Evening star., 1909-08-29

lady with whom l rode in a hack before l ascer-
tanned her name | declare her to have been the
most attractive fat woman | ever saw Fat, She
was indeed, of an almost startling amplitude But,
/ reflected there were cures for adlposty.
And SO we rode in the rickety hack with the
list to starboard and prattled AS we prattled
found myself succumbing more and more to the
rotund charms of Margarida Maria Rodrgues.
(which the same her name, she soon told
me. That is, she told me soon as she could re-
cover from her obvious delight in thus unexpectedly
finding herself with the renowned lberator. the
Senior Turco O'Falonio. | kept my chest debated
as best | could and suffered her to proceed 1t was
then that she named herself not without little
flourish of pride that appeared beseemng and
natural Margarida Maria Rodr1gueS was good
round name and its owner was good round woman:
Under the charm, not to mention the promise OF
the simple moving story she proceeded to tell me,
came near several times to reaching over and Civ
ing her fat white hand with the dmpled knuckles
a reassuring pat Before we had gone mile, it
was plain that Margarida Maria Rodrigues and
were to become great friends.
ICAN hear her now at this distance from all the
moons that have vanished since unfolding her
plantive pathetic narrative She was an exile from
Costa Rica Did know Costa Rica.
DO l know the filings in my own teeth | in
quired of Margarida convincingly, notwithstanding
the homellness of the metaphor, and Margarda
convinced
Very well. Her story was sad, even a dreary,
l, she had hoped ever since reading OF my
deeds and projects in those interviews, to be
her champion her personally conducted 1iberator.
She had been stirred by reading of what manner OF
conqueror had been and was. 1t satisfied her |
was to obtain not Justice only Heaven she said
piously, could give her that-but revenge for her
and her family, the family of Rodrigues.
That was the prelude. Margarda. conquering
her rising emotion. continued. Her father, now de
est planter in Costa Rica Listening to Margarida,
l judged that there must be at least one Rodrgues
hacienda, with chime of three bells in each open
cupola on every square mile of Costa Rican soil }
Upon demisng, her father-the mother being al
ready dead-had bequeathed all of the immense
Rodrgues plantations, besides great treasure in
cash and Jewels to her brother and only living rela-
tive Porfrio Pedro Rodrigues
Then had come the last Costa Rcan revolution.
The insurgents, winning, had conhscated all OF the
great Rodrgues estates Her brother however
Porfirio Pedro Rodrigues, had escaped from Costa
Rca with the portable factors of the family treasure
He had made the best of his way with the treas
within month, she knew that her brother would
arrive in New York with the treasure And then
"Margarida at this point turned her regard upon
me wistfuy. shush Don't tell me that fat
anything, even over being fat.
And then, when her brother did arrive in New
York with the Rodrigues treasure, breathed Mar
garida, not without emotion, she desired that
should lead expedition against the victorious in
surgents of Costa Rica She would provide the
means for this punitive enterprise. 1t some
Turco OFallonio should regain the seized Rod
rigues estates 1t was more, however, that should
be the brave instrument of her revenge upon the
enemies of her beloved Costa Rica.
KIND of dingy Fate suppose, that had led me
~ to where this fat fair and gilt incrusted patron
ess trying to back through the door of tumble
down hack? When Margarida finished her narra-
tive with little pathetic sigh,-a sigh, couldn't
help but think much too small for her,-1 no longer
her three chns Her adiposity had become as
nothing, or at any rate mere inconsequential de
tail, to me. In fact, had anybody asked me- |
should have said that Margarida would look well
in directoire dress l her through enhanc-
ing, beautifying vapor,-a vapor forming nimbus
about that which to be, and 7. OFaon in the
center of the nmbus Such is the binding effect