The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-07-24
sY FRED A, ODER.

He knew lust enough of Spanish to I'M
derstand what she was saying, provided
sha said if slowly; but of English she
knew nothing at all. That was the rea-
son. perhaps. why they fingered 50 long
on the balcony together with no one else
around. and why they held such close
communion. much of the time scarcely
arms length apart.
Their speeech was necessarily very i'm
perfect. but then there were their eyes
which sometimes spoke volumes, when a
single word or sentence might have SUI
fered In this ''lengua universal or
speech of the eyes-as the Spaniards call Ii
she was an adept, for her orbS were
black and brilliant and when they shot
glance at him from under the big vel
vet hat she wore they scored a centerSnOt
every time He may have lost his heart
he thought he had; but. anyway, lie lost
his head. and she played football with it.
How it came about that the Senorita
Dolores Delmonte. daughter Of an aristO-
cratic house should have allowed herself
such a lapse from the rigid conventional
tiles of Havana's best society, as to hold
tete a tete with a man, and a foreigner
at that. may seem to demand an eXplanl-
ton.
How il happened that Mr.. Samuel Eos
ter, erstwhile Of Boston, now sOjOurning
in Cuba, found himself in such charming
society. and in an apparently cOmprcmis-
ing situation, demands no explanation at
all; for he had merely exercised a mans
prerosative. and walked into it. However,
it had come about in a perfectly natural
way, and neither was 10 blame.
Six months mad passed since Mr.. Foster
came to Cuba. with a little money in his
pocket and a modest letter of credit, look
ing for few of the remunerative invest
ments which, he had understood were TO
be found on almost every bush. But he
had shaken all the bushes, and so far had
made no valuable finds" except in the
way Of acquaintance. These latter had
proved Of great assistance in dispOsing Of
his funds. so that he had been compelled
10 remove from the big hotel to the cool
and quiet casa dc huespedes" OF the
Widow Johnson.
II might now seem in order 10 explain
how il was that Mrs. Johnson, a native Of
New York, became so well known I'm Ha-
vana that her house was a Mecca for all
respectable Americans (whO could get in
and Of some very refined Havanese. IS
well. But a halt may as well be called
now, as hereafter, in this explanatory
process. else demand might be made
why she was Mrs. Johnson. where she
had left Mr. Johnson; and moreover how
she. d charming woman on the sunny side
Of forty. blessed with a pretty face and
lovely figure should condescend 10 keep a
clearinghouse at all None Of the IN
mates II her house desired to raise the
last question. for they shuddered at the
thought % her giving up profession for
which as was clearly evident 10 every
body. she was sUpereminently fitted
And when it is divulged that she had a
daughter an only child. who was every
whit as fascinating as her mamma. and
with an added advantage of being about
seventeen years yOunger-then, IL will be
seen why Wild horses. tame oxen (Or any
other beasts Of draught or BURDEN could
not haul a single bOarder away from the
house OF Ia Yiuda YOnsOn." II was sim
ply impossible for her bOarders they were
all men. by the way TO tear themselves
away for longer period than suffiCed for
the transaction Of their legitimate busi-
ness between meals. or 20 leave the tab
while the widow and her daughter PIE