The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-05-13
A ROMANCE OF THE ARl.
IONA DESERT
SPANISH CONCERT GIRL
Rescued from the Half
Breed Apache.

hard, uncongenial climate of his ma
tive New England States for the semi
tropical latitudes of Arizona he hoped
only for a temporary respite from the
sentence of death which his doctors
his few affairs and bade good-by to
his friends and relatives, thankful
that he had never married, and would
leave none bearing his name to mourn
for him.
That was sixteen years ago. Here
he was alive and well, the fortunate
owner of q rich mine, living in hand.
some home, and married-aye, there
is the rub-married TO a little half
Spanish half.Mexican concert singer.
with whom he was madly In love, peo-
pie said. Otherwise why did he mar
ry her, a girl who could have been
had for the asking, so the American
en- her away from Apache Jim, the
handsome half-breed who had been
educated by the government, and had
more rich mining claims than he could
count on the beringed fingers OF his
two hands. When he took a fancy
to Ninita-Spanish for baby girr'-
he built her a concert hall in the
worst town in the region Of Prescott,
and made money from her musical
notes. He dressed her like a high
born Mexican lady, beat her, and
burned her hnery in his tantrums, and
swore that some day he would kill
her.
This girl was now the wife of Philip
Delmar. Sweet-tempered and obedi-
ent, she sat at home and waited for
her husband. she had been married
year and yawned YEARLY most of the
time when she was not praying her
thanks to the Virgin for giving her
such a good home and husband.
Ninita would have been glad to talk
with old Terese, their one servant, but
her position as mistress debarred her
from that privilege and she found
refuge in her musical occupations her
piano and guitar, and the practice OF
her rare contralto voice.
81 sing for my Felipe" she would
say S"S'NlJt Nut llllt blO"h lining
dressed by Philip in American clothes,
such as he remembered that his moth
er and sister wore, and looking so in.
congruous amid her surroundings.
"Yes. my Nina"-to him she was al
ways Nina-"sing to your Philip and
charm away his mood as David sooth.
ed Saul"
$50? He was Americana. You lofe
him tooF
Then this grave elderly man would
laugh at her he who had snatched her
as brand from the burlington her
souls salvation was it, or for her ma
tive charm and beauty?
She yawned again and looked at the
watch at her belt. To old Terese,
lettering near, she said:
Tree o'clock and he come not-my
Felipe. Oh, If he hurt-die-my hyart
go broke-I lofe him So"
With that she gave a great start,
Coming out between the walls Of the
Williams Canyon was a man on horse
back, and 1t was not her husband,
Philip Delmar He was a far hand
somer man, and he sat his fiery Mexi-
can mare with a grace that tailed
we'll with his picturesque outfit. There
was a riot of color in his ensemble.
Ninita's eyes flashed with the old half
wicked light that had been quenChed
for a year This WIS a cavalier, grand,
superb, and once he had beaten her,
but that was nothing; she had not
hated him. Yes it was Apache Jim.
He had been incarcerated in Jail in
Albuquerque for year. Now he was
free and looking for Nina and joy at
seeing him made her forget her hus.
band.
80 you run off with the Senior
AmericanoW he said after a scant sa-
lutation. "You come back now with
me-yesT
mo, no. He marry me; he give me
dose" She held up slender brown
hand and showed him the plain band
of gold, her wedding ring, guarded by
q superb diamond. ME wife now"
80! But you come to me--my
Ninita-that make no difference-you
hearW
He grasped her shoulder rudely and
turned her about to face him. His
teeth clicked savagely and the force
of that cruel hand was crushing her
arm. But the violence was dearer to
her than a caress-the Americana low
er was too tame. She often longed
for a blow.
ME go with you a leetle of the
way" she said, temporizing. How
splendid to her eye the rude bearing,
the barbaric opulence of his dress,
while she was not any more like her
people, not even a reboso or the COM
mon tapia to remind her that she was
the defendant of don.
"Me ride to the chaparral with you,
Jim; you wait"
She sent Teresa for her horse while
she ran upstairs and slipped into the
braided cloth habit that she wore
when riding. Her husband permitted