The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1897-12-21

willow hung against the house, with
red chile stuck between its bars. 1t
was the first time Betty had been under
the ancestral roof.
Besides her grandmother, who was
more unpleasant than the aunts, there
were many cousins, male and female.
OF these. two-second cousins-were in
love. They were Carlos and Ines. In
less than ten minutes Carlos had de-
serted black proved Ines and was Ian
gushing al Betty with his two softeyes.
Ines was openly wretched, Carlos open
~ infatuated, Betty openly flirting
But Carlos did not know that. od
Betty and her aunt went back to
Lowell the next day, and the same even
ing Carlos rode over to the post to see
her.
There were six officers calling on
Miss Vaudeville, so Carlos sat apart
and sulked; but he outstayed them all.
When they had gone, after supper of
canned oyster stew and tamales, he
drew his chair close beside the sofa up-
Or which Betty was half reclining.
'.Wy do you like doze ooffeecers bet
ter dan me?" he asked her.
Il don't" said Betty; they're a
bore"
do you moot, truly?
''Of course don't; how could 2"
Carlos was not accustomed to Betty's
like, and, as even those who should have
known better. had believed her. because
Of her round, blue eyes, he was not to
be blamed for his faith. Would you
raider talk to me?'
IA great deal rather"
"But dey hat stayed so late dat l
must soon 60"
twelve 1t would be too bad of you to
go just when we begin to get a chance
TO settle down to a nice, coy talk"
Carlos persisted coyly. But you
weel weesh to sleep"
/ Every WE'LL" Miss Vaudeville
shrugged her shoulders, then you had
better go. Ines may get angry if you
(, stay, and you like her more than you do
me-"
| Carlos denied this in words that were
neither kind nor just to Ines; but Bet
ty damned her with faint praise.
She was not a clever conversational
list, nor was Carlos Franquelo, but they
kept each other interested until very
late, and when Carlos went home Betty
stepped out to the front porch with him
and put her hand in his, with the least
bit of a pressure.
''Can KEGS you?" Carlos asked, bald
ly.
| 81 suppose so-because we're cousins,
you know" Betty assured him, as she
raised her innocent face to his hand
some Mexican one.
He whispered: 81 lofe you, oh! I
lofe you. You are beautiful. beeuti-
full" and Betty laughed little, and
told him he was silly, when they had
only known each other for two days.
Now, with Betty's beauty and other
attractiveness, ii was natural that she
should have a great deal of attention
from the bachelors, but Carlos devotion
was so marked that they drew off one
by one, leaving the field pretty much to
him. They resented Betty's permit
ting the young Mexican to follow her
about necessarily, even though he were
! second cousin. AS for the girl, I'M
| til it was too late she did not see the
harm she was doing Then all the Off
GERS had deserted her and there was
only Carlos. Well, Carlos was hand
some and good enough game, so she
| led him on.
1t was not her fault, surely, that she
didn't know the ways of Mexican
lovers. She had told plenty of
other men that she loved them,
and nothing had happened. But
one night she told this to Carlos
OF his urgent request, and the next day,
at about stables" as she was swinging
lazily in the hammock on the porch,
she saw three buggies, containing two
men each, coming up the line. In the
first sat Carlos and his brother, in the
others, remoter male relatives.
Betty guessed the truth at once. and
her pink cheeks turned white. She ran
, into the house, and screamed loudly