Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-31

L bitt'iS, negro slaves anu HuldllO lltttlIiSli
| starving colonists and men too weak for
| the chain gang wrought side by side in the
| weaving of the striped serapes, the thick
1 Weft@G p"nchoS. the gauzy mosquito nets
| and the comforting Mexican blankets.
F, BY virtue of the commentaries favor
| Will was placed in charge of this. and hav-
| ing appointed me for his lieutenant, he set
! about reurganfzing the whole after I'm
| phray Spurways model with his own quick
| decision.
| Now, in these new colonies there is no
| such thing as promotion by merit. Offices
| are given and taken with regard only to
| the amount of money or perquisite which
| is attached or attachable to them. So that
a sea captain will manage a gold mine
| superintend a mint. take charge of gov
| eminent printing press or start a sugar
| plantation with equal readiness, being no.
ways concerned at any ignorance of his
! duties. but having only single eye ~ any
| plunder which might stick to his fingers
50 that when VIII dispossessed the in
CAPABLE superintendent of the Porto Rico
cloth weaving Ia distinguished 'sangrado'
or island dOctor). he naturally made a bit
ter enemy, rather many. For every
holder of comfortable sineCure feared
| that one or other of these pushing, ire
pressble English would supersede him and
| divert the plumber from donnish breech
pockets to those of the King of SPAN.
But EboTra and his mother. by using their
great influence among the blacks and In
dian half-br"eds. kept Us informed OF the
plots to dSsassinate us as We passed
through the forest. So that when The
rIasked braves sl.rang from the bushes, Al
| bdcete, knife in one hand. cloak wrapped
about the other arm. We're ready for
them with our swords bare in 0ur hands
and FASTENED toward our asSailan,s with
loud cries These iHcontiaently turned tail
and vanished, even on one occasion plung-
ing into thickets of prickly peaG in their
desperation.
y pistol shot out of the wood was a more
dangerous incident, and they became al
most d fp1tuEP of niikp rim1paS
SultlnS the comrnandaute, we obtained two
men as escort. SO. with great bell -nouthed
nuSkets loaded with sluss. we marched to
ana fro. tbs muZzle of each piece laid ;tf-
fectionateiy over the shoulder of a Sninish
soldier In this manner we had peace. and
the weaving proSTerei in orr hands. Nv ely
Sunday We vent to the convent To see my
mother and to do what offices of kindness
We might to the poor fellows of the chain
gang who had once been our comrades.
Eut | began TO tell of Donna Juanitas
excursion to take the air. Anna went with
her, still wearing her fringed Indian hunt
ing dress, which she found exceedingly con-
Venient- And in beaded leggins, rringed
skirt Of tanned doeskin, Cui!Ied blouse
pearled with silver buttons of Potusi, and
ciose-htting cap daintily fealhered who
but Anna Mark was a sight for sore eyes"
as the saying is at Nurrham? The soldiers
at the fort watched for her, hollew-eyad
With fever ana shook as they waited The
negroes worshiped her as though she had
been divinity. The comma ndanta walked
beside her. with his hat in his hand, and,
marvel Of marvels, the Lady Juanita
seemed more fond of her than of any other
:" much 50 that it was almost impossible
to find them separate by night or day
Know not what tale the Lady Juanita
had told Anna TO account for her own
transportation across the seas. I have
never asked Anna from that day to This
Probably II was some invention of capture
by pirates at sea. or KIDNAPPING home,
as would appear the more credible in that
eat oil
Anna, willing. though not rcjoiced, to be
Claimed as daughter by this handsome.
and powerful lady. endured many cdresses,
in the hope that thus ,,nc day she might be
able to bring all safe back to our native
land.
But this thought had to be severely coz
ctaied from the Lady Juanita, who natur-
ally enough, bad no intention of r4vislting
Scotland.
Two years, Anna she would say, and
With our economies We will be abb, to re-
turn TO old Spain! Nicholas has promised
IL We shall see the Slories of the kings
court | shall have my carriage reDaInt ed
| and new coat of arms blazoned Nicho-
| las will receive the Order of the Golden
| Fleece. have heard that the king himself
| mas expressed a desire to see me. lie likes
! hne women. so they say. You, as niy-rny
| younger sister. shall accompany me- We
VIII marry you to a grandee of Spain. You
| snail nave a winter house in Madrid a
summer villa on the mountains-at La
GranJa, where the court goes. Nicholas is
rich We have no children. All ne has
snail be yours and mine. If anything
should happen to him-Well, who knows /
MAY marry again The Spanish rave about
women of my complexion
To all this Anna listened without rarDon-
! STRANGE or making objection. For as she
said to me afterward, when / spoke to her
| about marriage with grandse of Spain:
No, | did not refuse. For Won know
| well. Spain is so far on the road home end
| II we can get passage thither and means
| TO make lImDhTaV
| with our case. We shall all see the Min
| house again. and hear the water lashinS
| over the weiri"
For, all may see, Anna had an old
| head on young shoulders, and no idea of
| barterIng the shadow for the substance
| SO long. therefore, as the grandee abode in
the background, she was quite willing that
| her mother should talk as much as she
| pleased about marriage in the abst ract An
| the same. | knew she had no idea of mar
| rylnS any Spaniard, prince or beggar About
| that l gave myself no concern whatsoever
1t was talking in this fashion that Anna
| and her mother rode forth toward the new
| road on which the gangs of haIf-naked men
, We're at work, their chains glinting and
| mixing while the cracking of the drivers
| whips resounded from one end of the busy
| antheap to the other.
| AS the carriage drove up in the red glow
| on the afternoon the outriders were sud
| denly stopped by some obstruction on The
| highway. Voices cried confusedly and
| whips smacked as the negro gangmasters
| strove to clear the road for the wife of the
/ comnandante- Juanita looked out of the
belly OF the coach She was in a good hu-
| NOR She had that moment married Anna
| 70 prince of the blood and settled Don
| Nicholas under a marble monument as
| heavy as a church
| All, poor man fallen down. 1t is those
| acCursed chains in the heat of the dav
stand out of the way there. fellow! Your
hand, Anna L will descend | will de-
| scend! Bring the strong spirit with YOU:
| we will revive the poor man Take your
| black launches out of a Iady's way, will
| youe' wa"
And so, with loud, humorsome authority
she caused a way to be cleared In a mo-
| ment more Anna found herself looking at
| TWO men chained even as we had been
| one was gray of head. the other black
one was elder and the other younger but
| both were gaunt and haSgard and naked
even to the iron rings about their waists
| The elder had the head of the younger or
! ms knees at the moment when the two wo-
| men came up. The younger opened his
| eyes. ''
| Let me CO., he mGrmured: why DO vo,.
| torment me? Let me go to my own place,
| You are deYilr'
| ana the elder answered him with a ter
| rlbIe grlmace of hate, Il will never let yoI,
! go Death itself shall not release Won |
i