The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1905-01-04
4 PIECE OF SCARF
tOriginal.l

toflSlnal.J
Marina was Mexican girl, with the
usual black hair and eyes OF NIcxicnns
She was only sixteen, but at sixteen
many girls Of the tropics are as old as
girls Of twenty in the north, Marina
was but poor mans daughter, with
very little education. One cTeni,n, a
stranger stopped at her fathers cabin.
lie was young man with fair hair
and blue eyes and above all winning
smile. lie asked Marina If lie might
have one Of her flowers growing in Il
bed beside the door and when he did So
smiled at her. That was the last Of
Marina'S peace Of mind. Edwin Coop.
| CT, the stranger, Il young civil Cngl-
| nccr on the railroad being built through
| the valley below, had plucicd her heart
i as easily as he mad plucicd her flower
But there Is danger in picking hearts
, III those tropical gardens. 1t is like
| touching one of the beautiful insects
Of the country. Marina did not sting
Cooper, but one NarvacZ, dirty little
Mexican. who had seen the engineers
smile and now it went to Il heart that
he had III vain tried to appropriate, was
made his enemy, and such enemies.
who invariably strike in the dark, are
TO be dreaded. When Cooper went the
next day he had cut an end from
faded many colored scarf Marina woro
She followed him to the gate, chatter
Ing as she went and the last thing
Cooper said to her was, See, will
wear your souvenir in my buttonholr."
Cooper had no sooner departed than
Narvacz who had been present the
evening bcforc-indcrd he had been
hanging about Marina most Of the time
-entcrrd and upbrnidcd her fo: her
conduct toward the stranger. THIS cc,n.
Guct had been without excuse. for Ma
rina WAS bctrothcd to E.rvacZ. She
had consented TO be his wife not be-
cause she loved him. but because he
was the first man she had mot since
she emerged from childhood She did
not seem TO be 1t all ashamed Of hav-
ing been led aside so easily. She told
NArv@cz in patos Spanish that he WAS
a miserable specimen OF humanity and
the stranger WAS Il god. Narvacz wa4
50 beside himself with rage that he
was tempted to run 4 knife into her,
but was too much infatuated with her
to Go so. He resolved that he would
take revenge on the Americana.
Cooper continued to wear the bit of
scarf in his buttonhola. Whether he
diGn't have time 10 take it out or
whether he expected that he might
meet the little girl from whom he cot
1T and desired TO let her see that he
valued it. 10 one knows. Several Of
his associates asked him what it meant
was 1T the badge OF Il society, a dec.
oration.-what was it? But he only re.
piled that he had got it from Il girl.
One day Cooper was CARRYING Il thcod-
olitc, which he occasionally set uD
on three legs, looked through it at a
rod on which VAS slide and made
some figures I'm his notcbcok. He
found 1T n tedious process, and once
while he sent his rolsman forward
long distance he sat down on the grass
TO wait. There WAS 10 ono else about,
anu lie sat cnk>ving the solitude anal
listening to Tn birds. Suddenly q
hn2e stone came t.vWn on his head and
crushed his skull. The rolsman. not
bearing or seeing anything from him
for some time, finally went back to
lind OFT what was the matter. CooDer
was dead.
There was no clcw to the murderer.
Coopers valuablcs had not been taken:
at loaSt noac Was missed, and no one
could understand how any person could
nave had any interest in numbering
hlm. Not long after the TRACED Mar
VacZ renewed lis attentions = =, .rina
he could ..l '3r- |
some .f'n.