The Van Buren press., 1900-04-07
therefore no one unjustiy condemned

lust across the street, this same
chicken-pampering process was secret
ly being gone through with by pretty
Panchita, save that her fowl waE fed
solely on white zapotes and light-col-
ored tortillas. As in the case of Dona
Antonia's chicken, which tlOurished
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
either of these charmed chickens"
On the evening of the fourth day,
Dona Antonia arrayed herself in her
best purple skirt and black lace man
tilla, with the announcement TO the
dumfounded 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 it would be fiesta and
Panchita accordingly at leisure.
For many months it had been the
custom of good-hearted Dona Antonia
to invite Panchita and her blind old
HlOl HtT W HtI ONh SuNOiv i'uH'7'"f
dinners. In view of last weeks quar-
rel however, Panchita's mother was
even now tearfully lamenting that
their dinner would have to be of tor
tillas and beans. So that, driven to it
by her mothers tears and her own
urgent desire to break bread with Dona
Antonia, Panchta was about to start
on a mission of peace, when that per-
son herself appeared, with joyial ex-
pressions of sorrow that any misun-
derstandngs had arisen between the
two families, and her desire that her
two good friends should join her next
day for the usual fiesta meal, OF ver-
ity they must come. Carlos had nrom-
ised to go with some companions to the
Naucalpam bull-fght, 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 Antonia, doors and
windows carefully shut and locked, pro-
ceeded to kill and boil the black chick
EN-, first carefully burying its feathers
and bones. All that night the mortal
remains of that charmed chicken sim
mered away in tiny ola. The result
ant broth was carefully collected next
morning by Dona Antonio, and, with
the black fluid from the little bottle OF
Madre Maria, was mixed into a very
savory soup, favored with sherry, and
garnished with aguacotes-of which
there was only one plateful. Not that
any of the trio had to do without soup
however-far from it. Soup Of the very
best, also made of chicken, with sherry
and tiny bits Of garlic havoring it, was
to be served to herself and Panchita's
blind mother.
The dinner was great success, de-
spite the fact that only three women
were present, and that the hostess was
called away from the table at least four
times to speak to customers out in the
shop. The first Of these calls gave Pan
chita her opportunity, for Panchita
also had killed chicken the 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 Antonia, so that her
guests might not be molested by noises
from without-never was there bet
ter chance. In two seconds Panchita |
had uncorked her bottle and emptied
its contents hastily into Dona Anto-
MAS soup. Then, concenling the bot
tie, she was unconcernedly swallowing |
her soup when Dona Antonia returned
to the table. Neither Of the two women
for moment suspected that they were |
partakhg of charmed soup, made in |
identcaly the same manner, from the
charmed chickens Of Madre Maria, and
warranted to kill the love of any man,
woman 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 am loath |
TO tell you of the final result Of the |
charms so ingeniously and unsuspect-
ngly exchanged between these two
Jealous women; still, II you are incred-
ulous, II Is not my fault,
That very same night, reaching home
ateand in somewhat intoxicated con.
dition, poor Carlos tasted the first
fruits of the charm. For, in spite OF
all Establishments and words that |
should have melted the heart OF even a
stone image, Dona Antonia fell upon
the mckless torero and, with abuse Of
the strongest, literally smote him hip |
and thigh, after which she cast him
forth into the outer darkness of the |
Street of the Little White Fish. cruelty |
boiling the door in his face and an
nouncing that she had now washed her |
hands OF him and his shiftless com
rades.
This from the woman who had |
adored him during three long years;
this from the very woman who had
that very morning given him all her
available money and entrented him TO
come home early Poor Carlos' For,
even though he returned several times
to tearfully beg for mercy, there was
shown him only freezing contempt and
coldness with at last the announce.
ment that his next call would be
watched by the gendnrme AT the cor
ner, for which reason he had best keep
away for good and all from the shop Of
Dom Antonia,
Being MS it were oF with the old love-
the hapless torero bethought himself
Of new, Was there not pretty Pan
chita, for whom he had always enter
tanned fondnessP Doubtless even yet
,ba ,,4,S fr.t,in., bor baort oui f,r hin,