The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-02-01
hirtation with half-savage Indian girl


you" to a girl Of your own race and
education; she will possibly laugh at
you, or tell you the same thing. and
you both know that it's only in fun. But
a woman Of Consuelo's type would
never so understand it: savages have
strange ideas about these things, and
they have very matter-of-fact opinions
as to veracity.
1t was not very long before what
had predicted came 10 pass. and Mr..
Kirby was raving and groaning, fat on
his back. with the worst case that I
have ever seen of Guerrero fever; a
good deal of malaria being mixed in
with it. just to even matters up. sup
pose. Not that there was any particu-
lar danger, for people rarely ever die
from attacks of Guerrero fever and
chills (you only wish that you could
die). The usual remedy is to take qui-
nine. lie quietly with plenty Of blan-
kets over you. and take more quininel
II you are delirious and insist upon
leaving your bed TO cool Oft, outside
the tent, it is well to have strong per-
son to hold you down. and clamp the
blankets over you. This is where. in
Nrby's case, Consuelo proved TO be OF
use and help.
In point of fact. no one else could be
spared to look after the sick man.
There was Juana-but Juana had the
'ood of 30 men to look after; very nat
lrally she could not be spared to do
nursing. Kirby would not let Mexi-
can come near him. and we few Ameri-
cans had to keep on with the surveying
and track-pinning. else the contract
would run out, with our work half fin
ished. Under the circumstances, we
simply had to turn Nrby over TO Con-
suelo's care. One good point was that
she was a careful and very devoted
nurse.
In two weeks or so he was up again
and working a little, every day. He
seemed to have lost his former desire
to hurry our work to its end, and took
things n little more coolly. No doubt
Consuelo's constant care and devotion
had some effect on him. AS for the
girl, she followed him about like a
dog; bringing him quinine at various
hours during the day. cautioning him.
in her broken Spanish. about the me-
cessity Of wrapping up well, or else
making up savory hot drinks. such ns
the Indians use "for the taking away
of the chill"
And so it went. was sorry both for
the girl and for Kirby. and let him
see it. For which naturally received
no thanks. Meantime, she was as hap
py as a woman ever gets to be in this
world, and he obediently took the quiz
nine and hot drinks. and wrote fewer
and fewer letters 10 Miss Kent. Which
certainly was rather hard on the lat
ter lady.
Well, we were working along briskly
Mt only few days distance from Pu-
eblo de Maria, our stopping point. when
late one evening received q message
that Kirby wanted to see me. was
having my supper and sent the mozo
back to him, saying that as soon as
had finished l would be with him.
Somehow, spotted at once that Con-
suelo was at the bottom Of his mes
sage, and thought things over as
drank my coffee. l had noticed lately
that his careless and off-hand treat
ment of the girl had grown even more
careless during the last few days; she,
on her part, had never seemed TO wish
for more than the privilege to fetch and
carry for him. A servile. savage sort
! Of love, to be sure. but that is the way
Indian women are.
Kirby was sitting at his writing-table.
Miss Kent's picture and a just-opened
letter before him. As l sat down, /
glanced lightly at the letter. 1t was
very thin one, covering only two
pages. and the signature was visible;
l shamelessly read, it. "Your very sim
cere friend, Dorothy Kent" is not the
way in which fancee usually signs
letters. and at once understood. Miss
Kent had doubtless gathered from
Kirby's letters that he was making
love to some other woman, and. being
girl Of spirit and pride, had at once
written to break of the engagement.
Kirby, however, had little TO say. He
merely wished me to notify "Consuelo.
old Juana's niece" that her services
were no longer necessary. Her wages
would be paid two months in advance.
and she was to be furnished an escort
. to her own home in Chilpancingo. "And.
by the way, Jackson" he finished up,
"give her this $50 bill, and tell her that
] send it. really owe her more than
that, for her attention to me when |
was sick. I think that's all. Will you
please see that she goes tomorrow
morning early? We'd better get out
pretty early with the instruments. too,
for we ought to he in Pueblo de Maria
by the end of next week."
Consuelo was not in the kitchen, and
my interview. therefore, was with old
Juana-for which was not sorry. Who
knows how the girl would have taken