The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-21

his w1fe-to-be, bis Jea1.
] That night, by the light of cheay
Mexican candle, he wrote Jean t.
come. This had been agreed upon be.
fore be left. She was to come from
New York to Vera Cruz by steamship
At the latter point be would meet her
and the American Consul would MARI,
them. And then they would come
back home together.
Thirty-four days later, the answer
came. Hsrvey had caught the hot
country fever meanwhile, partly from
overwork in the hot sun and trips to
the nearest pueblo to buy muslin and
thing for curtains, &C., and partly from
worry over Jeans silence. The letter
didn't help him.
1t said first that he must pardon her
delay In writing-she had been busy
particularly busy. And she had been
thinking and pondsring over what was
best to do-in fact, she had worried
herself almost Ill thinking. Almost
ever sines her dear Hervey went away
she had bean thinking that 1t was all
mistake. Really, she wasn't cut out
for a planters wife. she was so utterly
unhtted for tho work, and 70 on. And
she thought 1t would be better for the
engagement to be declared off-better
for both Of them. OF course. 1t would
be little melancholy at first, but they
would soon get over It. She would
soon get over it, She would always be
his friend and glad to hear of his sue
cess. And so on--Hervey didn't read
any more.
Two months later he woke up in the
pretty, laos-drapsd room that had been
furnished for his wife. It was very
still; outside It was ceol and fresh apd
raia$rops sparklsd on the crsspers and
tropical bushss. At which Hervey
wondered lssiiy;, when be went to sleep
1t was hot and dry and the rainy sea-
son two months Of. He wanted to ask
how 1t happened, and turning his eyes
slowly In search Of some one saw a
dark. plump. rather pretty girl lying in
dead sleep in his steamer chair. He
tried to call her, though he didn't know
her, had never seen her before.
But his voice was weak, and she did
not hear him. Therefore he gave it
up, and dropped of to sleep. When he
again woke up DR.. James was in the
room and explained to him that he had
been Ill for several weeks-a mixture
Of brain fever and ordinary fever. As
for the girl, she was the niece Of his
own cook, an Indian woman, and her
name wss Lupe, and she had nursed
him for three weeks.
Without doubt, Lupe knew how to
nurse. Such was her care and atten-
ton that in two weeks Hervey was up
and about, somewhat shaky still, but
once more clothed and In his right
mind. Though not the same man that
he had been before Jeans letter came
that was impossible.
Lupe's aunt was taken Ill about that
time, and Lupe was required to nurse
her. But then of course Hervey was |
all right and needed nurse no longer,
80 that he could not object to her 60
ing. The old woman did not live long
to trouble her niece. When an Indian
breaks" death is not far off. And in
this case no one was very sorry, unless,
indeed, 1t was tho young district doc
tor, who lost good cook. Lupe was
openly delighted and Hervey was glad
in his Indifferent way, because 1t is
very melancholy for a man living all
alone with his murdered hopes and
wishes in the house so lovingly built
and prepared for the bride who never
oame. miles and miles away from the
rest of the world.
He had tried to forget-it was impos-
sible. OF course there was always the
work-that kept a man from thinking
Tor several hours day. But there
we're the long hours at night, when no
living being was near; when the sound
II the forest animals and the murmur-
ng Of the wind in the banana and cof-
ZEE trees were all that broke the dead
y quiet.
Hervey got into the habit of taking
| copita, then a copa, Of cognac or te-
Julia at night, SO that he could sleep
Without thinking But this also had
is bad effects. Hervey realized that
omsthing else must be done. Things
we're bad enough without D. T. thrown
n. The only something to be done
vas to have Lupe come as his house.
Of planters had house.
espers. He thought the matter over ,
With It came also memories of his
lother and what she had wanted him
. be. No; he would marry Lupe! The
sremony was performed by both the {
gistro and the padre OF the nearest J
eblo, and Lupe wore a gorgeous cos r
me Of Nile green. with a red sash n
ID pink shoes. She looked very hap l
:, for she loved Hervey. 4
Until Hervey took regularly to h
mixing he was most miserably I'M Y
ppy with his Indian wife, as was on .
natural. For the time often comes 3;
len man and wife, though be of the e.
me race and the same faith, find that n
9 way Of one is not the way OF the +
Ter. In some countries this state of G
ngs leads to divorces; in some 9TH st
1t means bitter quarrelling and SUI " .,
de and murder. And when races I'd
x, with the marriage Of an Anglo te
xon to Latin or an Indian, it is as J., n
as bad can be. 50
.upe grew wildly jealous Of her hus-
I'D, for she soon learned that be did
love her and never would. They Cd Cd
no children; there was no society We
hese two, white man and Indian wo- We
IN, with entirely different minds g.
opinions, were alone, thrown Is
oily one on the other for sympathy, HI
iety, everything. Hervey endeav- -
d to educate Lupe into something ~,
companion; it was out of the ques- Yo
l. She could not come up to his s q.
Il, he could not 60 down to hers. n m'
oubtless they were intensely miser- col
} before they began to drink. Not va
they are happier now; they can