The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-05
MARCELENA ZENDA.

terraccd houses and had Spanish blood In
her veins and was so beautiful that her
name was q charm In her tribe Marco
lena had refused dozen Mexican senors,
the colonel of ~ regiment stationed at
Fort Bowie and half dozen OF her own
people Then she mot q dark, melancholy
man from New England, who had come
there with the principal product OF that
rountry. consumption, and expected to die
He had no right to TALL In love. but he
did, and, what was moro remarkable, his
love was returned. Marcelena had lands
and burros and tenement that was q
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 he decided that 1t would be wicked
for him to marry her only to make her
widow.
But you will not die, Jamez"-his
| name was James-said Marcelena II
make myself prayer TO God In the thorn
| that you live. i suffer- then he make you
| to be well. >"
mo, dear one, you mistake. God does
not ask that you shall lacerate your fair
body with thorns that i may recover. III
my one did that 10 should be me. Prom
ESQ mo that you will never again go with
the Penitentes-promise me, Marcelena,
although may not live to know that you
keep your promise.
| So Marcelena promised and then brought
| her guitar and played sweetly to her lover,
who watched her with intent gaze long
| To-. o.. An lao Of hnt ha
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 be sent for Marcelena to come TO him
and be married by the post chaplain.
mo" said Marcelena In the proverb OF
| her people; "that would be the haystack
going after the COW. marry at home or
| not at all. ="
Pretty Marcelena controlled herself as
best she could and In a moment Of loneli-
| ness consented to ettend q ball with a for
mer lover, Senor Filipe who had sworn 10
himself that she should never marry an
| other man. But of this the New Mexican
| girl was quite unconscious. She arrayed
herself for the ball In an elaborate dane
ing skirt of gay striped stuff, embroidered
In many colorcd beads and silver sequins
In strings down the breadths, Her dainty
feet wero incased In soft kid moccasins,
for this was an occasion when she wore
her tribal dress, and she carried the casta-
nets bequeathed to her by her Spanish
mother. So accoutered she accompanied
! Senor Filipe.
That night Marcelena was, as usual the
belle OF the ball. 1t was not at all sur
prislng that she should accept the homage
IL. L,,t - h.,.
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 OF the hos
pital, perhaps dying under TINT same glori-
Gus moonlight Blanca, her friend had
token the last dance for her, and she step
ped out to breathe the welcome tonic of
the night air.
Some one was singing "El Borrachito,"
giving the refrain in English badly bro
ken:
"And passion for woman caused IL ALL"
The Borrachito-"the man who Is a lit.
tie drunk"--was the cavalier Filipo who
had brought Mnrcelena TO the ball, and
who was now ready TO take her home,
swung to the same saddle, q mode Of CON
veyance not only proper, but popular
among tho Pueblos. He had lighted her
cigarette and was looking into her eyes
with that dashing, daring audacity which
was hor need OF homage She curled her
red lips just little at his too ardent gaze
hut he was accustomed 20 that-only there
was that in his mind tonight of which
she knew nothing
The rest of the company were out
watching the pair on the feet Mexican
horse.
''Some day." snys one Of tho rejected,
"he will run away with herl''
THAT fiery Filipe--no. She is too tame
He knows she will marry the Yankes
schoolmoster-poor little one"
The flash of silver on tho girls dress
dazzlcd their eyes In the moonlight She
wore enough silver crosses and strands of
beads to buy n dozen pardons.
Her handsome arms clasped the cavalier
Filipe, but not too closely, she was In
hurry to get homo to pray for her
"Jamez."
They dashed into the moonlight and
across the plaza, through the plain be-
yond, over fields of cactus, startling the
jack rabbits and the piping quail, and
away like the wind, but In an opposite di-
rection to the home Of Marcelena At
first the girl did not notice it, but Filipo,
flushed and fearless, called outs
| ITO Acoma, Razelle TO the country Of
Filipe, and you will never sec your puny
American againr'
There was wild cry of despair, as the
girl tried to throw herself from the flying
horse, but could not FREQ herself for a mo-
ment from the passionate grasp of the
| Mexican.
"I'll kill you!" she said between her
teeth.
XIII away, my pretty angel d'amor,
but you shall be my wife first"
On and on, with tho speed Of the wind,
went the feet horse and they were near
ing the little cemetery In the valley when
| Marcelena's arm relaxed, and her head
drooped on tho shoulder of Fiipe. He be-
lieyed she had tainted and attempted to
change his position when, like flash of
lightning, the steel poinard In his belt
cleft the air and descended-not In his
treachorous heart, but in the soft breast of
| tho honutiful and dpsDerato Nnrcelona