Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-04-17

garment of the man In the Bible para
BILE, the holy week shirt
"PrudenciO," said Don Eduardo. lis
IL time for the holy week shirt al
ready"
Isl. senior it-ts. and besides am go
ing 10 marry on Faster Monday Fe-
liciana, maid TO the Sonora Americana
Wyse"
Don Eduardo did not offer congratu-
lations. He merely handed a months
wages TO Prudencio and nodded 10 sig
nifty that was the end of ii. Pruden-
clos little mouth did not relax Il pucker
of its dignity, The occasion was too
solemn lie murmured in choice Ia
gallo Spanish his most stilted thanks
and backed out OF the presence with
his tray OF plates.
Prudence got q garment that would
make even Tagalo eyes bulge with en-
w. and they are connoisseurs In holy
week shirts. Prudencio's was of pima
cloth. fine. firm ana lustrous. like n
transparent mohair gauZe. 1t was en-
br0idered all over in silk with pink
nowerS-pink. the color of love-and IL
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 1T"
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 TO-" but his master
called him Tome FOR short. Tome saw
the beautiful Fellclana one day when
She sat on the front seat of street
car smoking a long black Manila CT
gar. There was gracefulness even
in the way she pulled the smoke from
her cigar that, as IL We're, took the
heart right out of him. Tome looked
and loved.
by the beautiful Feliclana's side sat
her bctrothed. Prudencio. with his dry,
solemn face and mouth like hole IN
blanket, He held a parcel in which
was his Easter and wedding shirt
EellCiana saw Tones admiring gaze
and half returned II. prudencio saw
It. too; saw likewise Feliciana's an
swering little nipped of 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 lie; her look at 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 sef
on the other side of the beautiful Eel
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
pecped 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 wom-
an who would not want to run away
from man like Prudencio with a man
like Tome?
To a Lochinvar, brown skinned
though he be, opportunities are not
lacking. rs for a woman-a woman
can always make opportunities. 1t
was within less than 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
with them. and Tome was already up
in Yankee tricks.
Easter Sunday morning, after Pru-
dnncio had served his masters break
fust and reverently and submissively
backed himself out with the dishes, he
went forth TO battle in the bay. AL
ready gayly dressed Tagalos and even
Cinnamon trooped through the streets,
with wisp of green tied around one
leg to keep off diseases and the evil
eye for a longer or shorter period, ac-
cording TO the faith of the wearer
Prudencio's heart leaped within him at
thought of the ''splurge" he himself
would cut among them an hour later
clad in his gorgeous Easter Sunday,
Easter Monday wedding shirt. He hid
his garments, the precious holy week
shirt beneath the rest, in a safe place
and in the bathing suit that nature
gave him waded far out in the shallow
waters of Manila bay. He paused not
till he was an eighth of mile from
shore. He took a good bath while he
was at it,
Scores of other men, likewise women
and children, We're also enjoying their
Sunday morning bath in the bay. Pru-
dencio had withdrawn himself from
the main group of bathers ere he dis
robed to enter the water. He thought
not even thieving Philippine monkey
could find where he concealed his gar
mentS