The Worthington advance., 1900-04-06

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OF the fight naturally attracted atten-
tion, and the combatants were finally
separated, much the worse for wear,
but nevertheless still breathing forth
defiance and slaughterings. Carlos
had most unaccountably. disappeared
after the first two rounds and could
not now be found; plying neighbors
escorted homeward the battered and
wailing Panchita, while the equally
wailing Dona Antonia barred her shop
door in the very face of gaping Gus
toners and locked the kitchen door
upon herself. No, not even that grace
less Carlos should enter, if, as was al
ways his custom, he came home peni-
tent and entreating at supper time.
For once Carlos should be severely
handled and taught sense and decent
behavior.
That was at eight o'clock. At nine
Carlos had not yet returned; at ten
there was still no sign of him, and
Dona Antonio was beginning to grow
very uneasy: Something must have
happened, for, no matter what was
wrong, he always came for his meals.
At II he was still missing; so, at ~,
the poor woman put on her tapalo and
went forth in search of him.
At the Cantina del Tic Pepe she
found him, weeping bitterly in the
midst of sympathetic comrades, who
reproached the lady for her cruel
treatment of poor Carlos. Truly, she
had not seen what everyone else we'll
knew-that Carlos loved no one but
her. "All the world'' knew that the
shameless Panchita pursued him with
her coquetries. Fie upon Dona An
tonia to so ill-treat poor, faithful Car
los, who had been driven to drink and
threatened suicide through her hard
ness of heart!
Two comrades carried homeward the
incapacitated Carlos, with Dona An
tonia weeping remorsefully behind
them, and sundry other toreros wink
ing and chuckling in turn behind her
back. For, while in luck, Carlos was
as generous q torero as ever lived, and
it would not do, for their own sakes,
to have Dona Antonio cut off his sup
plies. And so, as the cortege wended
its way toward the little shop of Dona
Antonio, one shameless bullighter
after another poured into her ear
tales of poor Carlos persecution at the
hands of Panchita. Well knew the
Virgin, they declared solemnly, that
Carlos cared for no woman but his
own adored Antonia. Had he not
sworn it to them many time and
oft? And was it his fault if infatuated
girls would make unwanted love to
him?
Before the noisy departure of the
toreros, Dona Antonia's plans for ven
geance had been completed. When she
went to sleep that night she said sew
eral padre nuestros before the image
of Ia Virgen and promised to burn
long and costly candles before her pic
ture every day of the year if certain
prayers were granted. And then, wise
ly believing that God (and also the Vir.
gin) helps those who help themselves,
the willy shop-keeper made her plans
for an early visit next morning to old
Madre Maria, the witch, who would
tell her, for consideration, what she
should do with that graceless Panchita.
Madre Maria lived in a small, dark,
smelly tenement far out. Here Dona
Antonia found her at dawn, and into
the sympathetic ear of the shriveled
old woman she unfolded her tale of
woe, while Madre Maria smoked away
steadily at her cigar stub, nodding her
white head at intervals as she listened.
Good! Then what the nina wanted
was a cosita-a small charm, that is
to say-for the shameless Panchita :?
Something not dangerous, the nina un-
derstood; merely little thing that
would. after taking it, cause her to
lose any love for Don Carlos? Ale, but
it would be easy! And only a matter
of five days at that; if the nina would
listen, paying to her pobre madre first
the small number of eight reales, she
would tell her what to do.
Half an hour later, with a wee bot
tie of black fluid in her pocket, and
a thin, blac,: chicken muffled up in
her rebozo, Dona Antonia turned to-
ward the Street of the Little White
Fish. Joy and hope once more shone
in her eyes and beamed from her fat,
red face, even though the advice and
charm of Mad:e Maria had cost $3.50.
Most assuredly it was old Maria's
day" Hardly was the broad back
of Dona Antonio turned than another
client appeared upon the scene, also
bespeaking advice and mild charm
that would destroy the love of rival
woman. In the same manner did
Madre Maria advise the second appli-
cant-no less person than Panchita
selling her, in turn, some white fluid
and an attenuated white chicken, the
mate OF the LACK one sold to Dona
Antonia. ''Of a truth did the chicken
come somewhat high," the old witch
had stated to each applicant, "but fig
ure to yourself, nina mia, that it is
a charmed one, wherein great power
lies, and it has moreover eaten for
weeks only charmed food given it by
the hand of Your Madre Maria!" AS
a fact, both chickens had been stolen
by mendacious Maria in the dark of
last nights moon-but no matter!
So Panchita, her mind at ease, and
also believing that all of her sorrows
were now sooD to be ended, hurried
joyfully home, with bottle and chicken
hidden safely in the depths of her blue
rebozo. Meanwhile. at intervals dur
ing that entire day, chuckles of hearty
and most unwonted mirth issued from