The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-21
THE "BHUTE''
By HERMAN WHITAKER.

that is, if you speak Spanish. We can l get nothing out of him but a No com
 prehende."'
 Outside, on the street, Bender punched
 Gilson in the chest. You wouldn't walk
 the length of the calle with either,
 would you? Two days on a slow train
 and fourteen hours horseback, alone, | with those eyes. I see your finish, old
 nnisognyist' Then as Gilson grinned ap- l preciatively, he went on, "But why | didn't you apologize and get on a proper | footing?"
 Inform the lady that I mistook her | for the pompadour-over- -the-left-eye type l of girl? I see myself" And when Ben
 der reasserted his opinion that he, Gill; l aon, was starting under a "bit of a
 handicap" he replied with the sangfrod
 Of youth, "Oh, l have hopes" l An unfortunate remark, for as the l two walked away a girl on the balcony
 above removed a handkerchief from her
 mouth and the tears of mirth evaporated l under the sudden flash of large gray
 eyes.
 1 Have you?" she commented, gazing after.
 | On the train, however, there had been
 no trace of resentment In Miss Fleming 5 manner, nothing to indicate the RE- l
 eiary. As the cars rattled, banged and 1 Jerked through the hot lands she had turned eyes upon him that were, IS ! aforesaid, big and liquid enough for n man to drown in. It was a hard ordeal. | Yet he had curbed himself; rejecting the gray suicide so sweetly offered until, ar irving at La Luna, the tension relaxed | with a suddenness that broke the spring Of newborn hope.
 Musing in the dusk Gilson bitterly recalled that the change came with her | introduction to Jackson. Jackson! If it had been Bender; Gregg his subor- dinate at Las Glorias; Poison of Sol | Suchia. But Jackson! It irked him i the more because he had little more ! than intuition to advance against the bookkeeper, and that was largely | formed on nasty way of showing to winning or piking to losing in a | friendly game of poker. That would I not count much to his prejudice with a l woman. Moreover Jackson was the son | of the president and richest stockhold- CT of the La Luna corporation! Deep in his musing Gilson missed the | chatter of hoofs on the other side of | the house and 0 soft footfall stealing along the veranda minute thereafter, ] did not rouse till arms suddenly clasped l his neck and moist lips pressed his. "Why Jack? Sitting all alone? | Warned by the absence of Fleming's | beard, she drew instantly away, and as Gilson girded himself against the weakness as of water which the caress brought upon him he felt her blushing | in the gloom.
 I'm afraid that I was dozing," he | said.
 "Dozing?"
 | The accent conveyed her full knowl. | edge of the intense wakefulness of the lips that returned her kiss Brass. | unmitigated effrontery alone would | carry him through.
 And accidents will happen" he went
 on quietly "So don't apologize" | "Accidents?"
 "If it was-intentional--" "O-h you" Anger oh oked her. "@accept my thanks" he finished ! and before she could frame her anger in words he stepped from the veranda Shaping course through the gloom 1 he ran into Bender-whom Mrs. Elem ing had captured on trail and brought in to dinner-and carried him off to his quarters.
 '4lke all the other women when thev | first come down, he said, answering his friends query, Miss Fleming is !, running full tilt at our labor system, and as my work brings me closest to the people she naturally busts most of her lances on me. Of course the sys- tenn isn't ideal. The long working hours under boiling tropical sun; the dirst, disease, awful death rate, the working under guard by day, the con 1 finement in the galera at night, all | these things must shock a tender girl. | She doesn't understand the irresponsi- bility of the peon, that before we get l them the Mexican labor contractors l have cinched them from $50 to $10O and that we must restrict their liberty l till the debt is worked off,. "She sees only the misery; charging 1t all to me, though I've done my best under
 the conditions. You know the stand we have always taken with our women , given them a separate galera, chance to be decent if they feel that way. Well, four of them complained the other day of Ilarion, the overseer. I was for firing him, but Jackson has the hiring of the free people and wouldn't stand for it. Said we couldn't get as good a man for twice the price, and that the stockholders that's his dad-were already kicking at the expense Of course had to do some-
 thing, but when I cautioned Ilarion he
 was cheeky and I batted him one-as the
 luck would have 1t. just as Miss Mabel
 went riding by. Since then she alludes to
 me as The Brute Jackson told me; he
 thinks it no end of a joke'
 Struggling, Gilson went on Last night
 heard him talking to her on the ve-
 randa. didn't mean to eavesdrop." Paus-
 ing, he indicated the siding of split poles
 through which one could have thrown a
 cat i'This is no better than bird cage.
 and he was talking quite loudly as he
 assured her that things would be run
 differently when he came in to his own"
 Lust after he had refused to fire that
 old rip of g nandador." Bender comment