The Irish standard., 1898-12-10

eye, and ! examined it again. In the
solitude of our cabin had better
opportunity to study the senorita
Dorotea's face, and it attracted me
strangely. Ii she had any of that
charm of manner possessed by the
6enorita Palacos. l thought, my stay
upon the island of Guajan might be
anything but unpleasant; SO, between
the anxiety to be accomplishing some
thing aud my speculations concerning
the people at Aganu, l was rather pre-
occupied at the dinner-table.
Padre Sebastian began presently to
chaff me a little as being poor COM
pany. / noticed that he was watching
Dick and the senoritn very closely, as
If trying to detect a triangular UNDER
standing between US three, or at least
some indication of rivalry be tween the
captain and myself. The padre had
kept track of my movements during
the day, but l was positive he could
not have overheard anything, so be-
gan to ply him with questions concern
ing social conditions in the islands.
He seemed to have accepted my rea-
sons for making the voyage, but my
sharing the captains quarters, also
the fact of our being the only Amer
icanos on board, evidently led him to
favor us with closer observation
than If we had been his own country
men. Your Spanish priest is the most
companionable and interesting man in
the world when he wishes to be, and
p,Ira Col, %
the rule. Having overcome my repug-
nance to him for obvious reasons, I
found myself rather liking the man.
He spoke SO frankly upon even church
matters that began to consider him
harmless. and fancied my first impress
sion mistake.
Halstead was too reasonable man
to claim more than fair share of the
senorita's society, much as he liked
her; SO, as Don Silvestre retired to the
smoking-room after dinner for tobac-
co and cards, took her aft, where we
could watch the phosphorescent foam
from the screw and talk will tout being
overheard; for I saw she had some
thing to say.
She had been listening attentively to
my conversation with the padre, and
had been trying to recall sundry
scraps of talk which she had overheard
between him and his Jesuit compan-
ion; but before mentioning them she
questioned me in regard to my pro-
posed movements after leaving the
steamer.
ST %o11 Carnr
Enrique" she SAID, chat you were this
voyage merely taking as a siesta from
your affairs, and too many of los
Americanos have seen to believe they
do rest very long. They o work, work,
work like slaves, all of the time. And
when they get rich oh, SO very rich
still they do work. and no siesta take.
Yet the, Senior Enrique does one take
which will last n month, surely, with
his very good friend el captain; and
when he on land goes at ell Guajan, it
will three months be--such long, long
months-bcfore he will again see ell
vapor in which he may return. Now,
un Americana, the senior will not
rest for all these long months; not so!
What, then, will! he do in ell Guaian,
where one never works? Make love
perhaps to Ia senorita whom he
never has seen? But even that work
is not. How"
Gone moment, senorita; why should
you think 7 have any intention of
staying in Guajan?"
ooh. but it so simple is! Amigo milo"
(here she laid her pretty fingers on my
arm), "los Amertcapos generosos are;
1t so kind was OF you to think of 10
pobrecita's dresses. doubt not that
it your goodness of heart was, yet
even such un hombre could not resist
at the least seeing la scnorita when she
does wear them. And she will not them
wear before the steamer shall go
away. do you not see? El Captain Dix
did for her feel, also, but it was not no
who to think tried how he la senorita
might help at once--ai, but he to see
her was not, long enough!"
swell, that's pretty clever line of
reasoning, mia senorita. But don't
you thinls you are giving that photo
graph the credit of being pretty
strong attraction, to make me think
of leaving you to Capt. Dick, and bury
ing myself among those out-of-the
way islands for whole three months,
just to get acquainted with the orig
inal?"
''That not is so. Enrique milo" (bush-
ing warmly at this aulacious familiar
ity). IL am alive, und-you shall to
be with me- have for two of the weeks
yet. 1 thinlc not you would me leave
for but Il photograph If said you
should not; have Ia gran conceit ?"
(she looked so bcwitching in the
moonlight that to save my neck I
couldn't avoid giving her waist Il gem
tie squeeze). "No! yon some affair
in ell Guajan have-though never could
I guess what it may be. 1T something
which Of more worth is to you than
your affairs in Manila, or you neglect
them would not for so long. It some
thing is which Won do undert axe for
cl Ricardito as we'll as yourself and in
which he does you trust rs few men
do trust each other, or yonr friendship
I could make like broken thread
with jealousy off me. I'm gran prcsun-
cion. is it not, amigo milo? But true,
not the less. Else you embrace mo
would not, and eli captain would look
at me not with the eyes that talk, oh,
so much-so much that the little sfiv-
ers he does make come to me some
times, and am afraid. Well, then, II
this something stronger is than love