be found the heart with one plunge
below the shoulder. He handles his sword
like master, eh, senor2" said a dark WIS.,
| aged powerfully built Mexican, Us he
famed himself with his large sombrero,
and looked in the face of quiet looking,
well dressed man at his side.
Yes He is skillful swordsman, IN
doubleday" was the reply of the we'll
dressed man, in unmistakable northern
accents.
And then the carcasses of the wretched
horses killed under the picadors, together
with that of the bull which had furnished
most of the entertainment, having been
dragged out of sight and the sawdust
raked over and smoothed down, the plea
doris, banderillos, chulos and matador,
ready for another fray, filed into the open
space in their gaudy trappings, and, with
cloaks, darts, spears and other accouter-
| ments displayed. bowed to the spectators,
took up their respective positions and pre-
pared for the onslaught of the last bull to
be killed that day.
The sport went on. The picadors, on
their old, broken down horses, circled
around the miserable bull brought out to
be baited, and leased him into rage, with
the assistance of the banderllos, who deft-
/ ly planted their sharp goads, ornameuted
with rosettes, in the bull. until he was
covered with futtering ribbons. The
chulos, with their gaudy cloaks, did their
part in attracting the bulls attention
when the sport waXed dangerously warm
for it's tormentors. Then, at last, the dig
snified matador, red cloak on arm and
long, cruel rapier ready for action, ap-
peared, gave the foaming, wearied bull his
coup de grace, received the plaudits of the
audience gracefully and retired as the
building slowly emptied itself.
The well dressed man, with the northern
accent, had sat through the performance
quietly and with the air of one who had
nothing particular to do or he would not
have been there Sunday bullfghts evil
IDENTIFY interested him but slightly His
eyes were turned toward the arena, be-
cause from his seat it was easier to look in
that direction than in any other, but any
one could have seen that his thoughts
were far away
Edward Payson," he was saying to him
self, as a scornful smile passed over his
handsome features, what are you doing
here with that letter in your pocket, show
ing you how foolish you are in putting of
your happiness? Because you have been
an exile for ten years is it necessary for
you to stay away from home another ten
Years, when the one girl you ever loved
beseeches you to return? If she did tell
you then that what you hoped could never
be, can you not believe that she was mis-
taken in her own heart, and that long alb
sence has taught her that she does care for
Wlat n h4r IN ha
put on the words in her letter."
Edward Payson drew a letter from his
pocket and looked at it earnestly, just as
the bull in the ring transliXed horse with
one of its long horns. and buried the other
in the arm of the unlucky picador on his
back Through all the hubbub of shout
ing that followed this incident, Edward
Payson seemed to witness scene very diff
ferent from that spread before him. The
letter, with the supercription in a refined.
ladylke hand, had awakened a food of
memories that swept everything present
away.
He saw a large, well kept lawn, fringed
by sycamore, maple and oak, with the
bright red of the sumach and the delicate
white of the syriuga relieving their som Der
shadows. He saw the massive architecture
of a stone mansion, half hidden by the Vir-
gina creeper and ivy which chung lovingly
TO its rugged walls. He saw the home Of a
noble Virginia family, with the simplicity
of republic enriched by the lavish taste
of a race still authorized by the College Of
heraldry TO display shield with sixteen
quarte.ings. He saw in the distance the
colored labOrers working in the fertile
fields. He saw the whole picture in a
golden frame of still summer weather. and
he could almost feel on his cheek the gen
tie breeze from the Rappahanuock as it
rolled slowly past on its way 10 the sea.
The bull had broken away now and was
dashing wildly around on the blood stained
sawdUst, with its hot eyes fixed on plea
dor waiting for the attack, while the mul
titude hovled with excitement
Bat Edward Payson paid no heed. He
saw coming out OF the front door Of the
mansion and surveying him with saucy
smile, as she stood on the veranda. young
girl in her teens, with wealth of chest
nut brown hair glnting in lie morning
sun. her garden hat was swung care
lessly by the ribbons from her hand. and
the brown hair, Just stirred by the breeze,
seemed 70 ripple in harmony with the i'm
pulsive good nature expressed in her sweeS
face The clear cut features, sottenei by
an utterly unselfsh disposition. were those
.,s ,arr4-.1 -9E ha ~