The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-08-07
Il QUIET MAN.
Rx n. N. Lancaster

lily n who he was or where ne came
from. None of the boarders, or, rather
the guests. as Mrs. Fairfax preferred
to call them, knew, but all Of them
wondered.
He was a tall, handsome man, with
dark Skin and black hair OF the Span
land. He had taken hall bedroom
off the parlor over six months before,
was always prompt to his meals and
equally prompt with his money every
week.
No one knew what he did; no one
saw him have n friends call to see
him, and the few words he a. to say
to the rest of the folks in the house
We're spoken with that Latin accent in
keeping with his complexion.
And it was not strange that they
wondered. Ills handsome appearance,
together with that gentle melancholy
so fascinating to the fair sex, SO at
fected the female portion of the house
hold + they, together with the male
contingent. contriyed all sorts OF
themes to find the secret of the mys-
terry. But Morales-that was the name
he gave when he calns-always bear
ing that saddened, reserved express
sion and manner. in spite of all they
could think or do, kept his secret safe.
And so they s%peculated and compared
their theories without success until
Tom Cooper returned from his mining
properties in Mexico. when the i'm
mediately enlisted him as chief de-
tectlve- But in spite of what Tom
could do, even though he talked with
Morales in Spanish, all he had to re-
port was what they already knew
that he was q "a with a past.
On Sunday evening, a week or two
dll6T SOODSrS return fhn fn1l-c u.ar,
gathered in ths parlor listening to Miss
Adr1ch as h played for the first time
on the pew baby grand. Just as she
finished The Moonlight Sonata Mo-
rales, bowling politely, as he always did,
came through and entered his room.
MISS Aldrich played again-a Spanish
piece she knew from memory-sup-
costing the guitar in the bass ard
with the right hand she seemed 10 ha
plcklrg the strings of a mandolin. Just
as she finished the piece and as A faint
suggestion OF cigaret smoke came from
the crack of Morales door, Tom smoke.
That piece, Miss Clara, makes me
mink or n I heard in Mexico this
Tip; they call 1T the Home, Sweet
o of Mexico. 1t impressed ma
more than any other 1 have yer
neard. L heard it n moonlight night
on the street when I was feeling sad
and lonely, and it seemed to fit into nv
MOOD and express my feelings better
IMAM l could myseff-and when music
does that Ike 1T. If will excuse
me for q mornent 1 will see il I can
find it.' eSlt
He was 0 only a few minutes and
returned with the piece of music in
his hand. IA
Before you play it, Miss Clara. +
would like to tell the story Of how =
was composed You know that Mexico.
the country of the cactus and the COW
ote, IS also the land Of tradition ana
romance. Years ago, when Macmillan
was placed In Mexico and the prear
tragedy took place, a soldier n-sonar
condemned to be shot, on the evening
before his exsc1tton, sitting in his cell
at twilight, was 80 impressed bv hay
ing MS loneltna0 broken by the chirn
OF a snntaFy swenow upon hts window
Sill that he wrote this piece, which he
salfed La Golondrtna'-in English.
The Swallow Now, Miss Clara, -
you please
Miss Ahrich played. And In H.,
magnetic stiffness of rapt %attention
ehey listened to the piece, that farewell,
70 the world, with Its recurring. plain
1--WE minor strain of death, till the last
note had passed into silence. The ST.
Aence was short The sound Of a gun.
shot came from Morales room and tha
men after some hesitation broke in tha
door. - tn'
There lay h melancholy man. fun
dressed n l~ifelsss, across the he'd In
his right hand was the smoking pistol.
and from the left hand had fallen \
furnished coffin plate with only the let
ters, -artinez," scarcely legible
upon 1t.
In Mrs. Fairfax's Jewel boz there,
lies today a prayer book, and in that
prayer book is a little note, %postrnar kad
chihuahua, both waiting to be cailedd
for by someone from somewhere.