Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-08-31

Utkuuko uHuTtu ufBlku, III iuCdruotiOu
Of voluptuous southern beauty amid the
grim surroundings Of men and weapons
She was vastly enjoying the show,
Laughing. with dazzling CLEANS of her
white teeth, at the fun, and eyes scin.
tillating sympathy and interest ut the
tragic parts Of the drama. II was moth.
ing TO her, the fumes Of pipes and ciga.
rettes that curled about her. A Mexican
girl expects all that sort Of thing and
doesn't mind Il in the least. Perhaps
she was half conscious Of her own love
illness and felt the power Of her attrac.
tions, seeing them reflected in the I'D
miring gnze Of the men about her. The
maestro and Rosconomo were playing
their parts openly to her, and Lupita,
after her bursts Of tragedy, laughed and
tossed her head defiantly toward her
compatriot of superior social station, as
challenge TO her charms, which action
was perhaps sincerer compliment than
the conduct Of her fellow performers.
In the melodrama the point was now
reached where Lupita's lines required
that she should snatch q dagger from
her girdle and rush upon the maestro,
who was impersonating the villain. Just
as this scene was coming saw her sud
denly stop and clasp her hand to hen
heart, while q pallor overspread hei
face. which instantly assumed an ex
preston Of horror and aversion. Hei
! eyes, fixed In look Of intense surprise,
were gazing past me, and, glancine
slightly. around, saw that the furtiye
visitor at the rent entrance, in his desire
to see Carmen more fully, had thrust
his head into full view within the tent
Dap. 1t was OH him that Lupita's eyes
were fastened
! The voice Of the maestro declaiming
his lines ceased His waiting attitude
recalled her to her part. and she faltered
her denunciation Of him like one recall
; ing words long forgotten. Mechanically
she plucked the dagger from her girdle.
Once she felt il i'll her hand, her fingers
frightened suddenly about the handle,
and again her eyes turned TO the face at
the entrance, and this time they met
his. Pain, resentment, ungoverpable
rage. successfully imprinted their ex
preston with lightninglike rapidity IN
her countenancc. Instead Of advancing
on the maestro who. with arms folded
in heroic attitude and one foot ad.
vanced, stccd confronting her. she, with
an inarticulate cry as fierce rs the growl
Of wounded tigress, rushed like q
whirlwind toward the form in the en-
trance. She saw nothing, regarded moth
ing that stood in the way The rope
that fenced the amphitheater waist high
yielded before her. and two Of the stakes
that supported it few into the air like
jackstraws The other stakes remained
fast, and Lupita, caught and held in the
loop of the rope, shrieking and striking
madly forward with the dagger, strug
gied against the obstacle, then tripped
and fell across il.
Every man in the audience had sprung
| TO his feet in CONSERVATION, not know
ing for whom the attack was intended,
or. except myself, suspecting the mean
ing Of this terrible outburst Of wrath.
As Lupita fell the two nearest men,
Felix and another, sprang to raise her.
As they lifted her to her feet Felix, with
one hand. firmly but not urgently wrest-
ed from her the dagger Then, with the
aid Of the maestro, they half led, half
carried, the stormy senorita back to the
rear of the tent, where, flinging herself
upon the ground. she lay pale, trem-
bling and exhausted, but unsubdued
Her breast hcaved with emotion, and &C.
casionally she gave sob, but In her
eyes, hard and glittering, there was no
vestige Of tear. Leaving her IN the
care Of the maestro and his wife. who
had appeared on the scene, the two men
came back to the front Of the tent,
where eager inquiries greeted them as
20 the cause Of the senorita's violent be-
havior.
What set her Oh the rampage"
"Who was she after!" I'm mighty
| glad il wasn't me-" were questions and
remarks to which Felix and the other
man could return no satisfactory replies.
Lupita had said nothing that could en-
| tighten them as to the object against
which her outburst had been directed.
Apparently I was the only spectator who
had seen the Mexican's face at the en-
| trance, and did not care to confide TO
any one but Felix such knowledge or
surmises as l might have.
Lupita's impromptu tragedy scene
broke up the show, and it was to van
ishing audience, already nearly disap-
| peared, that the maestro announced
that, in consequence Of the sudden i'll
disposition Of the senorita, the perform
ance must be regarded as closed. The
men camped about the station went out
| TO look after their individual outfits and
to prepare for the night. Carmen and
her maid, who throughout the whole
outbreak had looked OH with COM
posure and interest. unmingled with
fear, that would have astonished most
people Of northern blood, soon retired to
/ their apartment in the station. Then
got q chance to speak to Felix about the
things that had noticed in connection
with the scene Lupita had made.
He listened attentively and seriously
to what had to say.
$50 the man you saw ut the entrance
was no one Of the crowd that was here
when the show began?" he said when
had told him all knew or surmised in
the matter. Does anybody at the sta
ton know of the coming Of such man
and who he is?"
~ asked the herders and the station
keeper il there had been any arrivals
since the performance began, and both
said they hadn't known Of any" was
my answer.
Felix meditated few moments,
while his brows bent down in way
that had learned to interpret as mean
ing that situation had arisen that de.
manded serious attention.
There's something about this that
needs looking after" he said at last
1--WE must find ont about that Mexican.
He may be merely follower Of the
show, or he may have been reconnoiter-
| ing our encampment for some purpose
of deviltry. Whatever his designs are
| in prowling about here, one thing Is
certain-the girl Lupita doesn't stand
| in with him. She was dead in earnest
when she went for him with the dagger,
and il the rope hadn't held her she'd
have come mighty near getting him.
"I've got TO go back to the tent to
| give the boss Snowman his money" he
continued. Perhaps / can find out