The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-09-20
MISUNDERSTANDING
A CHAIN OF LOVE.
1t Made a Girl Happy, but When
Her Lover Deserted Her She
Used 1t to End Her Sorrow,
BY GwENDoLEN ovERToN.
o#o# OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

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The air was dense with the scent Of
orange blossoms, violets and roses; mu-
sic, languorous Mexican music, drifted
through the vines and trees; over all was
the blue black starry sky of the southern
land, and in the heart of Lolita, as her
great, pathetic eyes met the eyes of Man
uel, awoke love and the short romance of
her life.
Manuel was great and rich caballero.
lie was privileged to walk upon the wide
inner pavements of the plaza, where the
Sehorltas, who Wore beautiful gowns and
mats, hled round and round in an unbro-
Ken stream and where peon dared not
so much as set his sandaled foot. But
Lollta was only Il moza. In her veins
there was Indian blood, enough TO tinge
her skin to pale bronze, to put the his
tory of mysterious and conquered peo-
Pie IN her eyes, to give to her face a clas-
sic mold and to her step the dignity of
queen led into captivity. The senoritas
shutting 10y lacked Lolitas grace, for it
came of carrying jars of water upon her
head and from being unfettered in every
1.-THE Indian muscle through Is toiling
years.
Manuel observed it as he oitered upon
bench and watched the crowding toll
ers and their women moving by in the
outer narrow walk allotted to them. an
unending line Of color under the shadows
of the orange trees. And, waiting until
the current brought her by him again, he
fastened his eyes unwaveringly upon
hers. Lolita returned the steady stare
Tor so begins the lovemaking of these
people-each time that she passed the
pench where he sat, a tall. fine figure of
man OF Incidence and plenty, so near
that she could have put out her hand and
touched MN, so near that she could hear
MN whisper the words of the song that
came from the band hidden among the
trees: Dulce es la cana, pero mas 10 es
su voz. La amargura quitas del cora
zon. How the soft voice dwelt on that
last word. as tn ugh his own heart were
breathed out to her in it. Her glance lin
gered upon him as she went by. Then
she looked up to the white towers of the
cathedral, cleaning against the night,
and made a prayer to her name saint.
Nuestra Sonora de Dolores.
And when the music had stoned and
the plaza began to be deserted, she glided
off down the narrow street, keeping in
the light of the electric lamp, that she
might not be lost to the sight of Manuel,
who was following her, across on the OBJ
poslte sidewalk. swinging along with the
careless, leisurcly grace of the men of his
race, confident of his conquest when he
should speak to her at the door Of her
house. And it was an easy conquest.
How should it have been other with this
child of servitude and poverty and in
stinctf He had but to make the sign. had
but to murmur II love thee" and she
was his, forgetting earth and heaven.
lie had loved before, had Manuel. The
spice of novelty lacked for him in the
desperate devotion of Lolita. Yet il was
sweet at first, when they wandered at
night through the wide, tree arched paths
of the dark alameda or sat upon the
quaint stone benches, her head upon his
breast and her firm little hand in his.
When they met by day in the fields. he
having ridden on his silver trapped Ken
lucky horse to the trysting place, and she
having come by the mule cars and after
ward afoot. pushing her way through the
growth of flowers that met, a waving glo-
ry of color. over her head, until she saw
him leaning against the trunk Of some
great oak or against some vine grown
fence of stones.
The world was paradise then-the short
lived paradise between the downpour of
the rains and the whitening heat of the
dry season-when the valleys blossom to
the base of the blue mountains, one rip
ping sea of pink and white and yellow
and red and blue, when the very parasite
upon the trees is orange and scarlet,
when the sky is always fair. when the
air is SO clear that the cleaning spires Of
the churches show from miles away
among the foothills and when the land
that its conquerors knew as Nueya Cali
cia is the most beautiful spot upon earth.
In those days when they met among
the fields by the banks Of the lily grown
river he gave her a golden chain. long
and thick. at is like the golden chain Of
the love which binds us, Dolores mia,
strong and without end" and she forgot,
as, bending toward her. he threw it over
her head, that the little medal which
hung from it bore the picture of the
Mother OF Sorrows and was set round
about with pearls, the jewels of tears.
She was too happy then to know the
meaning OF the upturned. grieving face
of the dainty bit of enamel, but the time
came ere long when she understood.
1t was upon a day when she waited by
the river edge from noon until nightfall
and Manuel did not come She went
back across the fields in the twilight, and
then, for the first time, she saw that the
season Of the flowers had passed. that
they were dry and brittle stalks, that far
away to where the mountains faded into
violet shadows the land was burned and
brown, while the dust rose under her lag
ging feet and hung about her. She walk
ed alone amidst a group OF men who car
ried great loads of red pottery and coops
full of chickens on their backs, and a
herd of thin. red haired hogs which were
driven by II wiZened old man and a beau
tiful boy. Lolita walked because she had
no money to ride in the mule cars which
ran to the city Manuel had forgotten to
give her so much as a quartillo. Now and
again she looked up longingly at the cars
as they passed. and of sudden she stood
quite still, gazing with grief strained
eyes, for in one Of them was Manuel,
bending to talk to a stout old lady and to
cast soft glances at the brown haired.
fair skinned senorita who sat beside her.
The car passed on. and the little In
dian continued her weary way. That
night she went to the alameda with only
the faintcst hope that Manuel would be
there. But he came. and answered her re-
proacheS and tears with kisses and ex-
plantations. MY father sent me, Lolita"
he told her. "He sent me to the fnca to
sell grain to a Gringo." And Lolita did