Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-27
his pouch and gave it into her withered

I will tell you truth that you may take
oatn upon, whether kissing or Staying be
In your thought. A woman is sick to the
is born. The Tia Elyira Is with her. And
the blackwell, when the mother Is soon
to be bride, its life Is not like to be long!
A rough crossing for so short sojourn, !!
wot. Good morning, brave mans son!
And to you, sir, q safe journey till the
knife strikes or the lips meet!''
Leaving her pot simmering on the wood
mon to the corner Of the garden. The
broad-leaved fig trees made a dense green
gloom there. The pale gray undersides Of
the olive whipped like feathers in the light
ci..n breeze of night.
There-go in there!'
She pointed with her hand to little pill
Jared summer house in the garden Of the
mill house.
Whether you hate the old or love the
young, bide there she whispered; there
is no need that Tia Elvira should have all
the gold. Cross my hand again, and am
your servant forever
Ramon gave her gold duro.
And she clawed Ramon by the arm with
claws like eagles talons and stood leaning
against him breathing into his ear.
Ah Gallego, you are strong to lean
against love man So" she said. "Once
you had not stood SO slack and careless IL
La Giralda had leaned her breast against
your shoulder-ah. all withered now is it
and hard as the rim Of sieve But you
love this young widow, you also. She is Ell
Sarrias widow. they tell me, he whom the
Miquelites slew at the entering in Of the
And so you, too. wish to marry her, now he
Is dead. If I were widow and young
would choose you, for you are of stature
and or thickness, proper man through
and through. Scarce can I meet my old
arms around your chest. Yet woman never
knows woman, and she may chance to pre-
fer Don Luis. But the babe Is in their
way-the babe that cried tonight. Luis
mr. vxy{Ch 10 fnr oh 4
dren Of his own by this woman, and Ell
Sarria's brat would spoil his inheritance
She stopped and unclasped her arms.
Al. she said, you love not Don Luis.
l felt 1t when l spoke of his having issue
by that woman. l wot well that will never
happen. Your knife or your pistol COT these
you have twO) will have conference with
him before that But if you wish this child
TO nye-though see not why you should
save that its father was like you proper
man and the slayer of many-stand yonder
In the shadow of the summer house, and
If any one come out with the babe, smite!
But If it be a man, smite hard, il it be
Aunt E1vtra, the hax, smite ten times
harder. For she is the devil in petticoats
and hath sworn away many a life, as she
would do mine if she could. I, who have
never wished her any harm all the days Of
my life!
"Go-go, they are coming to the door. I
see the light disappear from the chamber
above. Remember to strike the Tia low
In the groin is best. She wears amulets
and charms above and you might miss your
markr'
Ramon found him in the little roughly
finished 1ath-and-plaster temple. He sat
or the dry basin Of the fountain and parted
the vine leaves with his hands He was
scarce dozen yards from a door In the
Wall-a door recently broken, which by
two stone steps gave direct access to the
garden.
Ramon listened and through the darkness
ne could discern the keen. insistent, yet to
his ear, sweet crying of the babe, presently
broken by series of pats on the back into
a staccato bleat, and finally stilling itself
gradually into uncertain silence.
Then the door into the garden was eau
tiously opened and man clumsily de-
scended. He shut the door softly behind
him and stood awhile gazing up at the
lighted room. Then shaking his fist at the
Illuminated panes he moved toward the
summer house.
Stumbling and grumbling the man came
to the door. He did not descend the step
which led to the interior, but CROPPED
through one of the open windows for some
thing behind the door.
May holy st. Isodore strike my brother
with his lightnings!' he uttered. He gives
me the i'll jobs, and when 1 have done them
but scant thanks for all my pains!"
His hand went cropping blindly this way
and that, unwilling of what lurked in the
further gloom.
From Ramon Garcia's knife at the
Devils gorge to this young ones undoing
all comes to poor Tomas. And now when
he might have left me the mill house he
must needs marry this widow Garcia and
set to work forthwith to chouse me out OF
my inheritance. A foul pest on him and on
his seed!''
BY and by he extracted a spade, mat
took and skin covered corn measure hold
ing about the quarter Of an arroba.
With these he went grumbling off toward
the deep shade Of the fig tree where Ramon
had talked with the gypsy woman.
"It is a blessing that such pulling brats
need no iron collar when sentenced to the
garrote. It will not be pleasant. l sup
pose-a nasty thing enough to do. But,
after all, this little trench under the fig
tree will be an excellent hold over my good
brother Luis. Many stout ounce of gold
shall he bleed because of the small squall-
ing bundle that shall be hushed under this
garden moldw
Ell Sarria knew his man by this time,
though he had not seen him for many
years. He was Don Thomas, Luis Fernan-
dez's ne'er-do-wen brother, who had been
compelled to flee the country the year of
formation to the enemy.
Presently with many puffs and pants
Tomas finished his work to his satisfaction.
Then he shook a handful of grass and
leaves into the bottom of the excavation.
There" he muttered, with cackle of
laughter there is your cradle-bed cozjly
made, young Don Ramon! I wonder how
soon that hell-hog Tia Elvira will be ready
to do her part. The Sangrado must have
gone hours ago. She Is to bring the young
ling out and then go back to tell her story
to the mother how sweetly 1t passed
away-ah, ah-how heavenly was its smile.
So it will-so 1t will! Tomas Fernandez
knows the trick. He has quieted many a
leveret the same way!'
The garden door opened again, this time
very slightly, mere slit of light lying
across the tangled green and yellowish
gray Of the garden.
1.-THE signal" he muttered, II am to go
and wait outside for the Tia. OF course,
my good and respectable brother will not
put a finger to the job himself
He was standing leaning upon his mat
took at the head Of the little grave which
he had destined for the child Of Dolores
Garcia. He had been whistling q gay An
dalusion Tilt Of tune he had learned on his
long travels.
well, better get 1t overv' he said, drop
ping his mattock and starting out toward
the door. Here comes the Tta!'
But at that moment the heavens fell
Upon the head OF the midnight workman
descended the fiat of his own spade. Ell
Sarria had intended the edge, but Tomas
good angel turned the weapon at the last
moment or else he had been cloven to the
shoulder blade For 1t was fathers arm
that welded the weapon. Down fell the
digger Of infant graves, right athwart the
excavation he himself had made. His mouth
was filled with the dirt he had thrown out,
and the arm that threw It swung like q
pendulum to and fro in the hole