The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-02-24
The Curse That Failed

itC - QiSC . itc1t l CiiCA,
Jose Remarez sat on the sunny side Of
his patio ana counted himself a happy
man. In his eompIacency ne did no;
see the vengefui glance OF his one-tfrue
rival as the dark figure Of Pablo Yaro
BuL nothing OF the situation was lost
on Pablo as he swung BY with his long,
loose stTlGes. His manner suddenly lost
ali its devil-Enay-c Indifference, for
Jose's self-comDlacency stang MIN more
keenly than Lusita's Ineons fancy.
Luislta 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 mad admitted as much
10 him. but there were younger sisters
in her family TO be considered, and the
paternaI authority had stepped III and
asserted itself in favor OF Jose and his
broad acres in the fertile Santa Ynez
valley.
If jose had Haunted his success openly
in Pablo's face. If he had tainted him
! with his defeat. then he might have
challenged aim to fight and al least have
mad the satisfaction Of giving hiul-@a
sound thrashing. But this inefable self
complacency was beyond his reach. Even
he, Pablo, could not thrash a man for
sitting in his own patio and Sinking 70
il, the more determined he was THAI he
must thrash him, and suiting the action
to the thought. he faced about and made
for Jose's yine-clad patio.
Jose had not changed his position or
Expression When Pablo appeared 50
suddenly before him black with rage,
Jose batted his beady little eyes nerv-
ously he did not look at all like a
{ ii 4,.41.
/ a fight, but Pablo was determined.
Come out here, you coward he COM
handed
Jose. basking in his complacent mood.
was loath TO go. You come in here and
/ have a cigarette with me" he answered.
Not L." returned Pablo; Il do not
! smoke with such as you, you miserable
little cur.
/ Come in here and have a glass Of
wine with me; ii is made on my place.
/ he ventured. The picture of the unIove-
/ ~ front he would present to Luisita,
with his nose broken and his teeth gone,
made him wary.
Come on Pablo cried. you miser-
able. skulling, thieving, lying coward.
dare you to come out and fight me like
a man. You're afraid 10, afraid-afraid,
edging up closer and closer.
10 he finally answered, as IL weigh
ing. the charge NO, I'm not that9 you
have a wrong impression of me"
BY this time Pablo was half way up
the steps, menaeing and challenging.
come out here and fight, you upstarf."
ne shouted holding his hot face so close
that the slightest pass from Jose would
/ have struck him. and then his punish
ment would have descended swift and
sure
Jose had no fancy for a trial Of their
ef,.e77 9TH ono he Ynrcfzra1 fvY1vprf11rb-
ably.
Pablo menaced, threatened, tantalized
thrusting his clenched fist into jose
face offering every indignity man VIII
not take to make him strike out; but he
would not.
Bafled and exhausted. Pablo stamped
and swore like a mailman. Stay I'll r.
then" he fairly shrieked. stay there in
your seat until you stick to it, Sit I'M
der your accursed vines till YOU die and
rot. you and the woman you have stolen
from me, you thieving, lying half-breed
mongrel. May she bring curse to whom
soever touches her, and may her children
grow W to curse their father and bring
disgrace upon their own heads. You off
scouringi You plague spot You low
flung under-handed sneak theft You
you
Breathless and exhausted. words failed
him. But as he disappeared around the
corner, shaken with his wrath, he still
muttered execratiOn between his teeth.
In the blindness Of his rage he did not
notice the effect his words had had
Under the TRADE of his curse Jose had
changed color and gone from pasty vel
low to streaEed blue. Now re arose
stffly and backed in the direction Pablo
had taken as if expecting to see his
curse descend in visible form.
NTa1rp de Di0Si he was 2 r71irp7 man
for this was Good Friday and the change
of the moon! Many were the curses ne
had known to have been called down in
this way, leaving a train Of desolation
and destruction in their wake
He felt himself powerless in Pablo's
hands. and the scathng words that had
burned themselves into the core Of his
soul, rang the changes on May she
bring curser' till the perspiration stood
out on his forehead and the goose-fesh
on his body
But with the coming Of the morning
there came a sudden flash Of illumina-
ton. A quick light capped into his eve.
for The words may whomsoever' took
on a new meaning 10 him. In the atti-
tlde Of mind that says you're another
Jose bounded TO his feet with definite
plan. He began TO see the possibility Of
outwltting Pablo. by shifting his deep
crimson curse to his (Pablo's) own head
IT was st0l early when Jose puhing
from the briskness Of his walk found bis
way to the home OF the lovely Iuis'ta.
All his hopes and plans the past year
had centered in her brown eyes and trim
lttte ankles tt was Lusita his fancy
pictured opposite him at his snitary
meals and Luisita beside I'm on the
sunny side IF the patio; fl was for her
he had planted HIS h01fv-h0cks and mari 1