The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-12-07
A CHANGED DEVIL.

Babe Espinosa was the only daughter
of Gayina Espinosa, whose wife the
saints had called early, and her place
had been supplied by woman whom
Babe had been taught to call Aunt Tin
to- The Espinosas kept a small Mex
lean restaurant on Santa Lucia street,
where tortillas, enchiladas, tamales,
red wine and other hot stuffs were at
fractions. Babe had been brought up in
the restaurant and in the street-in the
gutter, If that was out Of Aunt Tinto's
way-though she had faint remem-
brance of yard around an old adobe,
where there were myrtle with big blue
blossoms and broken borders of gaudy
flowers, and thinking of the adobe she
thought of the myrtle, and thinking Of
the myrtle she saw 1t ON grave in q
place where there were many thin,
wooden crosses, some Of them always
leaning over with a promise to Join
those that had lain down like the Sleep
ers. She had been ohristened Maria, but
after some years and some slips she had
repudiated the name as too common
place for her and had assumed the name
of her innocence because Of the travesty
it was. ''Marias are thicker than vir-
gins. said Babe, whereat her followers
laughed. These were all young men.
Women did not like Babe and she did
not like women.
Babe was wiry, square shouldered and
slim wasted. She attracted attention
wherever she went. Everything she did
was done with this in the vista, and she
would have succeeded had she only
posed as propriety. The conformation
Of her supraorbital region caused the
other Marias to accuse her Of the evil
eye. Her hair, worn'old style, parted
in the middle and carried down over
her ears, was black and only less
coarse than the name Of mustang, and
her hair and eyes would have been OBJ
served in any aggregation.
Babe had a familiar, one Woo Rot
tamil, the hunchback of the Pocket. The
Pocket was haunt Of i'll repute, clus-
ter OF old, low tenements in the center of
block where there were houses facing
the sidewalk in the regulation civic
way. Vico was tall for hunchbaok,
owing to his very long legs Babe was
so strong that she could put hand un-
der either hump and lift Woo about,
while his long legs dangled like rag
dolls.
Through all the streets and alleys Of
the town the odd looking pair went at
will and at all hours. "The devil and
the DEVILS own" Babe said of them,
and the Marias said, spite of her sex,
the devil was Babe.
Often they passed old Mateo Tiveros
and his tamale stand. Sometimes they
f1outed the old man. Sometimes they
wheedled him out of tamale by prom
Uses of sweet yerba santa, sometimes So
cured it by mere bold banter, but one
night late, when there was no moon and
old Mateo's red lantern, low and smoky,
cast light that would hardly have done
for a photographer darkroom and Babe
and Vico were bold with bad wine, q
whim struck Babe to upset old Mateo
and his outfit.
A whisper to Vico won him to the
scheme, and in a few twinklings the
lantern oil had spread itself a La mayon-
naise upon the outer husks of the few
tamales remaining in the steamer To
Babes surprise Vico lay in the mayor
naise, and she found the night air cool
upon her spine, for old Mateo had dis
posed Of Woo with a single left handler
and with stroke of sharp knife had
ripped Babes clothing from neck to
waist. Babe wet her dress skirt at the
fountain, tore off Vico's collar, opened
his shirt and mopped his face, neck and
breast till consciousness returned. Then
she took off his coat, threw it around
her shoulders, buttoned one button, got
Vico on his feet and half led, half car
ried him home and put him to bed.
She thought of smelling salts for Vico
and began to rummage for green bot
tie with an oroide top that had once
held some. Not finding it in one place,
she looked in another, when, feeling
something unusual in the old zinc
trunk, she drew it forth and shuddered
till the split clothing slipped down on
her tawny shoulders as she saw wood
en- cross with an ivory figure In fixed
contortion upon it Then she remem-
bered that once upon time she had
stood by an old chest when her father
found the crucifix, and he, too, had
trembled.
"Who is it?" she had asked
Zone Jesus" her father had said.
He was your grandmother He is a
dead man, and the dead are as earth
and air and water. will have nothing
Of this Jesus. "
He threw the Jesus in the strong box,
then heaped clothing upon it and jump
ed in and stamped upon it.
Why had he not thrown it away?
Another day she had meant to do SO,
for she smothered when she thought Of
that yellow, hurt looking man, bleed
ing and nailed and trampled under the
clothing in the tight box. She had gone
with creeping flesh and got him out
Why had she not thrown him awayP
Why had she forgotten him? Strange it
seemed to her, that moan Of Vioo's at
that moment, Jesus mercy-my Je-
ms, meroy-my poor head "
Her grandmother had kept Jesus by
her. Had he done something for her?
Would he do something for Vicos She
could not bear to look at him even in
the dim light, but she laid him on vi
co.'s breast and took Vioo's hands and
put them upon him.
Babe could not breathe. Her face
burned. Her bare breast burned. She
felt her way to the back porch, heavily
Overhung by Towering bean and balsam
vines, but the night air did not cool
her, though her clothing had slipped
off her arms and fallen down from her
belt, and her wet skirts chung to her
limbs.
Her father sat there in low, wide
rocker-her father, stupid with heavy
food and sour wine-and another form
was coming up the black adobe walk.
Is was not mist only nor shadow nor
cloud, yet Babe knew not what else to
call it, and it came to the railing and
stood without and spoke to him, her ia
Their, "The step is fallen, husband, and
the porch is falling with the thick vine,
and my child is fallen.
What business is it Of yoursS'' re-
piled Gavina Espinosa with sullen bra
vado. Then he burst out wrathfully /:
by God, in the course of nature you
have no right to be here. You are dead
and useless.
dead? 1 am not dead" said the
mist. Death frees us. Death rests u.s.
Death soothes pain, but am bond and
weary and suffer.
Anyhow, your grave is over there,