The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-13
AN ELOPEAENT.

Garcia families. The trouble, as usual, il
over girl, and in this case, she happens te
be Dolores Nicochea, the belle of MexicaL
society in San Diego for some years past.
Dolores is in the flower of her youth. just
,l8, tall, graceful and of charming manners
Her oval face is pensive, except when hel
glorious dark eyes flash with mirth OF
passion She has plenty of spunk and has
lately snapped her fingers at four big broth
ers and eloped with scion of an ancient
enemy of her house.
Dolores had lived on Tenth street with
her mother and brothers-Jose Gabriel.
Salvador and Manuel. Her father is dead
but the boys have watched her with jealous
care. Dolores has had plenty of chances tc
marry, but she has been very circumspect
in receiving attentions from young men
Her brothers have helped her by chasing
away every young fellow who came around
and by spreading the alarming intelligence
that death awaited the man who presumed
to court their sister.
This method worked well with faint
hearts, but it had no terrors for Young Toms
Garcia. Tomas is feet 2, % years old,
good looking and as quick as the mountain
lions he has SO often hunted. He first saw
Dolores two years ago at fiesta at Tia
,Juana, on the Mexican line. He was
then working on his fathers rancho at
Cerro Colorado, seven miles below the line.
He quilted work and came to San Diego
and ever since has carried on a courtship
with Dolores. For a year she turned deaf
ear to him, and he rarely saw her. He saw
Jose Nicochea once, however, but mutual
friends separated them almost before the
knives were drawn.
After that Dolores did not seem so cold,
and less than a year ago Tomas was sure
he could win her if only the chance OF
elopement offered. When the four big
brothers learned that Dolores loved Tomas,
there was mighty row. They related to
her all the old cattle wars between the Nj
cocheas and Garcias and tried to arouse
her family pride She told them with great
spirit that she didn't care how many feuds
iexisted between the families; that she loved
Tomas and some day would marry him.
Then the boys sent word to Tomas that if
he was ever seen with Dolores he would
surely die.
/ So matters have stood or the past SIX
months. Dolores and Tomas have com
municated in some way, but nobody knows
how. The old sonora, her mother, has
watched her like q hawk, and the boys
have been at her side whenever she ap-
peared in public at bale or fiesta. 1t is
strange, therefore, that Tomas should have
run away with her SO easily, but it is true
that he has
Last Sunday evening the old sonora dozed.
jose Gabriel, Manuel and Salvador were
all down town. Dolores looked mighty
pretty, leaning her cheek on her hand at
~ l,.1f
Once in awhile she glanced at her mother,
and the glance was as quick and full of fire
ias lightning flash. She kept glancine
down the street, too, as if expecting some
thing. and could hardly sit still as light
buggy and two fine horses swept around
the corner.
The team came quietly enough, but with.
out losing any time. Tomas said only one
word. sVeni." That means "Comep' but
it means mcseinS Spanish. Dolores stepped
past the doing sonora as lightly as if dane
ing the jarabe and in second more was in
the buggy.
The time consumed in reaching the cor
ner and getting out of the old lady's range
of vision was probably one minute. If you
have ever eloped, however, you can imagine
ihuw long it seemed to Dolores and Tomas.
whip descended, and the spirited horses
leaped down National avenue toward the
Mexican line. People along the road heard
a buggy hustle through the night, but they
thought it was somebody going for doc.
tor or something.
The fleeing lovers went through National
City like hurricane. 1t sounded exactly
like runaway, everybody at Chula Vista
said. Al Tia Jnana. l6 miles from here, the
horses were blowing like bellows, and the
custom house mensay that the young lady
in the buggy held "a shotgun or rifle while
the young man Piled the whip. The com.
mandante WAS not around when the horses
dashed by, but two or three of the gen.
darmes made feeble attempt to stop the
invaders. They didn't like the looks of the
woman with the gun, however, and so
Tomas and Dolores got with their team
into Mexico without paying duty-the only
case on record in these parts. They drove
right to Cerro Colorado and were married.
Old Dom Pedro, Tomas father, was tic
kled to death at securing the pearl of his
ienemy's tribe, and he will give Tomas
good ranch.
When the big brothers got home and the
iold sonora said she didn't know what had
become of Dolores. there was-well, you can
Imagine what there was. Each Of the four,
with unerring instinct, headed for the cor
raj, jammed big silver bit into his horses
mouth, cinched the animal SO tightly that
it stood On tiptoe, and all swung into the
street.
They reached Tia Juana less than an hour
behind Tomas and Dolores. They asked
the first man they met, who happened to
be Mexican custom house man, if he had
seen a young couple. No. he, had not
Others gathered around. Yes, they had
seen young couple in a buggy, driving
like crazy people.
Jose. Salvador, Gabriel and Manuel
looked at each other and prepared to push
on. Hold on, hold on!" said the custom
house man; ''you can't enter Mexico in that
fashion"
The brothers knew then that all was lost.
However, they tried to explain and argue.
No, no; they must wait till nanana and
pay The duties on their horses or go back.
but" said they. this is an extraordinary
case-an elopement, an abduction" Blu
eno,o said the custom house man, nnanana
it could be all arranged. By this time the
boys were surrounded by a swarm of gen
darines, all wrapped in serapes and smok-