St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-16
n DULLES PAGAzA was . h;a o.,

n ;n- IAdAZA was big, flash
m. ing Plutocrat Of Guadala lara
mus+ .ie was a glorious thing: hi.
s'acne was like black satin II
s Inc OF family of the old cler;ca,
no. y, out was follower of Diaz
'aA oeheved in him, for Paeaza ac
.,sned' spent, and built. II,
o"neo ten haciendas; he was har
Tossing Tossing the great Falls of Tacata.
unpa. Many dowagers with dauph.
ters had fished for him. Ha Lna',. ~,
.ne other games of chance. but
80. ver until Adelaide came, had he
mpered with that one. He was
then thirty-two. wa"
Out Aqules had not ALWAYS been
=, success. When his young brother.
Aqunes had seemed atrophied. Bias
navlng the face of priest or poet,
m IN. me ways OF tender philosopher.
nao been brilliant as well He
charmed everybody, won everything.
Az nineteen he was a phenomenon.
WIN the mind and spiritual growth
OF TWO men instead Of one, and the
14cn society of Jalisco's capital be-
gan 10 worship him. But, alas, he
nao gone OF to medical school in
mexico, and had become a failure at
.~enty-three; and Aquiles was strid-
ing on. Strange, that sinking back
OF Bias! Society's worship turned
10 Aqmles. Though everybody liked
those brothers by turns, nobody liked
the two of them at once. And thew
stared at each other in q. fascination
OF misunderstanding. What-was
the family vitality not great enough
for two?
simultaneously with the coming of
Adelaide, Bias returned from his
third year in the medical school at
Mexico. He was thin, with a hollow
eye, and face that people stared at
and wanted to love.
why, Bias, my boy!" cried the ro-
bust Aquiles, when Bias first appear
ed, you're overworl1ing not
yourself. Bah! Wen warm you up"
Bias was pulled into Aquiles'
bachelor rooms, which overhung the
arches and overlooked the enchant-
Ing plaza. These rooms were all lit
and alive with people. This was the
prettiest little affair that Aquiles had
given that season, and it was into a
glistening throng of women and men
that Bias had inadvertently stepped.
A purple curtain hid one end of the
salon, where there was something to
drink. A portrait Of Limontour, in
gold frame, gazed down from the
wall. There were maidens in the bal
comics.
"Blas," whispered Aquiles, his
smile lighting up, his fingers twirl-
ing the satin mustache, "come with
me-you must know Adelaide. Ny
soul-you must!"
He dragged him to the balcony,
where she stood.
II told you about him-and here
he is," cried Aquiles. "Look at him,
now; didn't tell you he was poet,
priest, philosopher, and mystery? If
you can't read all that in him-why-
Bias, you young 1unatic, what has
changed you? Blessed if believe
you get enough to eat. Studying and
thinking his soul out, Adelaide, while
/, with enough flesh and bone to
make two Of him, hammer away at
machinery"
"His Imagination paints in warm
colors," said Bias, slowly, standing
gazing into her eyes. II haven't
studied. I haven't thought. haven't |
lived. Aquiles, have been asleep, I
believe, for three years. Senorita,
are you an enchantress, that you
seem to wake me up all of a sudden?"
He laughed laugh that cast spell
on her. "While this man-this man,
mind you-has been doing something,
I have let forty months drop out of
my life"
With an impu!sive welcome she had
taken his hand at the introduction.
She was rather tall. He had the i'm
nression of unlimited masses of black
hair. ."But you are thinking now,"
she said, smiling.
"The first time," he replied, letting
her hand slip from his, Gin three
years."
Nobody was surprised that he
torpid the rest of that even
Ing-they knew he was queer. But
thew were surprised to find Adelaide
the poised, the exquisite
now restless, melancholy.
After that she held Aquiles' suit
If. She had never let him speak,
,nt with the freedom which the
newer cosmopolitan manners were
to allow, he went to see her
III the time. She was suffering
strangely, and seeing in her mind
Bias unusual face. /
Bias. having on that very night
from his fatal apathy, be-
,an to repent and change. He had ,
,een a failure at school; he had done
,othing. The expansion of his ma
ure had ceased. To be flung back
nto old surroundings. and there to
zee the eyes of the one woman-that
,o,ses nrofound revolutions in men. y
1e began to regret, to grow, to curse l
,imself. to endeavor, with that in
,er. spiritual attempt which is the
PRECURSOR of action.
Well. it did, indeed, seem that the
amily vitality was not enough for
wo. Aquiles changed, also; he lost
erve: it was said that he had given
;msef over rather wildly to roulette (
or three weeks. His friends hoped (
hat he had left that long ago. No; {
,ddenly. monstrously, Aquiles was
ding to pieces. Bias saw thls'