The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-02
THE ESPENDOZ A CHEST

from ner mouse and she was poor; yes,
ana she needed the money, bat this chest
mad belonged to her family when they
mad held their heads high in Spain.
Her father had brought it over here with
ann and paid almost half his shriveled
fortune to get 1t here-he would not have
come without it. When she had married
it had been given to her, and when Rosa
was married it would go to her for a
dowry, and so on down the line of
'%spendolas as 1t had come. And every
good Espendola would guard it with his
life If need be. ''Veinte cinco pesos!
Begone InsolenteP'
AT last exhausted by her outbreak Of
anger and calling her daughter to fol-
the house, still muttering to herself:
''Velnte cineo pesos, Diantrer
Rosa followed reluctantly, but not Until
she mad hidden the handsome stran ger
a gracious good-by and watched him
through chink in the boarded window
until the old state-house hid him from
sight. The mothers rage did not cool
with the disappearance of the intruder,
and II her ire had not been so all-absorb-
ing she would have noted that her daugh-
ter did not echo her mood as usual
After supper the girl moved the verte-
bra tenderly, and began to Turkish the
chest with newborn leve and respect.
she polished the carved wood surface
until she saw her own reflection in it;
she busted and rubbed away at the cary
lngs TIL the crown and shield stood out
boldly and lastly with patent polish
she FURNISHED the heavy trappings, which
II she mad only known it, was desecra-
ton.
Another day Randolph made his way
TO the adobe house of the Espendolas,
telling himself too much was at stake
to be deferred by an old woman and
silly girl. This time he was more fortu-
nate; the madre was away from home,
and the Soft-eyed Rosa had lost her first
Indignation at his offer of twenty dollars.
| She explained that her mother had often
been besought by visitors to sell the
chest: there had been some artist people
and some writer people who had come
to Monterey and had given her no peace
about 1t; but no One she assured him.
could get it. It was to be hers. He
was welcome to come again to see it if
1t gave him so much pleasure, especially
on Wednesdays when she would be alone;
but he must not anger her mother again
by asking her to Sell it.
The transformation wrought by Rosa 8
cleaning was such a revelation that Ran
dolph was even more enamored by the
second sight Of 1t. He would have en-
braced 1t, grappled 1t into his soul, could
he have done SO. He saw 1t in fancy
In his own apartments in a tapestried
corner where the dusky tones Of the
mahogany and brass carvings would sug-
gest a nook in the Alhambra.
That evening Randolph related his adj
venture to Miss Smythe-Browne as they
strolled down by the tennis-courts. Miss
Smythe-BroWne was very sympathetic
with his mood, for she appreciated his
fondness for collecting. In the moon
light she was very beautiful, and Ran
dolph was beginning to wonder if, after
all, she was not about as near what Mrs.
T. Courtney Randolph should be as any
one he could find. With what a queenly
grace she would preside over his cush-
Toned home, But the idea Of his apart
ments without this chest was now impos-
sible.
Again and again he. went to look at it.
The little girl was always there, and now
there were two vertebrate before the
chest, so she could sit beside him and
chat, While he looked and coveted her
one possession. They might have got
ten almost any sum from him now. How
ever, all his antagonism was aroused by
the Indifference of these two simple, ig-
nOrant women; he was not to be baff1ed
He vowed he would have it at any cost
"a stubborn woman" he unused, "can
not be driven, and unfortunately, can
not, the prototype, be beaten. But
everybody has some cloud in his sky
he went on, philosophiealy, as he
started off one day. toward the beach,
i recalling the woeful tale his boatman had
told him of an adorable senorita and an
unrelenttng mother.
'FWhy don't you elope with the girl,
Diego?'' he asked his gloomy boatma 4
! when they were well out from the shore
"Oh, the senior does not know her moth
er," he answered. She's the peluquera
at the big hotel, and"
Eyes, but 1 do not know her, then, to
my SORROW interrupted Randolph,
laughing, for a sudden CLEAN of hope
had leaped into his mind at the discov-
cry of their common cause. Cheer up,
he continued, "a woman is very much
like one Of these fish, Diego, she can
right bait" And he smiled a superior
about women. Then he fell to wondering
how he might manage to help Diego
make his fortune sufficient to marry the
girl and get the chest out Of the old wo-
mans hands.
Before he had reached the shore again,
! he had evolved a scheme He would play
the good angel. Diego, he argued, If he
married Rosa, would be too shrewd to
let the sentiment about an heirloom
stand between him and the jingling
double eagles, and, as he. was not an
American, he would have no other idea
than of being Caesar in his own house
hold However, he realized that Diego
must not suspect an Interior object in his
interest.
Rosa was very much surprised and only