The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-13
A SPIDERS STING.

1t was downright hot and no mis-
take Poor little Mrs Robb gasped the
dinner-time throughout it was impos-
sibIe to eat. If one could only have
ice, or even something moderately cold!
But you can't get ice in Paso del Ma
cho down below Vera Cruz, where are
the big coffee plantations and the hot
country" and if you are so unfortu-
nate as to be there during the hot
months, why, you can only put good
face on it and pray for rain and the
cooler season.
Juan, who served the simple meal,
was airly clothed in simple, very simple
white garments-two of them-and even
he. native of the terra caliente as he
was wore a face the color of a boiled
lobster, and out Of the hearing of his
mistress swore vigorously and without
ceasing. Without doubt it was a re-
lief to him when the sonora pushed
aside the fruit and left the dining-roOm
unable to eat.
Out on the veranda, Mrs Robb stood
gazing without seeing anything. In
truth, the glare and the heat hurt the
eyes too badly for it. Everything was
white, and hot, and dried up from the
blazing June sun. Overhead a sky of
the deepest, clearest blue showed not
even a speck Of cloud-there would be
no rain today, and the girls firm lips
quiVered as she stared uI~ard. Not
that it would hurt the coffee, dry
weather never does that; but it was SO
miserable and fUrlOTn, and made one
wish 50 many useless things.
OF course it was hot and glazing even
at home now; but how different. On
the lawn, in the magnolia groves, and
on the banks Of the lake one could at
least get wee bit Of breeze here the
! nh. ,g.I NJ dor. h. cd
ministrador's wife a Northern woman
and unused to tropical weather, had
! lost her reason the year before.
OF course, Robb could not leave the
plantation on account of the newly
planted trees. But his wife could have
gone home, and every one wondered
that she did not do so. But Mrs. Robh
had many old-fashiOned ideas to which
she chung with startling persistence
for SO small and slight woman. 1t was
| her opinion, even after two years of
marriage, that when a woman loved u
man sufficiently to marry him, it was
her duty and privilege to stick to that
man through good repute and bad,
through cold weather and hot. And, as
she had loved Robb enough to marry
him and go with him to a Mexican cOf-
fee plantation, she held to her duty to
stand eVerything-th heat, the fever
and the poisonous insects-so long as he
did And while Robb had his faults, he
never gave up.
The girl was happy ,in spite of all.
Nothing. not even the tremendous heat,
could have made her complain. But the
truth was that two days before. Robh
had received mysterious summons-he
said it came from Cockerell, a brother
MISUNDERSTANDING his immediate
departure. Hehad seemed greatly dis
turbed, and told his wife that he might
be away two days at the most. This
was the third day and he had not re-
turned. Mrs. RObb understood her hus-
band too we'll to send a moZo out to find
out if anything had happened; she
could only wait. Fortunately, the Mex
lean servants worshiped her, and even
in the case of thieves, no one would
harm her.
The hottest weather of the tropical
lands often brings on fever, and oftener
serions head trouble. To avoid which,
the best thing is to keep busy and think
of the heat as little as possible. This
Mrs. RObb had done. But today there
was nothing left to do. She had darned,
and mended, and OVerhauled her en-
broidery and all Of RObb's clothes And
now. as she strolled aimlessly through
the house. she was wondering what she
could find to do There was little
Watercolor sketch of the hacienda that
she could finish-+but investigation
showed that she had no blue left, and