Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-06-10

are bad man"
He had risen and listend to her out
burst unmoved. When she paused
for breath he replied. MY dear Dona
Amata. / at least am aiming to bene-
fit some one besides myself. You say
that am bad man. What will you
think OF yourself when you see ysur
father beggared. living on charity in
an Indians hut? l say nothing OF tho
fact that your delicate hands will
probably have to cook his beans
Now be reasonable"
oh / hatcha you. cried the girl
with another burst OF grief, 'and l
no want marry old man"
'Old man! Why, my dear senorita
l am only forty" He looked Mt her
amusedly; no was certainly not old
enough to be sensitive
But it is very old to u.s." sobbed
the girl IL only am eighteen aud
Antonio no is more than twenty-five.
When our mems are forty they are
very stout and have the complexion
like coffee. so | no can think is young.
You. spitefully, no are stoat because
you work all the time maka the
moneys"
AT this juncture another door
opened and an old man entered the
room. A black silk handkerchief
was knotted about his head. he wore
short clothes of green cloth decorated
wiSn large silver buttons. He was
very stout and even his features
seemed to have RELEASED under the
enervating influence OF the California
life of that period His black eyes
were a trifle bleared, his indefinite
features wore a somewhat testy ak
preston as he glanced from his
daughter TO her sutton.
''Don James Cunningham l am
glad TO see you -" he said slowly.
'What is the matter? / tell her to
marry you and she do it. and he
brought his cane down sharply on the
bare floor.
Il no do it," cried Amata reused
to filial rebellion for the first time in
her life. Il no marry him; marry
Antonio. Ay. Antonio Antonio" and
she flung herself upon the sofa and
went INTO violent SODSlng.
She tell you she no marry your
asked the old man of Cunningham.
She certainly does not seem 10 xp-
prove OF me but you know the per-
versity of woman. Don Pedro and
assure you once more / shall make
the best Of husbands-and sons"
DoK Pedro placed his stick upon a
- h.hfNl.1 =
fractory daughter and raising her in
his arms bore her TO her own room
and laid her on the bed. lie then
went out and returned with a hammer
and nails. with which he fastened her
window within six inches of the sill.
'.Now" he said in Spanish. here
thou will stay and have nothing to eat
but bread and water until thou marry
est Don James Cunningham. Dost
thou think that ! will DO left sitting
in the road that thou mayest marry =
man who sleeps in a hammock all day
and CANDLES all night? Thou art like
silly child TO refuse TO marry a man
who could make thee like a queen
But have spoken.
He returned TO the sala. locking the
door behind him, followed by the sobs
aud shrieks OF his daughter. LAY.
misericordia! Ay. infeliz de mi! Ay.
senior! Santa Ma, ia! Santo Dies!
Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay"
She marry you" said Don Pedro.
"Now you stay here no? for few days
till all is settle. then can marry and
have be through ="
Cunningham spent the next few days
listening to his prospective father-in-
laws "reminiscences of bull fights,
horse racing religious PROFESSIONS
climbing the CREASED pole catching
the creased pig by the tail az it ran.
the balls that lasted u month. all the
distractions OF ArcadIan California
whose sun was forever set The young
Non OF the house secretly sympathized
with their sister but approved OF their
fathers course in view of prospective
plenty. One OF the vast ranches had
been sold several years before ct an
absurdly low figure 10 an American in
order that the eldest son OF the house.
since dead could crafty his political
ambition. Another had gone for
American taxes Still another had
been 'squatted" upon, and although
tho law had promised the Californian
redress 1t was tardy Of fulfillment and
the squatters were tilling the soil
and making it yield in an astonishing
manner The two remaining ranches
left were mortgaged TO the American
Cunningham. and when he handed
them back they would willingly let
him manage them having the great
est respect for his hard American
sense.
Meanwhile, Amata sobbed and
starved. Her lover serenaded her the
first midnight but went to Los An
gees the next day and forgot to re-
turn for several For three days the
spirited Californian girl was obdurate;
then her delicate. luxurious stomach
began to cry out for the dainties to
! which it was accustomed. AS the
pangs grew sharper she became pos
itively terrified. never having felt
physical suffering before. and not
knowing what awful end 1t portended.
She begged pitifully for carne conajo.
at least for just one enchilada n SOL
! itary dulce. but her father was equally