The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-07-29
AIR. MD, MORNING.

heart, even though his weapon had beer
SO hard against Marsden's head, and ht
slowly folio we'd her in. pausing to benz
over his prisoner by the way and pusf
him c;lriouslv with his foot. Marsdel
lay there inertly, with his eyes closed and
suspended breath, blessing the kindly
darkness Of his corner, and with Il fina
shove, his captor went over to the wo
man, saying little except for an occa
sional cultural word or TIVE, which left
the prisoner hopelcssly unenlightened as
to the nature of the little hill tragedy he
fore his eyes. Only this one thing was
plain; the words were kind, and the
violence of her grief was subsiding
although she lay in a huddled heap at his
feet, while he stood arrow strait, looking
down ut her.
Then they went out again, and for
Marsden the import of these things faded
into blankness before his own situation
What would this villianous looking half.
breed do with him? The ache in his head
and shoulder reminded him that mercy
would he scant, that life itself hung on
slender thread ofexpcdiency. He strained
at his bonds cautiously, seeking weak
point.
The fairness of early morning still hung
over the valley. touched the hilltops with
rose lights, and fingered, fresh and sweet
smelling in the family stirring air. On a
nearby plantation the poems had already
gone forth to coffee fields, but here in the
tiny village men were less industrious,
for why should 4 man bend his back to
labor when generous nature provides
fruit at hand for his eating. and a few
garments will suffice:
1t was languid little village, with a
few struggling houses and a small, bare
church i'll in the middle of ALL Even tie
| church was closed, and the only sign of
life was a dust-stained peoI, sitting on
the ground by the church door. His light
shirt and trousers-his only garments
were torn to brambles, and the WEAKNESS
of long journey spoke in the droop of
his head as he leaned against the church
wall, his knees drawn close under his
chin, and in his mouth bit of straw,
which lie chewed absently rs he waited
Evidently he had come far in the early
morning. and the cause of his coming lay
beside him, bit of a pasteboard box,
lidless and frail, but there were bright,
wild-hlooming flowers twined over the
edge, and within it lay tiny naked child,
quite still and cold, with small wasted
hands crossed over its breast. and an
other bright flower placed within the stiff
fingers.
1t was Il strange sight, crude and
ghastly, but one not likely 20 arouse the
faintcst surprise here. Often men sat thus
before the door of the little church, their
dead beside them. carried down over the
twisting trails through the night or in
the early morning, i'll such manner as the
surviving could afford. They were poor,
these ragged, careless poems, but seldom
were the pesos too scarce, or the way too
long, for the living to carry the dead
many miles over the mills and down here
to the little church, to give them burial.
1t was such tiny box which the
crouching peon had brought downin the
carly morning, that the light burden
could have caused no WEAKNESS. save for
the pitiful stiffness of the little figure
within. From time to time he looked
slowly down at the flower decked child,
but there was nothing in his face of sor-
row or joy, despair or hopc-only list
less acceptance of the inevitable. 1t was
Fate, this and many other things.
The Padre was long time coming
He had been up betimes, but he had a
guest this morning, sore and weary
American who had dragged himself into
the village the night before, having suf-
lered 2rievously in body and in purse at
the hands Of the cleverest of robbers. 1t
was miracle, surely, that ne should he
here, since where Pedro Gonzales robbed
he ever killed, and foolish men who ven
tured alone across the hills. with gold i'll
their belts. disappeared from time to time
like pebbles dropped into deep pool.
The rascal's mind must have been might
lily taken with other things to have so
neglected a victim; nevertheless the
Americana had escaped, crawling pain
fully through the bushes and running,
Slipping, lodging over the rough way to
the village, where the Padre, reused from
his first sleep, had received the stranger
with open arms and assiduous ministra-
tons. Seldom did visitors of education
and worldly training come into this hill
girded village, and it is small wonder that
the Padre fingered over his breakfast,
talking of the busy outside world with
his guest, who responded gallantly, i'll
such Spanish as he could muster. The
man of good works arose reluctantly.
You will not leave us today" he in
CURED. solicitously. My house is yours
while you remain. Myself, l must leave
You for a TING; my servant tells me that
peon awaits me at the church, having
walked far over the hills to give his child
Christian burial"
Carried it here himself" queried the
Americana. iastidiouslv.
"Yes. oh, yes. They bring their dead
to me on rough litters or laid in an open
box, but Senior Marsden; command my
servant"
Marstlen watched him trudging sturdi-
IL over to the church, saw the peon arise
with weary but revcrcnt gesture, and
take up the little pastcboard box IN one
hand
Then, because his shoulder still ached
from the attention of Senior Gonzales, he
rubbed it resentfuIly and rolled Il cigar
cite wherewith to console himself.
poor little beggar," he muttered, "it
can't he much bigger than Il kitten, If ii
goes i'll that box. What n queer, CHASTITY
performance it is this taking your own
dead in your arms and carrying them
miles for burial, only to have some VAN
dial dig them up i'll few months if you
don't pay your grave rent. They have
queer practices here in our new posses
sions, but suppose the poor devils think
they are happy. might step over and
see it through. Hang that brute, but
am sore"
He wandered languidly over, slipping
quietly in the church door and standing