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

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 viii re-
member that very quaint custom of
Mexican lovers-"pl.ying the bear"
In her balcony stands the adored, half
or wholly sheltered by vines or cur
tains, while below in the street, on
the pavement directly under her or
across from her (according'to circum-
stances), PAGES the adorer. No
word is spoken. She stands in the
shadow, moving or fluttering a hand
kerchief occasionally. her face hid
den by her lace mantilla, while the
don below. pacing up and down. gazes
upward with amorous mien, saying
more with his eyes, perhaps, than he
could with his tongue had he the
chance.
In this manner did rheumatic old
Don Fernando disport himself, even
ing after evening, until his poor old
bones must have creaked. and his
poor stiff old neck must have had in
Vulnerable "cricks' in it. But he
kept il up nobly; it would not last
very much longer, anyway, and the
pleasure of seeing his lady-love on her
balcony, montionless in her white
gown and black mantilla, was quite
enough to repay him. After he got
her safely, she should be amply re-
paid for the long delay and the man.
ner in which she had denied his suit.
lnez. meanwhile. took things quiet
ly, sewing a little in her own room,
and trying on patiently the magnif-
cent trousseau which Dona Antonio
! was having made for her, and for
which Don Fernando-as per the
| usual Mexican custom-would foot the
bills. Some of the Mexican customs
are beyond Improvements; this is one
of them.
To see that her bird did not escape,
Dona Antonio kept the room locked in
variably, and on the rare occasions that
the girl went to mass, escorted her in
person, with guard of two servants.
She had dealt with refractory Spanish
| girls before. but this one was half
! American; one had to be eXtraordi-
narily careful. As time went on, how
ever, the old woman grew little less
cautious. For example, at the hour
when Don Fernando appeared to play
bear" and she had seen Ynez safely
stationed in the barred balcony, with
both doors locked, Dona Antonio
would go across the street to have a
chocolate and gossip with an old
friend of hers. From the place where
she sat with her friend she could see
the girls dim form and futtering
draperies out on the balcony, and
could watch Don Fernando as he tot
tered up and down beneath her, now
hopping his tired face and now and
then casting up amorous glances at
his bride-elect above. Knowing full
well whom she had to deal with, and
even in spite of the fact that the
keys of Ynez' room were in her pocll-
ct, the dona never removed her eyes
from the white figure in the balcony.
So long as it was there things were
all right.
One day-one fatal day-Dona An
tonia left her niece a little earlier
than usual, having to see a certain
modiste; later, she would go to see
her crony. as usual. Ynez, at the time
of her departure, was busily trying
a new white gown on a new-fangled
American dress form. So occupied
was she with her work that she did
not even seem to hear her aunt as she
withdrew, closing and locking the
door, taking the heavy keys in her
hand. Three minutes later the girl
did hear the heavy Spanish street door
swing to below, and knew that she
had at least five minutes respite be-
fore Don Fernando arrived on the
street below for his "bear-playing"
act.
With trembling hands she dragged
the white-robed dress form close to
the balcony, twisting a heavy black
mantilla about the neck and pinning
a fiuttering handkerchief to the waist.
Then, watching carefully she slid the
cleverly made-up form into the very
corner of the heavilygrated balcony,
pulling down the curtains and vines
so as to conceal the fact that the body
had no head. For that matter, she
knew well that in the gray dusk
neither the dim eyes of her aunt
across the street nor the bleary ones
of old Fernando below the balcony
could see more than the white outline
of the figures skirt.
Then she set to work with a file
that she had guarded carefully in her
bag of bicycle tools. 1t was fiesta
day; not servant remained in the
great house; her aunt was safe for
more than an hour in the house oppo-
site, and down in the street paced Don
Fernando, leering at the dim white
figure on the balcony, and thinking
fondly of how he would tame the pref
ty vixen, once she was safely his. Ten
minutes filing did the work; and
shortly thereafter Ynez, with her
money and jewels hidden safely in
big purse, made quick fight from
the room, down the servants stairway
and out of the back of the house,