The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-09
Love and Death.
"A Romance of Cuba.)

| EVERY cay she creepS DOWN 10 the
waters edge and drops a knot OF cape
| Jessamine into the ocean.
If the waves bring the knot of cape
jessamine back to the shore Aneta Ovideo
eries-that means that she will live an
| other month. If the waves carry the
knot of cape jessamine out TO the open
sea Aneta Ovideo smiles pale little smile
of happiness and peace, for that means
| that she will die before the month Is
out.
Her sweetheart IS dead; dead and bu-
| ried out in the snow in the West. and
she is all alone down in Cuba; alone with
the moonlight and the waves. and she
wants TO die
She is a Cuban. Her father was a rich
! merchant of San Juan.
| When the Americans entered San Juan
Aneta decorated the squat, square house
| with wreaths and with great cool knots
| of cape jessamine. And she and the lit
| tie coIored maid stood at the easement
and clutched each other and cried and
| laughed and tried to sing the strange
marching song which brought the Ameri-
cans into the city.
| The Rough Riders cantered up the mar
row streets of San Juan. They were
dusty, and their clothes were torn, but
| they sat on their horses like true cabal-
| leros," Aneta and the little colored maid
said
The troops caught sight Of the knot OF
! jessamine and one of them swung his
great hat and made a sweeping bow up
at the window where Aneta and the little
/! colored maid were.
! A few days after that Aneta visited
some friends. There were strangers Wis
| iting them, Americans, and one Of them
| was a tall man, dressed in rough brown
| clothes.
| When he saw Aneta he rose and made
her a sweeping bow. He wore a knot
Of cape jessamine in his coat.
| The troopers name was jenkins Jim,
the men in his regiment called him.
"Meester Chenkeen," Aneta said. "you
are fond of the so sweet jessamine of my
| countrv?'
That's what said Jim Jenkins.
''Prettiest flowers I ever saw, and they
look just like beautiful woman to me-"
Aneta blushed and famed herself.
One day Trooper Jenkins went to the
! Ovideo house 10 call.
Anetas father thought the trooper too
| presumptious upon Slight acquaintance.
| The two men quarreled, and the hot
| tempered Cuban would have killed the
! trooper if Aneta had not clutched his hand
before the knife had time to descend.
| After that Aneta saw the trooper often.
! he never said anything pretty about the
! jessamine again, but he always wore one
in his coat to match the knot of them
/ in Anetas shining black hair. Aneta
could not understand him. He laughed so
much and he would get her to thrum
her guitar ond sing to him by the hour,
and he would sit and stare and stare at
! her, and never speak for long hours at a
| time.
One evening he spoke.
He told Aneta that he loved her. He
| said that he was a rich cattle owner, and
| that ne had great ranches in the far
| West.
| Aneta closed her shining eyes and smiled
| a little. and when she went in she told
| the little colored maid that she was so
| happy she was afraid she should die.
| AS soon as he went home, the trooper
| told Aneta he would be mustered out and
| then he would send for her and she should
| come to his hacienda and be mistress Of
a house full Of servants and of ranch
| that was like a little kingdom.
Aneta liked TO hear about the range,
and about the wild flowers, but when he
! began to talk about the money she said
90 81, ST. 81. / know. Now, sir, tell
me, if you please, about you. Where were
you born? How old do you really be?
! Have you brother or a sister? No?
| Were you a good little boy when you We're
| small? Have you the picture of you. your
| self, in the long dress? No? It is too bad.
like to see you-all ways-when a baby
and when a boy. as all ways. And do you
| love the music like me? I del 81. That
is also good. Everything is good in these
days"
But one day the troopers were ordered
| home.
Aneta's trooper had to go with the rest
| Aneta pinned knot of jessamine on his
! coat, and made him go into the little
oratory with her and kneel with her be-
fore the little altar.
| But when the great troopship was gone
she went into the little oratory and staid
on her knees there half the night.
The first steamer brought Aneta let
| ter from her trooper.
It was a kind letter. full of affection,
! but there was something in 1t that made
Aneta's heart grow cold.
It made her feel as she did when he
| laughed so much and made his gray eyes
! look like cold Steel with the moon gilt
tering on them.
when will you be free?" she wrote
when shall we be married."
The trooper wrote back a long letter
| full of his fine ranch and his money and
the beautiful home he was preparing for
! Aneta
II do not care about the ranch" she
| said, ''or about the fine home. 1 want
to be with YOU"
| On Christmas day she wrote him that
! she would kill herself IL he did not write
to her.
They are laughing at me here" she
! said. They are telling me that you were
/ joking with me, that you never cared for
me. If 1 do not hear from you in four
weeks time I shall Kill myself"
! Just two weeks ago Aneta Ovideo re-
! ceived an answer to her letters. Jim
! Jenkins is dead" said the letter. He
| died week ago. He spoke your name
! with his last breath
Il am 50 glad" she said. IT am so
| glad Now. 1 shall see him soon again"
And every day she throws the knot Of
! iessamine into the sea. for the charm
must he worked for twice seven days be
! fore she will know surely how long she
viii have to live.
Henry Harmon lives out in Indian Ter
| ritory.
It was he who wrote Aneta and told
/ her that her sweetheart was dead.
! In all his letter Henry Harmon wrote
! Just one sentence Of truth. and that was
/ that Jim jenkins was dead Al the rest
was a lie.
/ jim Jenkins was not a ranch owner. He
! had no home prepared for Aneta- He
/ was a cowboy in the same outfit with
! Harry Harmon He did not die with
/ Aneta's name on his lips. He did not
/ love her.
! He showed her poor little letters % the
! cowboys on the ranch and made fun a
/ than.
! He -oa-ed with laughter when Re rad
/ the one in which Aneta tod him that
/ she would Kill herself unless she heard