The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-04-17

FELICIANA SAW TONES ADMIRINa GAZE.
was as indispensable as the wedding
garment of the man in the Bible para
BILE, the holy week shirt
"Prudencio," said Don Edouardo, sis
it time for the holy week shirt al
ready?"
Isl, senior, it is, and besides am 60
ing to marry on Easter Monday Fe-
liciana, maid to the Sonora Americana
Wyse"
Don Edouardo did not offer congratu tu-
lations. He merely handed a months
wages to Prudencio and nodded to sig
nifty that was the end Of it. Pruden-
clos little mouth did not relax a pucker
of its dignity. The occasion was too
solemn. He murmured in choice Ia
gallo Spanish his most stilted thanks
and backed out Of the presence with
his tray of plates.
Prudencio got a garment that would
make even Tagalo eyes bulge with en-
w, and they are connoisseurs in holy
week shirts. Prudencios was of pima
cloth, fine, firm and lustrous, like a
transparent mohair gauze, 1t was en-
broidered all over in silk with pink
1owers-pink, the color of love-and it
was long, reaching almost to Pruden-
clos knees. His trousers, on the other
hand, ended half way between knee
and ankle, but trousers were of infe-
rior consideration. Any bifurcated
garment, old or new, would do. The
shirt was the whole thing. The shirt
was cit"
Then appeared on the scene Tomas.
Tomas was the valet and factotum
of captain Americana and had pick
ed up smart Yankee slang and ways.
He wore his shirt inside his trousers,
at least on the street. He was Tomas
with long Spanish ''o," but his master
called him Tome for short Tome saw
the beautiful Fellciana one day when
she sat on the front seat of street
car smoking a long black Manila ci-
gar. There was a gracefulness even
in the way she puffed the smoke from
her cigar that, as 1t We're, took the
heart right out of him. Tome looked
and loved.
By the beautiful Feliclana's side sat
her betrothed, Prudencio, with his dry,
solemn face and mouth like a hole in q
blanket. He held parcel in which
was his Easter and wedding shirt.
Feliciana saw Tones admiring gaze
and half returned it. Prudencio saw
it, too; saw likewise Feliciana's an
swering little nipped off glance, and
scowled like thundercloud.
Hes got black heart in him for
me-" said Tome to himself.
Prudencio likewise said things to
himself. "Wait till after Easter Mon
day." quotha, as who should say, aft
er that let her look at a man if she
dares."
The car stopped as usual at the
switch while the little brown driver
and conductor got out and sat in the
shade near by to eat their lunch. Some
of the patient passengers left the car
and stood in the shade too. The seat
on the other side of the beautiful Fell
ciana thus became empty. Tome sprang
into it. He saw the delicately wrapped
parcel carried by Prudencio. From a
chink in the paper the pink embroidery
peeped out. Tome comprehended tele-
pathically. Prudencio scowled awfully.
! No matter. He could not see what
took place on the other side of Fell
ciana. Tome was handsome; he was
gallant; he was dashing and bold-a
Tagalo Lochinvar Prudencio was none
of these. When has there been a wom-
an who would not want to run away
from a man like Prudencio with a man
like Tome?
To Lochinvar, brown skinned
though he be. opportunities are not
lacking. AS for a woman-a woman
can always make opportunities. 1t
was within less than a week of the
wedding when Tome and Feliciana
first spied each other on the poky, rick
ETY., scandalous old Malate street car.
They improved the time, and luck was