The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-07-08
ANTONIO'S MARY.

In her arms. She leaned against the
balustrade, and her little son kicked his
feet against the pink blossoms Of the
passion vine running q race up the SIDE
of the house viii, a climbing rose that
was q wonder even among the roses CT
Santa Barbara Dora looked at the little
feet and at the rosy flowers and then
laughed, and pulling off the shoes and
socks held the bare feet up by the flow
ers and matched pinkness. Then, being
a mother, she began to fondle the little
things in q most unreasonable way, and
it was then that she saw Mary for the
first time-saw her come through the
gate and into the garden, not walking,
but running-running as though that,
and not walking, were the natural hu-
man gait, a girl of II, Mexican, dark
and tall and with tuneful voice when
she began to speak.
ST am Mary, Antonio's Mary" she
said. .snot Maria, but Mary, just like
American girls are named I locked
from the house there over to the house
here, and knew that you were the one
I had come to seek. I am happy, ah,
happy, if this is the little angel l am 60
take care Of I have so many, many lit
tie brothers and sisters, and l beg my
mother to let me- stay and take care CT
them. But my mother says, Mary, you
are a woman now and must make mon
ey.' And 50, as for ne, until now it is
in a laundry that I have worked. But
how can one love laundry? When Jose,
the waiter in the big hotel, came to get
me, I knew that you would let me come
tosyou, for I love the baby, and when
ona loves one does well, is it not so?''
And then, without waiting: cit is 8
good thing, dear lady, that you are not
in the big hotel now. Ny mother is q
careful woman-you do not know what
a careful woman-and the big hotel Is
a bad place for girl like me. %
GA prudent mother, !" was what Dora
thought.
Mary had taken the baby and was
looking hard at the mother with big,
affectionate eyes. Dora's imagination
was making picture, ''She shall wear
dark gown, a large white apron and
an enormous black hat, and there must
be some red about her, ard then on the
beach with the baby, with his yellow
hair, in her arms, she Will be lovely
ssAnd so,'' Robert England said to
the Sedgeleys next day, ''the little
Mexican is to become the caretaker OF
my son, because she has skin like
satin, low brow and mouthful Of
glistening teeth" But he did not say
this to his wife. Hecould not have said
that he understood women, but he
might have said that he understood one
woman. He was never better lawyer
than when he was in his own house,
and that high strung little wife Of his
was as complex body as II men ever
were.
So Mary came, and Dora and her hus-
band and the Sedgeleys watched her
every morning VIXEN she sat in the sun
on the sand with the baby on her lap.
She would take handful Of sand, and
holding it as high as she could reach
she would let it slip through her fin
gers, and when the child laughed she
would laugh, too, aud clap her hands.
She became feature of the beach life
of Santa Barbara. Every enc watched
for the coming CT the tall young savage
and the far haired child The young
men from New York who are the stars
ir the play life that goes Oh IL the place
every winter-an existence that IS no
more like real life than the Santa Bar
bara winter is like real winter-al1d
who are very pretty editions de luxe OF
the Mexican vaquerc, With their broad
sombreros their silver trimmed saddles,
their rawhide brides and diabolical
Mexican bits, aud their spurs weighed
down With silver chalns-eveE they
looked at her as they rode up and Down
on the beach.
ssNiva and have been looking at the
most beautiful creature i'll Santa Bar
bara,' said Dora as her husband and
Niva's came up to her high cart.
tNow I know you are talking about
Dora's fad" Robert said "a month
ago, the most beautiful thing woold
have sigliiie(i the most wonderful baby
in the world, but now-the truth is,
Dora enjoys being Oh a pedestal Per
haDs she has never been Oh one before,
EXCEPT for the short time that she occu-
pied che OF my making a great many
years ago before we were married. But
now she has become a soct of sapernat-
ural being il Ma1y's eyes. ;ssscre you,
she is father, mother and father confess
or all III one There are 30 bounds to
her devotion I am sure she would slay
one Of her small brothers without a pang
if Dora ordered the sacrifice. .
can uncomfortable sort Of respoasi-
bility, muttered Niva.
'tYes, Dora said, ''and I hate that.
Ihate responsibility, and ;lbhor posing,
and my part il this is Il deadly pose.
''She is undeniably pretty said
Niva's quiet husbands ;'"and that New
York fellow, your friend Dulaney over
there, seems to think so too. "