The Press., 1898-01-06
A CHANGED DEVIL.

or Gavina EspinOsa, whose wife the saints had called early, and her place had been supplied by woman whom Babe had been. taught to call Aunt Tin. to. The Espinosas kept a small Mex ican restaurant on Santa Lucia street, where tortillas, enchiladas, tamales, red wine and other hot stuffs were at- fractions. Babe had been brought up in the restaurant and in the street-in the gutter, if that was out of Aunt Tinto's way-though she, had faint remem- brance of a yard around an old adobe, where there were myrtle with big blue blossoms and broken borders of gaudy flowers. and thinking of the adobe she thought of the myrtle, and thinking of the myrtle she saw it on a grave in place where there were many thin, wooden crosses, some of them always leaning over with. promise to join. those that had lain down like the sleep- CTS. She had been christened Maria, but after some years and some slips she had repudiated the name as too common place for her and had assumed the name of her innocence because of the travesty it was. "Marias are thicker than vir- gins. . said Babe, whereat her followers laughed These were. all young men. Women did not like Babe and she did not like women.
 Babe was wiry, square shouldered and slim waisted. She attracted attention wherever she went. Everything she did was done with this in the vista, and she would have succeeded had she only posed as propriety. The conformation of her supraorbital region caused the other Marias to accuse her of the evil eye. Her. hair, worn old style. parted in the middle and carried down over her ears, was black and only less coarse than the mane of mustang, and her hair and eyes would have been oh- served in any aggregation.
 Babe had 8 familiar, one Vico Rot tanzi, the hunchback of the Pocket. The Pocket was haunt of ill repute, clus- ter of old, low tenements in the center of block where there were houses facing the sidewalk in the regulation civic way. Vico was tall for hunchback. owing to his very long legs Babe was so strong that she could put hand un- der either hump and lift Vico about, while his. long legs dangled like a rag dolls .lH
 Through all the streets and alleys uf the. town the odd looking pair went It will and at all hours 's.The devil and the devils own, Babe said of them, and the Marias said, spite of her ssx. the devil was Babe.
 Often they passed old Mateo Tiveros and his tamale stand. Sometimes they douted the old man. Sometimes they wheedled him out of tamale by prom- fses of sweet yerba santa, sometimes ee- cured it by mere bold banter, but ono night late, when there was no moon and old Mateo's red lantern. low and suoiy. cast light that would hardly have done for U phoIog1ap apherss darkroom and Babe and Vico were bold with bad wine, . whim struck Babe to upset old Matso and his outfit.
 A whisper to Vico won him to the scheme, and in a few twinklings ti,e lantern oil had spread itself la mayon- naise upon the outer husks of the few tamales remaining in the steamer. To Babes surprise Vico lay in the mayon- naise, and she found the night air cool upon her spine, for old Mateo had dis posed of Vico with a single left handler and with stroke of sharp knife had ripped Babes clothing from neck to waist. Babe wet her dress skirt at the fountain, tore off Vico's collar, opened his shirt and mopped his face, neck and breast till consciousness returned. Then she took off his coat, threw it around her shoulders, buttoned one button, got Vico on his feet and half led, half car ried him home and put him to bed. She thought of smelling salts for Vico and began to rummage for green bot tie with an oroide top that had once held some. Not finding it in one place, she looked i'll another, when, feeling something unusual in the old zinc trunk, she drew it forth and shuddered till the split clothing slipped down on her tawny shoulders as she saw a wood en cross with an ivory figure in fixed contortion upon it. Then she remem- bered that once hpon a time she had | stood by an old chest when her father found the crucifix, and he, too, had | trembled. "Who is it?'' she had asked.
 "One Jesus,'' her father had said ''He was your grandmother's He is . dead man, and the dead are as earth and air and water. will have nothing of this Jesus
 He threw the Jesus in the strong box, then heaped clothing upon it and jump ed in and stamped upon it. IT, | Why had he not thrown it awayf Another day she had meant to do 90, for she smothered when she thought of that yellow, hurt looking man, bleed ing and nailed and tramp1ed under the clothing in the tight box. She had gone with creeping flesh and got him out. l ;. Why had she not thrown him awayi Why had she forgotten him? Strange it that moment, "Jesus, mercy-my Je' sus, mercy-my poor head. '
 Her grandmother had kept Jesus by her. Had he done something for her Would he do something for Vico? Shs the dim light, but she laid him on Vi
 put them upon him.
 Babe could not breathe. Her fae<
 burned. Her bare breast burned. She felt her way to the back porch, heavily overhung by towering bean and balsan vines, but the night air did not cool her, though her clothing had slipped off her arms and fallen down from hel
 belt, and her wet skirts clung to he, limbs. 7
 Her father sat there in low, wide rocker-her father, stupid with heavy food and sour wine--and another form
 was coming up the black adobe walk
 It was not mist only nor shadow nol cloud, yet Babe knew not what else te call it, and it came to the railing and
 stood without and spoke to him, her ia
 ther, ''The step is fallen, husband, ant
 the porch is falling with the thick vine
 and my child is fallen.''
 "What business is it of yours?" re
 piled Gavina Espinosa with sullen bra
 vado. Then he burst out wrathfully
 By God, in the course of nature yoy
 have no right to be here. You are dea<