The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-04-04
The Curse
That Failed
BY WHICH JOSE REMAREz .
OUTWlTTED HIMSELF.
BY Marguerite Stabler.


side of his patio and counted himself
happy man, and he had reason.
The sun was warm, his crops were
bountiful, and Luisita was his. In
his complacency he did not see the
vengeful glance of his one time rival
as the dark figure of Pablo Varo
sauntered by. He sat and smoked,
with the fatuous smile born of the
pride of possession, incapable of any
emotion beyond his simple two ply
nature--his love for Luisita and his
hatred for Pablo.
But nothing of the situation was
lost on Pablo as he swung by with
his long, loose strides. His manner
suddenly lost all its devil may care
Indifference, for Jose's self COM
placency stung him more keenly
than Luisita's Inconsistency. Bah!
How he would like to run him
through with his stiletto-the little,
fat necked puerco! The sight of
Jose sitting so contentedly under
his own vine and fig tree goaded
him beyond the last notch of en-
durance, and his ire was better di-
rected than he guessed, for it was
those very vines and fig trees that
had wrought Luisita's decision.
Luisita was a nice girl, with
brown eyes and trim ankles and the
usual amount of romanticism in her
head about marrying for love, and
all that. She loved Pablo and had
admitted as much to him, but there
were younger sisters in her family
to be considered, and the paternal
authority had stepped in and assert
ed itself in favor of Jose and his
broad acres in the fertile Santa
Ynez valley. SO, with a few de-
spairing shifts and an unctuous
feeling of martyrdom, she had duti-
fully yielded her point and straight
way plunged into the details of her
trousseau, solaced by the prospect
of going to her martyrdom in sat
in gown.
If Jose had faunted his success
openly in Pablo's face, if he had
taunted him with his defeat, then
he might have challenged him to
fight and at least have had the salts
faction of giving him sound
thrashing. But this ineifable self
complacency was beyond his reach.
Even he, Pablo, could not thrash a
man for sitting in his own patio and
smirking to himself. Still the more
he thought about it the more deter
mined he was that he must thrash
him, and, suiting the action to the
thought, he faced about and made
for Jose's vine clad patio. He would
whip him; yes, and soundly too.
But he must make Jose strike first,
in order that he might not be culpa-
bic in Luisita's eyes.
Jose had not changed his posi-
ton or expression, for every smoke
wreath framed picture of Luisita's
brown eyes and trim little ankles.
When Pablo appeared so suddenly
before him, black with rage, Jose
batted his beady little eyes nervous
ly in the effort of focusing his
thoughts on a nearer and less pleas
ant object. He did not look at all
like a man who might be easily de-
coyed into a fight, but Pablo was de-
termined. With a threatening ges-
ture, he sidled up to the gate.
"Come out here, you coward" he
commanded. 81 have a score to
settle with you"
Jose, basking in his complacent
mood, was loath to see it go. "You
come in here and have a cigarette
with me-" he answered, deeming it
wiser not to notice the manner and
tone Of Pablo.
"Not ], returned Pablo. 81 do
not smoke with such as you, you
miserable little cur. Come out here
while | wipe the ground up with
youp
Pablo was twice Jose's size, and it
required no great stretch of the inn
agination of the latter to see him
self made into a mop in his tor
mentors brawny arms, so he grew
more and more conciliatory.
"Come in and have glass Of
wine with me. 1t is made on my
own place." he yentured. The pic
ture of the unlovely front he would
present to Luisita with his nose bro
ken and his teeth gone made him
wary. Could he have done Pablo an
underhanded mischief to any ex-
tent he would have availed himself
Of the opportunity, but to fight
never! 1t was un-Christian. The
unfortunate hazard about his own
vintage, however, took the form in
Pablo's mind of taunt of his pos
sessions.
"Come on" he cried, ''you miser-
able, skulking, thieving, lying cow
ard l dare you to come out and
fight me like a mani You're afraid
to-afraidw edging up closer and
closer as Jose. for the first time,