Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-01-24

sire or expect! ana, at any rate, Will
ing or not. her niece, la senOrita YEez
del Vale might as well make up her
mind to marry Don Fernando Casaneu-
va or betake herself to a nunnery.
Tears, prayers. eXpostulations-
nothing. in fact-had any effect on the
hard-hearted aunt. No. there was not
another word to be said. Her niece
would marry according to her guardi-
ans desire or enter a convent. Mean
while, until a choice was made, con-
fnement in her room, on very slim
diet. would be in order. So as Senorita
del Vale could not and would not hear
reason. or be guided thereby, in her
room did she remain for several days.
weeping a great deal, and storming at
her implacable aunt great deal more.
For Senorita Ynez had good, hot tenn
per. and a strong American will of her
own. and she was determined that only
by force would she be dragged to the al
tar with old Casanova.
Her room, locked and barred as to
doors, and grated as to windows. was
on the second floor, and even if her bal
comics were 80 strongly grated that
she could not escape through them,
small notes to Johp-her John-cOuld.
Wherefore many billet-doux futtered
down by night to the raging lover be-
meath, and the situation, in all its eX-
asperating hopelessness, was laid be-
fore him. What was to be done?
One unfortunate night. however,
Senorita Ynez was discovered in
the very act of letting down note
to her gringo loyer-she had first
drawn up one from him on a cord
which they used for the purpose. or
this letter, Dona Antonio knew moth
ing; enough to realize that this
shameless, Authenticated girl had
once more defed and gotten the best
of her. Wild and furious were the
words of dona, who swOre that her
niece, since she would not consent to
marriage with that good caballerO,
Don Fernando, should be sent with
out delay to a nunnery which she had
in view-a place where shameless girls
were soon brought to a realizing sense
of their own thanklessness and wick
edness, where, above all, there would
be no fortune-seeking gringos hang
ing around.
Dona Antonia's TRADE necessarily
interrupted, on account of moment
airy lack of breath, gave her niece an
opportunity to put in a few calm and
cOntemptuOus words at is not neces-
sary. my aunt. For l have decided al
ready-to accept Don Fernando. This
prison life is no longer endurable."
For a time, Dona Antonio could
hardly believe her ears. Was it pos
sible that the girl could mean what
she said? After all her objections,
was she at last consenting, and in
good faith, to marry Don Fernando?
AS a realization of what it meant
for her dead brothers fortune was
strictly tied up in the hands of the
executors. and Don Fernando had Of
fered a good sum in cash for Ynez' s
consent to his suit-came over the
dona. she could have wept with relief.
All the same she was careful to let
Ynez know that until her marriage
day itself was over with, she would
be strictly watched and guarded.
There was to be. as she expressed it,
no gringo-like games played, no de-
ceiving of Don Fernando. Therefore
it behooved the senOrita to be par
ticularly circumspect.
SO that Ynez, being off with the old
love could now afford to be on with
the new. And the enraptured old
Fernando lost no time in playing the
bear" to his pretty young inamorata,
who. even as her aunt had threat
ened, was as strictly looked after and
guarded as ever. Every afternoon, at
the time of the Angelus, the old don
would appear tottering up the street,
his servants accompanying him so as
to direct the half-blind sutton to the
right house. Then, this naturally
somewhat weighty matter settled, the
servant would retire, leaving Don
| Fernando to his own devices.
| Anyone who knows Mexico will re-
member that very quaint custom o
Mexican lovers-"playing the bear,
In her balcony stands the adored, hal
or wholly sheltered by vines or cur
tains, while below in the street, OIL
the pavement directly under her o.
across from her according to circum
stances), PAGES the adorer. M
word is spoken. She stands in thu
shadow, moving or fiuttering a hand
kerchief occasionally, her face hid
den by her lace mantilla, while tn
don below, pacing up and down, gaze
upward with amorous mien, saying
more with his eyes, perhaps, than h
could with his tongue had he tn
chance.
In this manner did rheumatic oil
Don Fernando disport himself, even
ing after evening, until his poor oil
bones must have creaked, and hi
poor stiff old neck must have had IN
Vulnerable "cricks" in it. But h
kept it up nobly; it would not las
very much longer, anyway, and tn
pleasure of seeing his lady-love on he
balcony, montionless in her whit
gown and black mantilla, was quit
enough to repay him. After he 60
her safely, she should be amply re
paid for the long delay and the MAI
ner in which she had denied his sui
Ynez, meanwhile, took things quiet
", sewing a little in her own room
and trying on patiently the magnif
cent rousseau which Dona AntOni
was having made for her, and fo
which Don Fernando-as per tn
usual Mexican custom-would foot tn
bills. Some of the Mexican custom
are beyond improvement; this is on