Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-09-01

| l0eaS SO new, strange and terrifyins
, TO her gentle nature that her late de.
sire fades from her mind and disap
pears in the dark cloud which shadows
her,
| Mariana, who occupies the adjacent
booth, takes a dismal view OF life,
eolored deeply by an experience re
sretted when too late.
You seem always happy and smil-
ing, Josefa," she says.
Not seems; ! am; and why note
have my baby aud perfecto, What
more can woman ask"
True, you have him. as you say:
but men are changeable, Still, |
hope il will not be SO with Perfecto,
, really, hope SO, for YOU are not one
TO bear that sort OF thing easily"
No, l don't think am" laughed
Jeeta; but Mariana, If were you
/ wouldn't worry about Perfecto,
This hint Quiets her for the present
The next day she opens the subject
in such a way that Josefa's indigna-
ton passes all bounds, and she ex-
presses herself with unexpected free
dom.
Very well, nina ma" responded
Mariana; Il thought II Kindness to
you. OF course, it amt my affair.
but II were you, would ask Perfecto
where he goes every afternoon,
This parting shot told, for OF late
Perferto had left the house while the
sun was still high, and though usually
communicative he had maintained n
discreet silence rs to why and where
he went.
What a tonta | am" she says; "a
fool indeed. TO wonder at so simple a
thing, when | have but to ask the
question. Because Mariana is a chat
tsring idiot. am to let her idle words
worry me-make me doubt him whom
l have always trusted?"
That afternoon as he is about to
leave, as usual, she timidly asks him
where he is going; he answers at ran
dom and walks away. She misses
his guitar, and on his return asks him
what has become OF Il. He makes
the mistake of lying to his wife. aud
not lying well. He had taken II TO
old Juliano to be restrung and put In
order. This should have been salts
factory, but II was not, because she
had that morning seen the instrument
maker who inquired for Perfecto, and
t,,n "A al hn hal nrt
him for month. Can her idol be of
clay? Can Mariana's gossip be true?
1t can't be, must not be true. There's
n mistake somewhere. Juliano Is
old, and forgets. That's It, he for
gets. She watches Perfecto M he
chatters to her, sees the old-time affeo-
tion In his eyes and is happy again,
Perplexlty comes next day. Mari.
ana, forgetful of past rebuffs, comes
smiling to Josefa.
Have you seen the beautiful Amer
icana? No? She is indeed beautiful
eyes as blue as the sky, brown hair
and skin like marble. San Juan, No,
s, is where she lives--ask Perfecto. he
knows.
This last was said SO significantly
that Josefa could have slain her. The
old doubt comes to the surface again,
but Is resolutely crushed down; but
not for long, She looks toward the
! fountain and sees the Americana II
can be no other. She seems n vision
of lovelinoss as she smiles on Pcrfecto.
who stands hat In hand, apparently
at ease, as If this were not the first
time he had spoken to her. Josefa
notes the clear, white complexion, and
! unconsciously lets her eyes fall on her
own brown hand. In the cool Of the
evening she Is tempted to ask Perfccto
how he CHANGED to talk to one 50
clearly above their station, but the
words dry IN her throat She fights
against her thoughts. but strive as
she will she feels that there Is some
| thing amiss. She tells herself again
and again he is n fool for her doubts,
but they remain with her.
In the morning, while arranging her
flowers to the best advantage, she
glanceH up and sees the Americana APP
/ preaching She will now meet face to
! face the woman who has enslaved her
husband, She fully believes this now.
and her hatred of the cause Of her
misery nearly brings forth flood OF
bitter anger and reproach, but there
is something In the girls face that
stops the words. AS she quietly. al.
most sullenly, offers her basket OF
roses from which TO make a selection
she thinks she may possibly be mis-
taken, for surely there IL no evil In
those eyes which look so frankly into
her own. She listens to the girl's
few words Of imperfect Spanish. and
I feels sure the possessor OF 30 soft a
voice can do no wrong. She Ia essen
TALLY sympathetic; her eyes, grace and
beauty all appeal to Josefa's native
sense Of harmony: moment more
and she would have been won by the
girls loneliness.
You are Perfecto's wifi ;" she says,
with a smile, "and this Is little Josefa
Of whom he speaks?"
The words are misunderstood, the