The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-08
MARCELENA zENDA.-

utE NtluS anu was 81 Dbdubllul
name was a charm In her tribe Marco
lena had refused a dozen Mexican senors,
the colonel of regiment stationed at
Fort Bowie and half dozen of her own
people Then she met a dark, melancholy
man from New England, who had come
there with the principal product Of that
country, consumption, and expected to die.
He had no right to fall In love, but he
did, and, what was moro remarkable his
love was returned. Marcelena had lands
and burros and a tenement that was
wonder of architecture in her own right
and could have married her lover offhand,
her people all being subservient to her
slightest WISH but the New England man
had a conscience. After winning the girls
love no decided that 1t would be wicked
for him to marry her only to make her q
widow.
but you will not die, Janez"-his
name was James-said Marcelena. II
make myself prayer to God In tho thorn
that you live. suffer; then he make you
to be well. ~
mo, dear one, you mistake. God docs
not ask that you shall lacerate your fair
body with thorns that / may recover. II
any one did that, 1t should be me, Prom
Use me that you will never again go with
tho Pcnitentes-promise me, Marcelena,
although may not live to know that you
keep your promise.
So Mnrcelena promised ~ then brought
her guitar and played sw, to her lover,
who watched her with in.,ut gaze, long
ing for a new lease of life, that he might
call her his own.
Through the Interference of friends he
became an inmate of the government hos
pital at the fort and improved so rapidly
that he sent fer Mnroelena to come to him
and be married by the post chaplain.
mo, said Marcelena in the proverb of
her people, that would DO the haystack
going after tho COW. l marry at home or
not at all. "
Pretty Marcelena controlled herself as
best she could and In u moment Of loneli-
ness consented to attend ball with for
mor lover, Senior Filipo, who had sworn to
| himself that ehe should never marry an
other man. But OF this the New Mexican
/ girl was quite unconscious. She hrrayed
herself for the ball In an elaborate dane
ing skirt Of gny striped stuff, embroidered
In mnny colored beads and silver scluins
In strings down the breadths. Hor dainty
feet were incasGd In soft kid moccasins,
for this was an occasion when she wore
her tribal dress, and she carried the casta-
mother. So accoutered she accompanied
| Senior Filipe.
That night Marcelena was, as usual, the
belle of the ball 1t was not at all sur
prising that she should accept the homage
showcred upon her, but her heart was not
in it, and at midnight she stepped to the
open door of the dancing hall, and looked
far over the shining plain, and thought
of her lover lying in the ward the hos
.,s4 4.
Gus moonlight Blanca her friend, had
taken the last dance for her and She step
ped out to breathe the welcome tonic Of
tho night air
Some one was singing FL Borrochito,"
giving the refrain In English, badly bro
KEN
And passion for u woman caused it all"
The Borrachito-"the man who is lit
tic drunk WIS the cavalier Filipe who
had brought Marcclena to tho ball, and
who was now ready to take her home,
swung to the same saddle, u mode Of con
veyance not only proper, but popular
among tho PuublOs. He had lighted her
cigarette md was looking into her eyes
with that dashing, daring audacity which
was her need of homage She curled hor
rcd lips just little ut his too ardent gaze,
but he zSas accustomed to that-only there
was that in his mind tonight Of which
she knew nothing.
The rest of the company wore out
watching the pair on the fleet Mexican
horse
Some day" says one Of the rejected,
"he viii run away with herr
THAT fiery Filipe--no She is too tame.
He knows she will marry the Yankee
schoolmaster-poo little one"
The flash OF silver ON the girls dress
dazylH1 THAR n thu Ina4nIioLt Gha
wore enough silver crosses and strands of
beads to buy n dozen parduns
Her handsome arms Clasped the cavalier
Fillpe, but not too closely, she WINS in q
hurry to get home to pray for her
"Jamez."
They dashed into the moonlight and
across tho PLAN, through tho plain be-
yond, over fields Of cactus, startling the
jack rabbits and tho piping quail, and
away like tho wind, but In an opposite di-
rection to the home Of Marcelena At
. first the girl did not notice it, but Filipe.
flushed and fearless, called out;
To Acoma gnzClle, to tho country Of
Filipe, and you will never see your puny
American againr'
There was n wild cry of despair, ms the
girl tried to throw herself from tho flying
horse. but could not free herself for a mo
ment from the passionate grasp of the
Mexican
I'm kill you'll" she said between hel
+ teeth
Kill away, my pretty angel damon
. but you shall DO my wife first
= On and on, with the speed of tho wind
r went the fleet horse, and they were near
ing tho little cemetery in the valley wher
/, MarcGlena's arm relaxed, and her heat
dropped on the shoulder of Filipc He he
lieyad she Ind tainted and attempted t
= change his position when, like flash o
. lightning, the steel poinard in his bel
cleft the air and descended--not In hi
treacherous heart, hut in tho soft breast 0
the beautiful and desperate MArcelcna
At that moment company of Unite,
States soldiers came pouring out Of al
ambulance which was slowly passing OF
its way to Fort Bowie.
They captured tho cavalier Filipe an
took the apparently lifelcss girl to the hos
4 pital, temporary building then in use
u Marcelena was not dead, not oven fatal
ly wounded But she was long time |
the ward Of the government hospital hCfor
she could be removed to her home, nm
there was "A pretty ceremony pcrfurme
g there when she was able TO sit up as a COL
d valesecnt 1t was her marriage to ,Inmei
as sho called him, the Yankee schuulma.
ter who In tho generous climate of NeI
Mexico had grown 50 robust that no snnI
DO ped his fingers at the spcctcr which hu
been family banshce for SO many gene
er atoms
THEY talk of tho hospital romance [
W. this day, and the professor, as the schoo
Is master is now called lives inst ncroSa n