The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-08-29
POUPA.

IOupA "NN' DAC 1890
Narina. who was a drudge in StefanO Cas-
tro's kitchen. As for Stefano, he Va
~icked-yo his dark, handsome face, viii
IFS bold. black eyes, Won many hearts. II
a woman were handsome. he would love
her. Then he would win Etr only Il
throw her aside.
one evening he gave Il feast III honor OF
a West Indian who had many slaves AND
wide plantations 1t Was a rich r,past,
set u in a lOfty room with mirrDrtu walk
and "a blue ceiling, lowered with silver.
The guests sat long at table, until they
needed coffee, for the liquor they drank
burned their Threats and dullcd their
brains.
1t was the custom for coffee to be
brought in by Poupa, but today he was
i'll. n the coOk sent Marina in his stead.
Being a timid thing, the girl was lOath
to go among strangers, and as she entered
the room she paused on the threshold
! opening from the dark ~passageway. Her
slim, brown feet were bare, and not q
scrap of ribbon frightened her poor blue
cOttOnade nor the massive braidS of her
dark hair. But her face was perfect, as
the color flashed in her checks like light
across "a rose. TimOrOusly hating, she gave
no thought to her own beauty, though the
darkness from which she emerged into the
brilliant light lessened as she went the
length of the chamber. 1t was as the
blooming of a vivid flower in a darn "a
vine-so lingering was her coming f"om
the imnesS
The mirrors throw back q radiant re-
Election of her when She stood beside Stef-
anO with the coffee in her uplifted hands.
The West Indian-whO had an evil heart
-sprang up and kissed her, whereupon
L IL 49,, =: FL, 1880 .:.N
a great fear in her eyes.
Leaping up, Stefano plucked the dagger
sheathed in silver from his belt and looked
fiercely at the Cuban, who also drew his
slender blade and held it ready to strike
at the least word. In a twinkling Stefano
took a step forward with reaching, muir
derous hand; his guest, with the move
ment of a treacherous beast, sprang aside,
and-StCfanO was reeling back with a tor
rent of hot blood bursting up from Il cut
in his neck. AS he fell his cleaning steel
pierced the heart of the other, who drop
ped dead at Marina's feet.
She made the sign Of the cross upon his
brow, then covered on the floor, her gown
Redeemed in two streams of blOOd-the
rich glow of her checks smitten with a
livid hue.
The guests arose from the table, with
loud CALCULATIONS. Then seeing that Stef-
ano was not dead, they sent for a doctor
before they bore him to his chamber.
An Italian sat M drained the last drop
of his liquor before he stirred. Such
scenes were an everyday occurrence, and
he was not one to blanch because his host
was wounded and q man lay dead in q pool
of blood. When he, too, rose, he passed
Marina, with a shrug, as she crouched by
the stiffening corpse, wondering why she
did not go before the stain crept higher up
the mean texture of her cottOnade. Com
mon ervant though she was, it was no
place for her, he thought, as he went away
and left her mUttering a prayer.
Days went by, and StcfanO was ill-sO
very i'll that Poupa tool all his strength
to hold the master in the big rosewood
bed. And when the fever left Stefano
Marina would sit beside him tO brush
away the mosquitoes.
After a time he grew strong n well,
and there came a mad love in his soul for
But Marina loved Poupa.
One would not have thought that so fine
a creature as love could find it's way into
StefanO's kitchen. Yet, fair and beautiful
the young god is, he f1oated there into
life and softly touched her heart
and lips.
At the rouleaux n the sugar houses
there is a dangerous place; the whir of the
machinery makes one sleepy-so sleepy
and if one falls asleep out for a moment
one is gone.
POupa was in StefanO's way.
He was jealous, the master, for he knew
loved his servant. One evening he
POupa a glass of rich, sweet wine
ordered him to stand that night beside
the rOuleaux.
Poupa obeyed, though he felt drowsy
lOnged to throw himself down and
sleep anywhere.
The whir grew fainter in his ears, while
he stood there, until it seemed no more
the buzzing of the smallest mosquito;
the singing of the negroes at their work
sank into the merest film of melody.
Lower and lower all sound sank until
slept, and
StefanO married Marina, as he should
have done, since he killed two men for her
'ake.-Anne Bozeman Lyon in New Or
ans Times Democrat.