The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-02-01
POISON LOVE.


20. Andrea was pruning her calico fiounoes
preparatory to stroll past the offices, os-
tensibiy to take some drawn work to the
much bored wife Of the manager, but
well, Andrea was both coquette and had
o musical laugh by the grace of God, for
II thoss talents are not heaven sent 1t Is
hopeless to attempt to graft them.
1t was very warm and the air was SHIN
mering before Jimmy Avsry's eyes as he
came out of the cool dusk Of the big adobe
room and stood looking up the slope An
drea was coming down. There was great
humning of yellow jackets around q heap
Of red tuna skins. Once Jimmy Avery was
Innocent, good and young. That he was
any Of the three now was doubtful. Yet
he was much younger than he looked, and
possibly his face was more weak than evil.
II was still handsome face, though the
fiery Mexican liquors had burnt 1t dull
red. He was puffy under his eyes, and
his eyes were clouded.
An6lrea's founce struck the little blood
red pile of skins rotting In the sun. In
moment she was the center of the fiercely
buzzing insects. One stung her on the
neck, and she ran crying to the secretary,
whom she saw in front Of the office rolling
his cigarette and staring up the red clay
road at her.
The yellow jackets went back to their
feast, and the young secretary led in the
peon woman, and placing her In his big
leathar chair--she had never sat on chair
beforc--rubbed the swollen bite on her
round, brown throat with ammonia, sooth-
ins her tenderly, for Jimmy Avery was
tender to all women until they crossed
him. Then his savageness and brutality
were such as to make a mere ordinary
man who knew nothing Of tenderness
stand aghast.
Andrea's black eyes were very full and
lustrous with the Mexican sun In their
.dusky depths, and there was dimple at
the corner of her poppy red mouth.
II never see you in Leon," he said to
her. Sometimes CO. Why do you neverf
There's lots of music and the paseo This
10 lonely place for a pretty woman"
Andrea hung ber head and twisted her
fingers together. Jimmy In some disgust
at her stupidity signed for her to go, and
settled himself back to the slumber that
had been broken by the clear vibrations Of
her pretty laugh.
That evening Andrea sat on the mud
floor, sullenly stirring the ola podrida
simmering over the fire of sticks In the
corner. 1t is not good for ones temper to
sit on soft, leather chair In the afternoon
and come home to sit OIL mud floor, to
listen to praises of ones beauty there and
here to the naked, brown baby, crying and
crying on its heap Of rags by the wall.
When Limpy appeared In the low door
way, be knew by the back Of Andrea'a
head there was storm brewing. Limpy
was the limpiador- cleaner and
night Waterman. He was also limpy by
nature, dragging one foot heavily after
him.
Andrea oast look Of scorn upon him
as he knelt by the rags trying to quiet the
baby--he was so black and SO dirty. He had
had smallpox, and each pit was trimming
with dirt. He was fairly coated, clothes
and all, with coal dust and grease. He
had wide mouthed, friendly grin, and
goodness shone from every line of his
homely face The men all loved Limpy,
and they said of him, "Hos white inside
anyway"
1t was after the scanty meal had been
Limpy listened In patient amazement
while the Spanish ratified round his ears
like hailstones on tin roof
"But why do You want to 60 to Leonf
The baby is here, and am here, and''-
"You and the babym And Andrea cried
and tore at her rebozo with her sharp,
white teeth
She used the same arguments that Eve
probably used She was not feeling well,
she needed change, and there was no SO.
ciety and no amusement for her-all wom-
Gu soy the same, In different languages per.
haps.
When your wages are sl1 month and
corn is cents pound, it is hard having
wife who pines for change. Limpy put
1t to her fairly and squarely. There were
the pigs at Marfl, where his brother was
tending them. II she went to Leon, the
piss would DO on short rations, and already
the corn doled out was not keeping pace
with the appettes of the unfortunate
swine.
Andrea decided, as was to be expected,
against the pigs. Faithful, honest Limpy
pigs were the core of his heart. But An
drca was his God. So let the pigs starve
The day Andrea went to Leon in the old
diligence was an eventful one The women
gathered in little groups and put theii
heads together, whispering Of her warily,
for Andrea's temper was notable She was
u burro, they said, and her mother was a
burro, and her grandmother, and also were
they pigs to the third and fourth genera
ton. And their wrath had foundation,
for when in the memory Of man had a
peon woman travelled to Leon by coachP A
woman with feet. There were much tlut.
tering of rebozo and silvery Ginning OF
laughter, and at last the old coach rumbled
away down the winding mountain road,
and out of the radiant blue air rippled An
drea's laugh.
That night at dinner Mrs. Orion looked
the young secretary full between the eyes
after her won't and said very so<tly: 81
saw that pretty Andrea starting off on the
coach today. Did you ever notice her, Mr..
Avery"
Jimmy helped himself to some vile com.
pound or other from the big silver dish the
mozo was holding. "Yes-that is, no
which one do you mean"
II take very little stock in that wife Of
the night watchman's," said the manager,
q ponderous, heavy footed man, with a
large, benevolent manner, very trying to
some peoples nerves. II was witness to a
most unniotherly action on her part
Jimmy booked bored. What were the
pelado to himp So he paid scant attention
while Mr.. Orton spun woeful yarn OF
| Andreas carelessly dropping the baby
among the burros as they came into the
narrow defle above the camp, laden with
| the long leather sacks of ore. How the
baby escaped, il it ever did, was more than
| Jimmy could have told you. But he could
have told you that Beatrice Orion had a
half opened scarlet hibiscus In her blond
| hair.
Wonderful stories of Andrea's doings In