The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-10
Copyright, 1898, by the International
Literary and News Service)

V /.
Just within the wide entrance to a
mansion on the Prado. Serafin Amado,
the porte r, sat at his little table, indus
triously rolling cigarettes. Such, after
the mann er of house porters in Hav-
ana. had. been his occupation since
morning. 1t was now evening and the
old mans, fingers, though not less per-
sistently a pplied to their task, dragged
with weary ness. Often he turned his
eyes toward the broad avenue, hoping
to discern there some familiar figure
on his way to visit his excellency,
Manuel de Csrdenas: for with the arri-
val Of a call err Serafin's duty would
be varied to the extent of rising to
strike a gong in announcement Of the
fact.
One visitor was already in the house,
the young Frerchman. Maurice De-
laigne. He had come just as the shad-
dows began to fall, and Serafin, know
ing full well that he had come to see
Louisa, his excellency's fair daughter,
had struck the gong two blows in spite
of the fact that Monsieur Delaigne had
asked distinctly enough for her father.
One blow on the porters gong, be it
understood, signifies that a visitor is
below to see the gentleman of the
house; two blows means that 1T is
somebody to call upon the lady. Sera-
fin had stammered an apology for his
error, and would have corrected it but
that Monsieur caught his hand before
he struck and smilingly forbade him,
blushing all the time like girl.
LET the gong speak the truth this
time, Serafin,' Monsieur had said, and
entered without waiting for the servant
to come down to make the usual in
Quiries.
His ascent of the stairway within the
patio, as the wealthy Spaniards call
the square about which their houses
are built, had been greeted with ex-
CARNATIONS of surprise, and pleasant
laughter. So the porter knew that no
offense had been taken at the lapse
from conventionality, and his wrinkled
features almost took on the aspect of
q smile as he desisted from his task
long enough to thrust a hand into a
pocket and make sure that the coin
passed to him by Monsieur was really
there. None too many remembrances
of faithful porters in these grim days.
All! if he We're only young again, like
Monsieur, so that he might be found
in the ranks, ready to fight the Ameri-
can barbarians!
The porter's meditatiens were inter
rupted by the arrival of man who
strobe in from the Prado and halted
with military precision directly in front
of the little table. Serafin knew him,
and, having struck the gong one blow,
said to the servant who came down
promptly:
Colonel Mendez."
His excellency expects you," said
the servant standing aside.
Colonel Mendez entered the patio.
and, turning to the right, assembled the
stairs that led to the balcony con-
structed along the inner walls of the
mansion. Thence he stepped into the
drawing room, a spacious, very lofty
and brilliantly lighted apartment di-
rectly over the street entrance. There
he was met by Cardenas, a man of dis
tinguished bearing in spite of physical
infirmities that prevented him from
taking active part in the military cam
paign, for which his experience fitted
useless friend of Spain, was attested
by the intimacy of his relations with
the Palace, and the frequency with
which he was called upon for advice
in the matters of grave emergency that
were arising daily.
Have they Gomez" asked the colonel,
as they shook hands.
NO. replied Cardenas. II expect
them every minute
He led the way then to the balcony
overlooking the Prado. where he had
been sitting with his daughter and De-
laigne. Greetings in which the most
punctilious politeness mingled with
undoubted cordially passed between
Colonel Mendez and the fair Louisa,
and the same with perhaps less of the
cordially between him and the young
Frenchman. Hardly had the conven-
tional phrases been uttered when a
single tap on the gong below caused
Cardenas to re-enter the drawing room
AS he did so a servant ushered in a
soldier, who bowed low, advanced, and
said:
my orders were to place this in the
hands of your eXcellency."
Cardenas took the packet brought by
tue SOlultT duu OlSIIllSSeO IlIn WITH a
nod.
May I claim your attention, Col
cnel?' he said. and stepped back to the
balcony, directing significant glance
at his daughter
She understood him. The soldier was
a messenger from the Palace, and he
had brought documents that Colonel
Mendez had come to discuss with her
father. Caution, caution, and ever
caution, was the guiding word for all
in Havana, whatever their relations
with the government.
Monsieur said Louisa, do you not
dislike the glare of the Prado lights?''
II should have no objection to sitting
in the dark, senorita," he answered
softly.
"Then," said she, '1et us go to the
inner balcony and look down upon the
patio. The scent of flowers there is de-
licious."
Wholly unconscious that this move
on the girls part was but ruse to
enable her father and Mendez to con-
duct their conversation in assured pri-
vacy Delaigne followed her to the patio
balcony with feeling Of citation, fol-
he knew that according to Spanish
custom only members of the family SAT
there of an evening. None but the
most intimate friends would be re-
ceived there, and he regarded the in.
vitatfOn as q mark of especial favor