The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1900-12-28

days. bona Antonia seemed To think
that nothing was good enough for him
and, filling his pockets with coins, fair
ly pushed him into the streets, with
injuuctions that he enjoy himself with
his companions. Had the torcro been
n suspicious man he might have
thought bona Antonio was Engaged in
secret pursuits OF which she wished
him to know nothing. Not being sus-
picious, however, he fastened to obey
her commands and have a Joyous time.
As a matter of fact, there was moth
ing evil In the actions of Dona Antonio,
once left alone, save that n might
have accused her Of foolishly pamper-
ing and overlooking a dcbilltatcd black
chicken which she had housed In the
charcoal box and fed thrice daily ON
black zapotcs and tortillas made from
dark meal. But no onc-Carlos least
of all-evcr saw the chicken, whose
life endured for II brief span only, and
therefore no one unJustly condemned
her.
Now, In the great tenement house just
across the street, this same chicken
IbuiINiihS IpO'NSb vas SNNlN'iy btihs
gone through with by pretty Panchita,
save that her fowl was fed solely on
white zapotcs and light colorcd tor
tillns. AS in the case of bona An
tomas chicken, which flourishcd and
day by day waxed fatter and fatter,
her white chicken also throve and grew
plump until, by the end Of the fourth
day, you would not have recognized eli.
Their Of these charmed chickens"
On the evening of this same fourth
day bona Antonio arrnycd herself In
her best purple skirt and black lace
mantilla, with the announcement to
d~umfounded Carlos that she was going
to the house of Panchita for the pur-
pose of asking her and her mother to
eat the midday meal with them the
next day, since 1t would be II fiesta and
Panchita accordingly at leisure.
For many months 1t had been the
custom Of good hearted Dona Antonio
to invite Panchita md her blind old
mother to her own savory feast day
dinners. In view Of last weeks quar-
rel, however, Panchita's mother was
even now t%earfully lamenting that
their dinner would have to be Of tor
tillas and beans; so that, driven to 1t
by her mothers tears and her own ur-
gent desire to break bread with Dona
Antonio, Panchita was about to start
on n mission of peace when that per
son herself appeared with jovial ex-
pressions of sorrow that any misundcr-
standing had arisen between the two
families and her desire that her two
good friends should'join her ext day
for the usual fiesta meal. or a verify
they must come. Carlos had promised
to 90 with some companions to the
Naucalpam bulltight, wherefore she
would be all alone and sad if they did
not come to eat with her.
Peace was restored in full, and soon
Dona Antonia hustled home to prepare
for the next days feast. Poor Carlos
was hustled incontinently out of the
house, while Dona Antonio, doors and
windows carefully shut and locked,
proceeded to kill and boil the black
chicken, first carefully burying it's
feathers and bones. All that night the
mortal remains of the charmed chick
en- simmered away in a tiny ola. The
resultant broth vas carefully collected
next morning by Dona Antonio and,
with the black fluid from the little bot
tie of MaGre Maria, was mixed into a
very savory CUP favored with sherry
and garnishcd with aguncotes, of which
there was only II plateful; not that
any one of the trio had to 10 without
soup, however; far from it. Soup of
the very best, also made of chicken,
with sherry and tiny bits of garlic fla
voring it, was to be served to herself
and Panchita's blind mother.
The dinner was a great success, de-
spite the fact that only the three wOm-
en- were present and that the hostess
was called away from the table at least
foul times to speak to customers out in
the shop. The first one of these calls
gave Panchita her opportunity, for
Panchita also had killed a chicken that
previous night, and in a small bottle
carried in her pocket was the boiled
down result thereof. The door between
the dining room and the shop had been
carefully closed by Dona Antonio, so
that her guests might not be molested
by noises from without. Never was
there a better chance. In two seconds
Panchita had uncorked her bottle and
emptied its contents hastily into Dona
Antonia's soup. Then, concealing the
bottle, she was unconcernedly swal-
lowing her w soup when Dona An
tonia returned to the table. Neither Of
the two women for a moment suspect
ed that she was partaking of charm
ed soup, made in identically the same
manner from the charmed chickens Of
Madre Maria and warranted to kill the
love of any man, oma or child on
the terrestrial globe.
Now, few of us place overmuch Gre
dence In signs, tokens and, least of all,
charms. For which reason l an loath
to tell you the final result Of the
charms SO ingeniously and unsuspect-
ingly exchanged between these two
jealous women Still, If you are in
credulous, it Is not my fault.
That very same night, reaching home
late and In a somewhat intoxicated
condition. moor Carlos tasted he first