The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-08


with it and never damaged its edge.
Doubtless he could have repeated the feat
OF the Sultan Saladin and cut in twain a
lace handkerchief floating in the air with
this triple raZor-edged blade.
Cutters all over the country tried in
vain TO set his secret of preparing steel
aud temper,ng it to such exquisite fitness.
But no, he would not reveal it. His only
helper was silent man from one of the
Greek islands, whom no one had ever
known to speak. The business was not
confined alone to making weapons Of self
defense. No one could temper set of
amputating tools as could Pedro. To be
sure, his prices were terrible; but where
else could you get such a set of instru-
ments!
HE MADE SET
for the south's most famous ante-bellum
surgeon, DR.. Stone, Of New Orleans, and
another for DR. Brickell, the original of
Gables DIR. SEWER" At the same time
he made bowie knife II inches in the
blade, which some of his Creloe admirers
presented to Governor Paul Herbert. that
cost, with its elaborate ormeutatious,
$1,000 This was Pedros most expensive
object OF art, and the northern papers of
40 years ago chronicled it as an instance
OF the wealth and extravaganza of the
planter barons" of the south
Pedro was evidently becoming very
rich. He had orders two years ahead of
his ability to fill them. He adhered to
the carefully conscientious ways that ne
had followed when his reputation was
making. He would not depart from
them now. With his increasing fame
and the fortune he was said to be accu-
mulating, it was not strange that Pedro
began TO be an object of interest to the
manageable ladies of the Spanish and
italo-Greek quarter of the city. Soft
glances from the loveliest dark eyes was
cast at him as he sat on bench in front
OF his shop, working and gossipping with
comrade. But he was harder of heart
than his famous steel The question of
matrimony as affecting him was never
ventured upon but once in his presence,
and then the offender received a lesson he
never forgot. 1t was in this wise that
the incident occurred:
What | want wiz so mooch moneys,
me2' What l doc weez heem ?" he re-
marked to a friend
Why, leave them to your wife and
children, " said one speaker The words
were hardly in the air when the humor-
ist realized his dreadful blunder Pedro's
swarthy face turned to an ashy brown,
then became as red as fire His eye
blazed with the fury of demons. He
seized a knife and started toward the
T u,
an old Spanish priest, happened to be at
hand. He seized the appraised hand and
spoke some words in tongue that the
other persons present had never heard.
The would-be joker stood white, tremb-
ling, appalled,. He could not understand
how his innocent words had provoked
such storm of fury as they had all be-
held.
GET HIM AWAY"
whispered the priest to the joker's COM
panion, land never let him come here
again, and the few present silently went
their way. They had all received an OBJ
ject lesson they were not likely to forget,
and 1t was borne in upon them that Pedro
had history not unconnected with mat
rimony which evoked anything but pleas
ant "reminiscences in his mind
Though Pedro had but one friend, the
priest mentioned and gwould not affiliate
with his countrymen in their festas, he
was not unpopular. The nuns in charge
of the refuge for homeless children never
left his shop empty handed. lie sub
scribed handsomely to the amusements of
the Spanish colony, though he would at
tend none of them. And he loved all
little children. A child instinctively
knows It's friends. Any baby would leave
its black nurses arms to go to him 1t
was wonderful to see how the rather saw
age, dark face could soften under a baby's
smile.
Pedro was superstitious. Like all
southern Latins, he believed in la NAL
occheia, the evil eye. He always carried
the antidote in the form of piece of
coral, in tiny branches, like the horns of
a stag. He changed but little as time
went on in feature or figure, but his face
grew full of lines, and, at times, look
came over it that was not pleasant to see
One chilly evening in NoYember Pedro
and his friend, the priest, were sitting to-
gether on a bench just outside the shop
The place was not directly on the street,
but somewhat back, and gate opened be-
fore one reached the building which con-
tanned the workshops and the owners
residence in one. The street lamps were
not lighted. A norther was coming on,
for the wind blew in cold, fitful blasts,
chilly with the fog of the sea. The priest
had just lighted a cigarette and was about
TO say something, when he looked at Pc
dro's face.
A stranger, a sailor seemingly, from his
garb, had passed, then half turned, and
was looking at the cutler, Pedros face
was like that of a man dead nine hours.
1t was quivering, white, and drawn mis-
shapenly with terrible agony. The fit, if
tit it was, lasted but minute. He leaped
into the shop. seized a long Catalan knife,
his particular weapon, and dashed
after the sailor, but the man was lost in
the coming and going throng. But the
priest observed that, as Pedro sat down,
he made
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.
His friend knew the ways of the country
man too well to attempt 10 question him.
So, after a few moments, he gravely
babe him goodnight and departed
But the neighbOrs, curious as neighbors
usually are, remarked that Pedro's shop
was not closed until far after the accus-
toned hour that night, and little g.
year-old Ninetta. the child Of the widow
living near, came in, half crying. to tell
her mother that the Senior Pedro had not
responded, but just looked angry at her,
when she uttered her usual friendly
''Buenas noches, Senior"
81 orgiye me, Ninetta Mia" he said in
Spanish, when the widow herself sur
prised and fearing he was i'll, ventured TO
call at the gate to see what was amiss
''Ihe truth is, sonora the widow spoke
his own tonguel, ! am not very well, - and
with kindly kiss he made peace with
the appeased Ninetta There is some
thing wrong with Pedro" the widow said
to herself as he went away. He had be-
frended them often, and he helped her to
the rent at periods when the times were
bad for the poor-and when they are not,
God help them and she felt kindly
toward her brawny neighbor.
vet aaty fLaraa on, A,.r