Smyrna times., 1906-02-28

The night was perfect. Over pic
turesque Havana yellow moon pour
ed flood of glory, throwing strange
shadows on the old MORO, where the
O'Donnell tower light revolved with
steady flashes, and sleeping all the
world in a subtle, elusive spell.
On the Malecon the band was play
ing Light hearted laughter fioated
from the thickly clustered benches and
carriages. 1t was not a night to be
alone
Jerry Benedict, standing on the edge
of 1t all, felt the beauty and knew the
loneliness. He had come to Havana at
Toms suggestion. There is a good
opening down here which might suit
YOU" his brother had written. And
now, on arriving, he found Tom gone
TO Cienfuegos, not to return for several
days. Jerry. wandering about by him
self, had promptly fallen in love with
the quaint little city, its gayly painted
houses, dusky white clad men and
pretty senoritas. Havana was not a
bad place, he decided. But tonight he
was restless. The moon was almost
too powerful in its splendor and charm.
Turning away from the merry crowd
that made him feel an alien and an
outcast. he decided to walk to his
brothers house in Vedado. There was
q fresh GOODNESS in the air. A walk
would do him good. He struck accord
ingly into one of the nearby streets.
On'his side the pavement was quite
dark, but across the way the moon, re
fecting with dazzling brilliancy upon
the pink and white houses, showed ev-
cry detail of window and facade and
revealed plainly any one within who
leaned out to breathe the air.
Suddenly Benedict stopped short. In
an upper window. alone stood a girl,
certainly the most exquisite girl Bene-
dict ever had seen. Against the black
ness of the room behind, her face. turn
ed full toward the street. stood out as
/ purely pale as moon flower. Heavy
masses of dark hair crowned the state
ly little head, and just back of the tiny
car lay one splendid crimson blossom.
| Benedict caught his breath. The girl
could not see him there in the dark
ness. he thought, and he remained mo-
tionless, staring with eager eyes. Who
could she be?
The sound of a football reused him,
and he turned abruptly just at the mo-
ment to collide with slender, careful
~ dressed man. Benedict his eyes still
full of moonlight, mumbled some word
of apology. but the other, after a quick
glance at the window, looked back at
the young American, and a slow smile
began to dawn on his lips.
"But you are quite excusable, senor,' y
he said in pretty English. Again his
eyes sought the window. at is for me
to apologize" he laughed. 1.-THE sight
of the Senorita Carmela is reason
enough"
'You know her thenY burst out Ben
edict. Then he started and recollected
IL beg your pardon" he stammered
distressfully. "But-but''-
The man nodded more gravely. 80
Judge you are a stranger here" he re
marked. Young Benedict flushed.
: YES" he said. IL suppose it il
4 awfully rude to stand in the street ant
stare that way. But l never had seeI
any one so beautiful before" he ended
up quite simply, the color deepening
under his tan. "And / thought per
S haps-my brother might know" foun
dering again. Mr.. Thomas Benedict
: be added as the other seemed to wait.
The Cuban looked at him more close
e ly.
us Tom Benedict your brotherT b
asked. and in some way his voice ha'
altered. TONI Ahp Then he lifte'
his hat.
Good night" he said politely. IAN
= let me give you piece of advice.
is not unusual to stand under wiz
dow to watch from point of var
tage. or even to speak" And again h
laughed. "But you. senor"-and hi
tone held warning tone-''for yol
n senior. it would be best not to try i
II You are but a stranger here, and on
customs are not yours"
And before the somewhat indignar
Benedict could recover speech til
u | Stranger uAu DONC0s ANPi1NNN lis III
y arctic between his lips and was gon
I The girl at the window, too had val
ished, and Benedict, accepting perforC
q the others advice, walked on. But Il
70 sight here and there in the dusk
street of a man leaning against ii
iron bars which guard the lower wi
dows, exchanging low remarks to son
I inmate, evoked strange longings.
In the morning, however, Jerry cou
laugh at the whole episode A girl
face at window-surely he had see
plenty SUCH And If not quite so wo
4 derful as this one-welI, the Cuban
= remarks had been well meant and we
" worth remembering. So he idled ava
an hour or two in the Oalle Obisp
with its gay shop windows and brig
lie awnings stretched the width of Il
narrow little street. Then he went
the bank for letters and had lunche'
at the Englaterra, where he looked
vain for n familiar face. He did n