The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-23

Susie had killed a man. Mexican
Pete. the Bronco buster. often told the
story with the graphic details of an
eyewitness. When the shooting took
place he was playing at the same faro
bank and, as the man fell dead over
the layout. his blood spattered the
stack of chips that Pete had coppered
on the queen.
Her name was Jesusita Espanosa,
but the people of the wild west show
called her Susie. In the street parades
the crowd always applauded when Su-
sic passed, tricked out in a spangled
bolero Jacket, red waist, yellow
skirt overlaid with black lace work
and a sugar leaf sombrero canted side
ways on. her head. In the performance
she charged with the cowboys to the
rescue when the Indians attacked the
stage coach. With her horse at full
tilt, the reins swinging loose on his
neck. her eyes blazing. her cheeks full
of color and her black hair streaming
back on the wind, she made pretty
picture as she rode in the van of the
buckskln- clad frontiersmen.
10 nave Qdy QICdlilS VI All
dalusia was to have known Susie. Of
ten, in imagination, you have lounged
by some Spanish roadside while, with
a show of we'll turned ankles, Just such
a girl danced a fandango to the music
of castanets. In the plaza de toros
you have caught sight of her in holiday
coors, standing tiptoe on her seat,
crying: "Bravo!" with kindling face
as the matador drove his espada home
81 g
night when oleanders made the air
sweet and the moon was white on the
distant Sierras, you have seen her lean
from a latticed balcony and drop a rose
to cavalier stunning a serenade on
his guitar in the shadows beneath.
Though a Mexican of the humber
classes, she had nothing in common
with the peon type. In vivacity, Ian
gor, passion, she was pure Castillian.
Her face had a dewy freshness. a pen
sive sweetness in repose When she
spoke 1t sparkled. When she smiled,
1T lighted up as If an electric spark
had frightened suddenly behind the
mask of her features. Her dainty fig
ure was finely moulded, and from her
little feet to her proud head she look
ed a thoroughbred. Her big, lustrous
brown eyes seemed made for the melt
ing glances of love alone. Looking
into their clear depths, it was difficult
to imagine that they had ever CLEANED
with murderous ferocity along the
barrel of a six-shooter
La bala lie penetro los dos ojos,"
said Mexican Pete. "El cayo muerto
sobre la mesa. Su sangre Sc espar-
clio sobre una pila de fichas que es-
tavan apostados sobre la reina."
Proving. as you see, that the look of
a womans eye is no index to her
character.
Down in a village in a valley of old
Mexico, where Susie grew to woman
hood, two lovers sued for her hand,
and only one found favor in her eyes.
Juan. the accepted one. was cavalier
for the little beauty. He was we'll
formed and handsome. He rode like
q vaquero. None danced the fandango
with more grace. He sang quaint
Spanish ballads to his guitar with
such fetching voice and air that half
the maidens of the countryside would
have been his for the asking. AS the
old women of the village crouched by
the adobe walls in the sunshine and
gossiped over their cigarettes, they
smiled with satisfaction when Juan
and his sweetheart happened by.
What a pretty pair!" they said.
They were made for each other
AZ last the udy was UAcu.
There came a Sunday when the good
padre published the banns in the old
church in the plaza. Bright-faced girls
foregathered at Susie's home and
laughed and chartered as they sewed
upon her bridal clothes. The happiest
two in all the length and breadth of
the valley were Susie and her sweet
heart Juan, Lost in their dreams and
their passion, they forgot Ramon, Su-
sizes discarded suitor-crafty, evil-eyed
Ramon Gonzales, whose love. disap-
pointed, had turned to hatred, and who
bided his time to strike.
Sitting I'm the moonlight in front of
Susie's home, Juan's fingers strayed
idly over the strings of his guitar, max
ing soft, fragmentary music. His
sweetheart sat beside him, her head on
his shoulder. On the morrow they were
TO be welded In fancy. they heard the
bells Ginning merrily in the gray bell
fry. They beheld the church crowd
ed with people in gala attire. They
saw maidens strew flowers for the bril-
dial pair. They heard the voice of the