The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-01-24

Which you will agree was certainly
hard lines on poor Ynez, who had re-
ceived a half American education, and
was at heart far more American than
Mexican. Also it was hard on young
Ward, who had never loved before he
met the Mexican miners lovely daugh-
ter, and who therefore had all the hard
er attack. Neither of the young peo-
pie was very tractable, nor inclined 30
give in to the bigoted old woman, whose
only objection to Ward was that he be-
| longed to the race she haated. For they
continued to meet, as of yore, while
Dona Antonio was settling several of
her departed brothers affairs. When
she discovered that the two were still
seeing each other daily, in spite of her
commands to the contrary. her rage
was something terrible. Young Ward
was forbidden the house, and poor
1nez, struggling and in tears. was fore
IDLY dragged to her room, where she
was kept captive on bread and water
until her better senses returned. and
| she gave her oath to see no more Of the
| gringo, and to marry. instead. the hus-
band selected for her by her Aunt An
tonia.
This latter dignitary had been fixed
upon by the overbearing aunt, and if
anything more could have been pos
sible for the discontinue of hapless
GneZ this choice would have settled il.
For Don Fernando Casanova. dyed
in-the-wool old reprobate. owned TO al
| least GO years of age. He had been
twice married, both luckless spouses
dying from the pure misery of being
wived TO him. A life of absolute
protiigacy had left him a wreck. both
morally and physically, and. worst of
all, he was really desperately in love
with the pretty heiress of his old com
panero. So ugly, yellow and wrinkled
was he that even Dona Antonio per-
force had to admit that Fernando was
not very good looking; but. after all.
women did not marry for that. Rather
should modest, sensible muchacha Sc
lect for her husband and the guardian
of her fortune an experienced man of
certain age. Was not eel buen Fernan-
do a devoted Romanist. who weekly
confessed to no less a person than the
bishop himself? Was he not of noble
birth. own cousin to the great house of
Del Vale? Was he not said to have
great influence with the president him
self and was he not worth at least half
million pesos? All these things being
true, what more, in the name of Dios
and the Nirgen, could any woman de-
sire or expect? And at any rate, will
ing or not. her niece. la senorita Ynez
del Vale, might "a 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 convent. Mean
while, until a choice was made. con-
finement in her room, on a 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 HneZ 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 Casanueva.
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 so strongly grated that
she could not escape through them,
small notes to John-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 a note
to her gringo lover-she had first
drawn up one from him on a cord
which they used for the purpose. OF
this letter, Dona Antonio knew moth
ing; enough to realize that this
shameless, American hearted girl had
once more defied 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 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 a moment
airy lack of breath, gave her niece an
opportunity to put in a few calm and
contemptuous words: 1T is not neces-
sary. my aunt. For l have decided al
ready to accept Don Fernando. This
prison life is no longer endurable"
For time, Dona Antonio could
hardly believe her ears. Was it pos
sib.e 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 realization of what it meant
for her dead brothers fortune was
strictly tied up in the hands of the
l az I