Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-02

Counting in Central America.
Senior DR.. Manuel Cordoba, Judge Of
the First district of the state of Cauca,
IN New Grenada, prominent among the
men who followed in the lead of Bolivar
and after years of suffering and heroic
endeavor finally threw off the woke of
Spain, gasped out his life blood on ths
bench before the earthen wall on the
northern side of what is now the Plaza
of the Martyrs in the city of Santa F.
de Bogota. As one of the first of thost
who were captured and shot-dastar6
fashion-in the back by order of the
tyrant MoriQo he left as his legacy, first
to his children and second to his coun-
trymen, devotion to liberty. His only
son Rafael was G months old at the time.
but there was small chance that the boy
should not learn the lesson of that death
SO long as the Sonora Cordoba lived.
As ardent a patriot as her husband
and worshiping his memory even as she
revered that of a saint, she taught
Rafael to fully realize his fathers sac.
rifice, and to resolve that he, too, would
not be absent when duty to his country
called the roll. The boy was singularly
attractive. At school and afterward
when at college in Paris he showed abil-
ity of the highest order and accomplished
tasks with apparent ease over which the
slower intellect Of his bosom friend, Jose
Maria Sanchez-called Pope by Spanish
custom-labQred in vain,
The love Of Damon for Pythias or OF
Dayid for Jopathan found itself in the
feeling which existed between these
two. Senior Don Rafael Sanchez had
been the friend Of the dead patriot, and
after the execution was the guardian Of
his little namesake, as well as the trustee
who managed the estate of the widow
That Rafael Cordoba and Jose Maria
Sanchez should play together as BOYS,
should together ride when the cattle
were branded, or sail on the same ship
to complete their education in France,
was natural enough, but that each
should love the other as his other self
depended on something more than this
companionship. Pepe was, like his
father, somewhat slow in thought and
action, cautious and careful.
Life in Paris with all its JOYS being
over the two young men came back to
New Grenada, or Colombia as it was
called by this time, to take their share
in the political life of the country. All
was turmoil. Jose Ignacio Marquee had
been elected president two years before
-1S31-and the suppression of the con-
vents in Paste a month before the ar
rival of Rafael and Pope was the signal
for the outbreak of 1.-The revolution of
the governors" Small at first, it rapid
ly spread under the energetic leadership
of Samper until the whole country was
convulsed. As might be supposed from
his character, Rafael Cordoba was en-
thusiastic over the war, and loudly de-
clared MS intention of casting in his lot
with his fathers old friends in the gov
eminent 50 soon as he should have seen
his mother. He journeyed to the state
of Cauca, found his mother on her
hacienda, near the city of Cali, and
staid where he was,
The Senorlta Elodia Sanchez, Don
RafaeIs daughter and Pepe's sister, was
then II years old, of medium height and
exquisitely graceful, with wealth of
hair and glorious black eyes. shaded un.
touch of color in her cheeks which makes
the pure brunette SO very beautiful; with
hands and feet like those of child. with
trick of glancing up and revealing the
depth of her great eyes, and then de-
murely yelling them from view: with a
voice like soft music-was it any won
der that Rafael lost his heart and began
to play the bear in front of Senior San
CHEFS house?
For be 1t known that courtship in
Colombia consists chiefly of silent adj
miration, and while the girl sits in the
balcony the man stands below in the
street, gazing respectfully and ardentIy
at her. Between them there is always
from thirty 10 fifty feet of space, across
which they rarely care to talk, as the
whispering of love" becomes ridicu-
lous under such circumstances. Who
would desire to make tender declara-
ton in the voice of Stentor? This
method of showing passion is called
playing the bear, but why | do not
know
1t must not be imagined that Rafael
could fall 50 desperately in love win
Elodia without telling Pope all about it.
The somewhat grave Jose Maria found
himself forced to listen to rhapsodies
about his own sister until in truth he
began to tire of them. No doubt Elodia
was a good little thing and Pope was
fond enough of her, but that she was an
angel he somewhat seriously doubted.
Then, too, as there was no earthly rea-
son why Rafael should not marry her,