The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-04-05

4
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
there was still no sign of him. anc
Dona Antonia 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 IL,
the poor woman put on her tapalo and
went forth in search of the delin-
quent
At the Cantina del Tio 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 well
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, willie in-fuck. Carlos was
as generous a torero as ever lived, and
| it would not DO. for their own sakes,
| to have Dona Antonia cut off his sup
plies. And so, as the cortege wendcd
| it's way toward the little shop of Dona
Antonia, one shameless bullfghter
after another poured into her ear
tales of poor Carlos persecution at the
| hands of Panchita. Well knew the
Carlos cared for no woman but his
own adored Antonia. Had he not
sworn it to them many u time and
| oft? And was it his fault il infatuated
girls would make unwanted love to
| him?
Before the noisy departure of the
toreros, Dona .,ntonis e plan, for ven
geance had been completed. When she
went to sleep that night she said sew
| eral padre nuestros before the image
of la Nirgen 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 land also the Nir
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 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 cOsita--a small charm, that is
to say--for the shameless Panchita?
Something not dangerous, the nina un-
derstood; merely~a- little thing that
would, after taking it. cause her to
lose any love for Don Carlos? Ale, but
it would be easy! And only 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
thin, blaci. chicken muffied up in
her rebozo, Dona Antonia turned to-
ward the Street of the Little White
Fish. Joy and hope once more shonc
in her eyes and beamed from her fat,
red face. even though the advice and
charm of Madre Maria had cost Sl.s0
Most assuredly it was old Maria's
''"'N's was 'iiN VI OuNt push
of Dona Antonia turned than another
client appeared upon the scene. also
bespeaking a1yice 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 a person than Panchita
selling her, in turn, some white fluid
and an attcnuated white chicken. the
mate OF the black 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
charmed one, wherein great power
lies. and it has moreover eaten for
weeks only charmed food given it by
the hand of Your Madre Mara." AS
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 soon TO be ended. hurried
joyfully home. with bottle and chicken
4. g,<1,. n