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


pigs.
Pawned the pigs The interest and
weekly ratims Of corn were more than
Limpy could pay. To think Of losing
those beautiful porkers
1t was learned one day, to the intense
exoitement Of the camp, that Limpy was
contemplating bath, which, OF course,
portended, in the minds Of the gossips,
visit to Leon, and, 1T was hoped, dress
ing down Of Andrea.
The momentous affair was over Ger
trudis had washed his clothes while 1t was
In progress and brand new Limpy,
clothed, but hardly In his right mind, set
forth for Leon. He felt 1t glory and ex-
pense enough for Andrea to ride there, and
80 had oheerfnlly made ready to walk, for
II Is but go kilometers and downhill all
the way.
But coming back is another tale. So 1t
was question whether 1t was the long
uphill pull the next night that had craven
Limpy's face with those lines Of pain.
One afternoon, having received their
monthly pay, the men were deep In game
of monte sitting on the ground in front
Of Limpy's mud hut Limpy himself was
lying on his stomach watching with list
less eyes. Suddenly he heard over his
head Andrea's happy laugh and the baby
was pumped down on his back. He arose
and handed the baby back, with as much
scorn as his good, honest, ugly face could
show.
She had come for money, which, to her
surprise, Limpy was unwilling to give
True, things had been little awkward
when he paid the unexpected visit to Leon,
but that was his own fault. II he Ind sent
word he was coming, everything would
have been agreeable. She was hardly pre-
pared for Limpy's attitude He was done
with her. He would take the baby, and
she must go away, and not one centavo
should she have.
Andrea did not despair. 1t was some
thing to have the baby off her hands, and
she was not counting entirely upon Lmpy.
A big golden moon was slowly sailing
from behind black peak when the secre-
tary, who was dressing for dinner, heard o
knock at the door. He was astonished and
annoyed on answering to find Andrea. He
stepped out with her In the ebon shadow
of a mesquite tree Flattering himself on
making short work of her, he turned, with
the last harsh sentence oil his lips, to look
straight into Beatrice Orton's face
"Was there ever such luck?" he groaned
az he closed the door. what was l say
ingp Something about my salary would
not permit of my supporting half the peon
women of Mexico. Good God! And what
made me say she had moro now than the
othersp The only woman on earth could
ever care for to hear thatl"
If Jimmy had said the only woman on
earth he ever tried to flirt with and failed,
he would have been nearer the mark. On
coming to La EspeIanza he had noted with
interest the disparity in the ages Of the
manager and his wife. But she had treat
ed him with the most discouraging GOODNESS
and kindness.
The moonlight was flooding the patio
and corral leaving the portales in deep
shadow, Dinner was over, and the two
men had been smoking their cigars under
the portales, but now Mr.. Orion had fallen
asleep In the broad Mexican hammock
hung in the jasmine arbor
Mrs. Orion had taken Jimmy's hat, OF
fashion unknown to the camp before his
arrival, and tripping down to the arbor
placed it over her slumbering lords face,
for fear, she explained to Jimmy, stray
moonbeam might shine In his face and
make him loco. There was distinct CO.
quetry in hor glance and laugh.
Hope was beginning to revive trife in
MIR. Avery's bosom. He had thrown away
his cigar, and was considering, with NAL
lice aforethought, the white hand resting
so temptingly near when there was heard
the sound of an excited voice.
Mrs. Orton went to meet the tall, white
figure which appeared in the palm lined cor
ridor. A sentence or two were exchanged,
O bit of which JiL,Nny caught Then Mrs.
Orton pointed toward the arbor at the fan
end Of the patio, and Andrea, with get
face, ron down the long path leading to it.
"Confound it ALL What does she think
to gain by having me discharged, with old
Orion such prig, of course"-
There was flutter of laces before him,
round arms about him and soft mouth
on his. Was the world coming to an endf
Beatrice Orton's voice was saying: "You
do love me2 Oh, say you dop'
'Why, adore you'll" And he threw bis
arm about her, but he kept an anxious eye
upon the arbor, and his arm grew limp in
spite Of himself.
81 told her you were in the hammock.
Oh, Jimmy, she has a long, sharp knifel
Do you think she will kill himsIsi1e wills
pered.
Jimmy shook her off as he would a scor.
pion. "Orton! orion" no called loudly
as he rose to his feet. "For Gods sake,
wake up, Orton!'
Mr. orion threw the secretary's hat
from his fsce, and with sense of being
somewhat rudely disturbed sat up In the
hammock. Over him bent wild eyed
woman.
MIR. Orion, being the most prosaio OF
men, noted nothing wrong, failing utterly
to see the sinister looking knife half con.
cealed by the folds Of her rebozo.
"My good creature" he said testify,
"modulate your voice when you call me.
was not asleep-merely rejecting"
Then this reflective gentleman rolled out
of the hammock and toddled out In the
moonlight. Jimmy Avery was racing for
life down between the red roses, and Mrs.
Orion sat shivering and sobbing under the
portales. tits nothing, Avery" called
Mr.. Orion benevolently. Some one OF
the servants thought was asleep. must
say she has voice like fog horn.
Blessed is he who perceivcth nothing, for
his days shall end in pence. Jimmy Avery
looked in the glass when he reaohed his
room, looked at his haggard eyes and his
lined face and repeated aloud quotation
that had struck his fancy in some long
forgotten book, Whose takes a love not
lawfully his own gathers flower with
poison on It's petals" And Beatrice
writhed all night and cried to heavs-l -
witness the most wretched woman Awe.
And all because she had found the path to
hell as stony and steep as others the road
to high heaven.
Andrea that night drank pulque, and
stumbling as she went down the mountain
road to Leon fell by the wayside and slept
till morning. She lives to this day in Leon
has painted cheeks and is called 1.-THE
nina with the songlike laugh"
And Limpy--dsar, patient Limpy He
lost three reals out Of his wages that night
The baby was sick and he could not go to
work. 1t cried and cried and would not
be comforted; for the best meaning man
Ia always little clumsy with baby
Edith Wagner in Argonaut
AGopd Present.