Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-08-13


then to notice that the bundle moved.
Wherefore | concluded it was d
woman, probably Mexican 1t was
woman, or very young girl, rather,
and deuced pretty one-a Mexican too.
could see that, even in the twilight,
for her eyes cleaned in the dark as on
~ pair OF Mexican eyes can CLEAN,
and there was an added brightness, for
the eyes were wet with tears How dc
1 know dismounted and found out,
OF course. 1t isn't likely | was going to
see woman prone on the ground a
long way from the nearest habitation
at nightfall and yet not offer her any
assistance in my power.
We'll, as | said, she was crying
stormily, and | set about finding out
why. She told a most blood curdling
tale Of parental cruelty. Itwasn't true
I've found that out since. She was only
l6, but she could tell an extraordinari-
ly good lie. As "a matter of fact, she had
found that particular flame of hers
was going to take another girl TO some
sh1ndy. But the cruel treatment story
did nicely, and | comforted her-she
was such mere child, | honestly
thought The lie was innocent enough.
They aren't taught to think falsehood
anything serious. She was just trifie
shy and shrinking, like little girl who
puts her hands behind her aud lowers
her lashes at the advances of "a stranger.
In fact, that is exactly what she did.
You should have seen those lashes.
You'd have been just AS big fool as
was and have staid until the moon
rose and made an appointment for an
other meeting and eventually you'd
have fallen as badly in love as l did
I'VE always met under this tree. 1t
was on her fathers land, but quite out
of sight of the house. She said that if
he were to find us together he would re-
double his brutality, bat assured her
that if we were discovered we would
run off at once and get married. The
child was i'll one of her acquiescent
moods and lowered her eyes and agreed.
OF course / could only manage to get
away on Saturday evenings or Sundays
this is the anniversary Of our meeting,
by the bye; you see cling to old mem
ories-but we made the most Of our
time. | never had been so infatuated AS
l was with that Spanish child, with her
tawdry, bright frOcks, her shy ways,
her gorgeous eyes and her broken Eng
lish. She really was Spanish and not
Mexican, l learned
They all are, " ventured.R ~
Il know, but your sarcasm4 3 wasted.
In this case it was beyond Question, and
there was American blood in her veins
too-a little of it.
II insisted upon running away with
her and getting married at sea, and,
after no end of refusals, she finally CON
sented. Oh, / was far too smitten, too.
ensnared, TO have it occur to me then
how a match of the sort would hamper
my career; how an ignorant country
girl would prove thorn in my flesh in
the critical town clique; what social
drag she would be upon mel | knew
the family would raise particular Cain,
but when man wants TO marry i'll spite
of his family he is apt to look upon it
as a small stone to be kicked out of his
path. and it takes hing soI.e Il mt Iu dis
cover that his pebble is good sized
bowlder
But we quarrelod A long pause,
while Barry lit snother cigar from the
pld one and pulled it into glowing. /
on: -is'e,,r a6r Ia a-Fd after awhile be went
fiery. but you should dr9st. women are
She got the cruel father-a harIu.~---
shriyeled up old fellow-to take her in
to town behind one of his trotters one
day. She wanted TO buy gown, which
she told him was for some kind of
bale out here, but it was really to get
married in. had brought her sample
Of the stuff wanted her to get; other
wise she'd have appeared in pink and
green and white lace beyond doubt.
''Well, she saw me ON the street with
a city girl. believe it was Nora Clarke.
You remember her? She was the merest
acquaintance, as you know, and l treat
ed her as one does any woman one hap
pens to meet We passed confection-
er's, and !, naturally enough, asked her
to have some soda water. | don't sup
pose I'd have done it if I'd known that
Ysadora was around, simply because /
was aware that she wouldn't take it as
an American fiancee would have done.
but she was around, and she thought
| was doing the deadly devoted. so the
next Saturday, when we were to have
run away, she met me with reproaches
and tears and deviltry generally. She
wouldn't listen to reason. She tore up
the new gown and refused ever to mar
ry me or any other man, and she used
some strong but musical Spanish. fam
cy she was more jealous than hurt, but
I-well, | was completely done up To
say that she looked more beautiful than
ever would be to put it weakly. When
| saw her disappear for good over be-
hind that clump of eucalyptus, was
ON the verge of suicide. Pity | stopped
at the verge.
''The fellow who has since built the
hotel bought this spot. that saw our
meeting and our parting. when her old
father died, a year or so later.
You came along just as / was going
over old memories and wishing-I sup
pose should not say it-wishing that
1t We're six years ago, and that was
still blindly infatuated with my Span
ish sweetheart of l6 "
am not fond Of the modern untinish-
ed story. want to see the heroine laid
in her grave by host Of weeping
grandchildren, and the hero following
her contentedly soon after, so | asked,
''But what became of the girl?'
Nothing ever becomes in real life,
he answered
Where is she now?'' persisted.
Sin the ballroom, dancing the cotil-
Ion with Thornton. ("
Then
"Yes. We made it up after her IA
ther's death and were married-on dry
land--and have lived happily ever aft
CT, he added, Struggling his shoulders
and throwing away his cigar. Gwen
dolen Overton i'll San Francisco Argo-
naut