The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-01

Deioro tne nun charged again ana rece,yso
noeh panderillas we'll back In tho neck.
delivered with great GOODNESS and precision
from tho hands of tho woman.
Miiu with pain and ragc the bull tore
noout tho arena, scattering tho picnfiors
like pratridgcs. Running to tho side sho
received her sword and scarlet mantle and
was again on tho aggressive There was n
SNORT space OF silence as sho slowly raised
her sword, tho bull charging rs sbo did so
strai8ht Tor tho cloth Her aim was trne
put her strength lacking Although the
ncsh was pierced, tho sword was wrenched
from her hands and carried several feet Inv
tho bull In the wound sho had inflicted bc.
lore IL leil to tho ground and was rccoy.
ereo- WIG with delight ut this second net
tho crowd fairly rained hats and canes in
to the arena in their excitement. Again
they iaceu' ana this time. as before, all
wnlted In breathless suspense Both
rushed The sword was driven we'll homo,
The brute staggered, fell and was immc-
d1ately given its dcathblow by a stroke
back or the head with a dagger in tho
hands OF picador. Bouquets, hats and
canes covered the arena. Senorita IIopez
vanished in the confusion Tho bullfipht
was over.
1t was O'Clock in the evening whom I
reached tho thoatcr. Directing my atten.
ton first to the occupants of the boxes.
imagine my surprise to SEQ seated in one
of them the heroine of the bulliight.
There was Laura Lopez, tho center of n
throng of admirers. Sho had dotted tho
picturesque masculine costume of velvet,
gold anu lace of tho prima espada
which had won her so much admiration
in tho arena and was now attircd in n
magnificent creation, blazing with jewels,
her smiling countcnance and dancing eyes,
no less brilliant than her jewels, attract
ing tho audience much moro than tho clcv-
or vaudeville performance which had now
begun upon tho stage.
l met her later ut tho hotel On tho
wall of her room swung the sword which
earlier in tho day sho had used so fearless
ly and dcXtcrously in the arena Turning
to tho smiling face of its fair owner, l was
perplexed to confound the one with the
other. A more critical examination of the
sword, and l observed engraved upon tho
blade near tho hilt the namo Laura Lo-
pei, Seville, Spain.'' Observing that I
was reading the inscription, sho FASTENED
to remark that this sword had been pre-
scntod to her mt tho time sho had killed
her first "toro,' in her native CITY, So.
villo.
"Thcn today was not your debut in the
arena?" asked
Eyes, on American SOIL" she replied.
But wait; l have something that may
interest you
In moment she returned, and seating
herself by my sido she opened an elaborate
scrapbook, and as wc turned its leaves wo
counted tho events chroniclod in tho news
paper clippings pasted therein. There were
II bullflghting entertainments in which
she had figured rs tho heroine upon her
native soil.
do you not find bull1ghting exhibit
tions an amusing pastime:" she smilingly
inquired, to which 1 felt myself con
strained to reply in tho affirmative
Her eyes turned to gaudly colored OBJ
jcct suspended from IL mirror upon the
opposite wall.
THAT, " she exclaimed, 'is n banderilla
which did duty in the arena today. See,
the blood of the bull is still moist upon it.
A souvenir? Take it,
Senorita Lopez is barely 80. She is we'll
formed and muscular and necessarily as
agile as n cat Her face botrays no brutal
instincts. All Caracas insists that she is
beautiful