The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-06
THE ADVERTISERS x
 DAILY SHORT STORY

.x "Ss " 'n'" An A"''"e V The. The suIl-hsht must have already conn My neighbor, after putting in order the furniture and clothing fin the room of hcr husband, .lights ell the candles of . Mt- tle altar that stands by the alcove. The yirsin of the Forsaken looks down from wife; eoiedad prays without ceasins. The children have gone to play and she IS left ajone with her doubts and fears and hopes for the safe return of her Jose, clouds are rapidly hiding the rays of the sun and in the houses the shadows are becoming every moment more pro- .nounced. The waxen candles. of the al- and the yellow glow from them falls full upon the white face of the gentle Andalucian. Soledad remains kneeling, her lips move slowly; in her hands there Is neither cross nor rosary. for the ara, need of them; Instead her fingers press with nervous movements. little watch that marks with desperate slow9ess the hours of the interminable struggle.
 The night has fallen. Suddenly a daz- zling glitter of lightning flashes out across tho sky and fearful storm breaks over Madrid. Soledad gives cry and runs to the balcony to see for herself if the storm Yiil be of importance to her. The bull-fighters do not return. but the '.cor- rlda" must surely be finished because. aside from the fact that the usual time has passed. the tempest must of course have put an end to 1t. What indefinable bitterness is painted on the face of loses wifel The rain has ceased for a. mo- ment. and the street Is filled with a thoas- and confused rumors. The shopkeeper of Sa the corner has returned; talking in the carriage does not appeal
 Night! And Joes does not come! The newsboys are calling out the extra pl- noon's sport and of the adventures of tho matador.
 Soledad hears nothing. She hastens out Into the street. without needing the ch!l- play. in order to be In time to help their father take off his costume of ''bands- rillero." In a few minutes she is in the Prado and then In the old Aragon hlsa- road which is dark. lonely and full of mud and that acrid and penetrating odor that always remains after a rain storm: some of the lamps have been blown out by the violence of the wind ana among the little whirlwinds of muddy leaves that are blown against SoIcdid's lace mantilla. Is a bit of yellow pap. ', a remnant of the program ot the "corrlda." which took place in a nearby amph.- theater. The branches of the trees in the Retiro are agitated by continual gusts of wind and seem like gaunt specters. 4 few black clouds drift across the horizon. half illuminated by the mist hidden moon. When vet not far from the Plaza. she sees in the distance a sad corteRe Several dependents are carrying on their shoulders mattress covered with t dark cloak. Two or three curious wayfarers are talking with the men.
 Poor Fatigas." one of them was say ing.
 2 Soledad gives a choking cry and can see nothing more.
 The papers of the evening speak of the column to the fall given to the matador by one of the bulls. farther down it gays with pitiless iaconism: '.
 When the trumpet gave the signal for the banderilln the afternoon was threat ening. The rain. the thunder and the lightning gave a most singular aspect to the eomba The banderiilero "Fatgas" slipped in the mud as he was planting tossed by the bull. It was not possible to remain longer in the Plaza. so relying on the benevolence of our readers. we storm had not made the reporters run away. they might have been able to add something else. The horn of the bull struck the. unhappy Jose in the left breast. and as the beast tossed him. it
 ' ~9 @a. e-~
 They buried Jose in the lonely Sacra- mental, and the matador who gave his friends such a fright went next morning to Seville. where he will lead tomorrow's ''corrida.''
 Today the house of soledad is as she left il. The candles of the altar have burned on. and covered the candelabra with smoke and stains: the crested ca nary Is singing sadly because there is no one 10 give him his seed; the balconies remained open; the children are being cared for by the neighbors on the third
 floor. and in the next house some one Is playing on the piano the "Alegrias y Penas." and the voluptuous waltzes of Walteudfei. and in the doorway the neigh bors are commenting upon the catas- trophe.
 by Paul Overt