The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-03-08

you" to a girl OF your own race and
education: she will possibly laugh at
you, or tell you the same thing. and
you both know that it's only III fun. But
woman OF Consuelo's type would
never so unGe rstana it; savages have
strange ideas about these things. and
they have very matter-of-fact opinions
as to veracisy.
II was not very long before what
had predicted came 10 pass. and MIR.
Kirby was raving ard groaning. fiat on
his back. with the worst case that ]
have ever seen Of Guerrero fever: a
good deal of malaria being mixed in
with it. just to even matters up. sup
pose Not that there was any partjcm-
lar danger, for people rarely ever die
from attacks CT Guerrero fever and
chi!!s (yos only wish that you could
die). The usual remedy is to take quiz
nine, lie quietly with plenty OF blan-
kets over you. and take more quinfEe!
II yoi, are delirious and Insist upon
leaving your bed to cool of. outside
the tent. i, is well to have strong per-
son to hold sou down. and clamp the
blankets over you. This Is where. in
Kirby's case. Consnelo proved 10 be Of
use and help.
In point Of fact. no one else could he
spared to look after the sick man,
There was Juana-but Jnana had the
| food of 30 men to look after; very nat
urally she could not be spared to do
| nursing. Kirby would not let a Mext-
can come near him. and we few Ameri-
cans had to keep on with the surveying
| and track pinning. else the contract
| would run out. with our work hal! fin
ished. Under the circumstances, we
| simply had to turn FNrby over to Con-
she was a careful and very devoted
nurse.
In two weeks Or 40 no was up again
| and working a little. every day. He
| st e1slpd TO have lost his former desire
| TO hurry our work to its end, and tooN
things a little more coolly. No doubt
] s'cnsuefo'S constant care and devotion
had some effect on him. AS for the
girl, she followed him about like a
dog; bringing him quinine at various
hours during the day. cautioning him.
in her broken Spanish. about the ne
cessity Of wrapping up we'll, or else
making up savory hot drinks, such as
the Indians use "for the taking away
of the chilli
| And so 1t went. l was sorry both for
| the girl and for Kirby. and let him
see it. For which ] naturally received
| no thanks. Meantime, she was as hap
py as woman ever gets to be In this
world. and he obediently took the quiz
nine and hot drinks, and wrote fewer
| and fewer letters to Miss Kent. Which
certainly was rather hard on the lat
ter lady.
at only few days distance from Pu-
eblo de Maria. our stopping point, when
late one evening l received message
| that Kirby wanted to see me. was
| having my supper and sent the mozo
| back to him, saying that al soon as
had finished l would be with him.
Somehow. l spotted at once that Con-
suelo was At the bottom Of his mes
sage. and l thought things over as I
| drank my coffee. had noticed lately
| that his careless and off-hand treat
| ment Of the girl had grown even more
careless during the last few days; she.
on her part. had never seemed to wish
for more than the privilege to fetch and
| carry for him. A servile, savage sort
Of love. to be sure. but that is the way
| Indian women are.
Kirby was sitting at bis writing-table.
| a worried, nervous look on his face. and
| Miss Kent's picture and just-opened
| letter before him. AS | sat down,
glanced lightly at the letter. It was
| a very thin one. covering only two
pages. ard the signature was visible:
I shamelessly read it. "Your very sin
| cere friend. Dorothy Kent" is not the
| way in which fiancee usually signs
| letters, and ut once understood. Miss
Kent had doubtless gathered from
Kirby's letters that he was making
| love to some other woman. and. being
| a girl OF spirit and pride, had at once
written to break of the engagement.
Kirby, however. had little to say. He
merely wished me to notify "Consuelo.
old Juana's niece" that her services
were no longer necessary. Her wages
would be paid two months in advance,
and she, WAS to be furnished an escort
to her own home in Chilpancingo. "And.
ty the way. jackson" he finished up.
"give her this $50 bill. and tell her that
/ |. send it. Il really owe her more than
that. for her attention to me when
was sick. think that's all. Will you
please see that she goes tomorrow
morning early9 Wed better get cut
pretty early with the instruments. too,
for we ought to be In Pueblo de Maria
by the end Of next week."
Consuelo was not in the kitchen, and
my interview. therefore. was with old
Juana-for which was not sorry. Who
knows how the girl would have taken
the news? The aunt was in boiling
rage. She called down the wrath Of
God and all the saints upon me; how
had the heart to SO discharge and
send away good girl, who had always
behaved herself properly? The old
woman was hard to pacify, and finally
Waxed 20 abusive that took strong
her; after which she
Quoted down, and said that Consuelo
woald.leaye early4next morning. And
then Invent to- bed, wondering If the
tbinezMas really over With, and think
Hing that did not In the least envy Mr..
K1rby.
We saw nothiuR more Of the girl. and
fEabd old 'JuAna was always ominously
| quiet and busy. Meanwhile. work was
booming along nicely. and we expected
! 10 get TO our terminus within four days