The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-11-18
As Told at
Martins ~ ~
----------------- -
BY Beatfiz Beilido De Luna.
Copyright, 1901, by Authors syndicate.)

~ WV
mouths. Walters passed noiselessly
to and fro. bearing trays laden Nith
tall glasses. The electric fans overhead
.buzzed with giddy whirr, and there
was II DANCER on the stage who was
good to look upon. Altogether, Mar
tins WAS much more pleasant place
to be than in the sultry atmosphere
outside.
"'rhat girl" said Brown. slowly, eye
ing The dancer through curling clouds
of smoke, as she snapped her cas-
tancts, and twisted her 1.-THE figure in
the rhythmic measures of Spanish
air, reminds me of a woman knew in
Cuba
us it a story. Brown" questioned
Lester.
swell. rather" our friend replied,
enlphaiically. Like 10 hear it?"
We assented eagerly. for Browns
stories were usually worth listening
to.
cas- said before" he began, "itwas
in Cuba. ] was there for the paper,
just before the Spanish American war
broke out, and saw. the conflict
through. Most of the time, after hos
tilties were declared. ] was all over
the island. wherever the fighting was,
but at first was qlIartered at Ha-
vana, and it was there that knew
Antoninn.
"She had come from Paris and was
dancing at the Tacon theatrr. The
city was mad over her. after he fash
ion Of the Latin race. and. in fact. she
made even my phlcgmatic Anglo
Saxon blood run quicker than was its
wont. She was hardly beautiful,
though have never seen such eyes be-
fore, or since. She had II small wicked
face, was slender almost to thinness
and not very tail. But to see her
dance! ] am sure no one has cqualed
her. Every motion was daring. poet
zeal, and possessed the very essence
of grace. She was absolutely mistress
of her art. andbf her audiences.
II don't know what she was, but
mostly Spanish blood. although some
said she had ii strain of French some
said Arabian. and sCmc even limited at
the African, but whatever her nation
atty, her magnetism was marvellous.
"Ihr EalIants few wildly at her
feet. She was looked upon with hor-
ror by the church, although it was
shld-hui never mind that. She tan
talizch her lovers, laughed ut them,
gifted them. yet chained them to her.
Among her most constant admirers
was Gen. Ruiz, of the Spanish army.
lie seemed to b" more favored than
the others. but was insanely JEALOUS,
in fact berrft of an reason.
"PoIiiical matters were very much
strained feeling between Spaniards
and the tnhans had reached its high,
est pitch Not Il day passed without
duel, or II quarrel, or an arrest. Yet
in spite of this, Antonina danced every
night to II crowded house, and the
pleasure loving city, although honey
conbcG by plots and intrigucs, for
got, for he moment, all save the mo-
lnrnt's enjoyment.
The man most dreaded by the Span
ish officials was one Juan Sanchez, an
insnrg"nt leader. lie was The son of
a wealthy planter who had figured
prominently in a former outbreak.
and had been eNiled to Ceuta, Spain's
penal colony in Africa. The son. grow
ing to manhood and finding himself
an oitrast. embraced the rebel cause
and had made himself troublesome.
lie had gathered his recruits from
neighboring provinces, and lived in
the mountains, evading every effort
OF the government to capture him.
"a do not know how it came about,
but Ruiz evolved the idea Of affecting
his capture through Antoninh. The
general possessed a diamond of enor-
nous value. a family jewel aud this
he promised TO the woman IL she would
lure the outlaw to hev holrse. An
tonina had long coveted then stone,
and had tried every one Of her wiles
to obtain it, so 1t can be understood
that she readily promised to attempt
the task.
'lt might be thought that this was
most difficult undertaking. but Ruiz
had his spies everywhere, and An.
ionina her willing slaves. One night,
when Sanchez was in the city on a
secret mission, he was taken to the
theater by one Of his own friends, to
see Antonina dance; was introduced
to her after the performance, and,
like all the others, fell under her
spell. To a mar of his character no
half way method was possible She
dismissed the other of her admirers,
and rumor soon spread that Sanchez
rode IN every nigh, and openly visited
her at her house.
This was what Ruiz was waiting
for, and one evening the place was
surrounded and Sanchez taken pris.
oner He was, of course, sentenced
to be shot.
"Antonina. apparently, thought nc
more of the matter. She appeared at
the theater on the following even.
inr on3 ho,l naun~ hAan .,s... chs I'm.