The Washington herald., 1910-07-31


soon found out he was really quite
easy going. much more so than father,
( and often 1 could get around Mr. Ding
ley when father, for all his being pleas
ant. wouldn't have given an inch. But
father said he had to be very stern. OF
other people would spoil me. BY that he
meant not so much Mr.. Dingley, who
was the same to everybody. as Sonora
Mendez, who had been mothers greatest
friend. She had been a New England
girl, who. in the early days Of Califor-
MIA. had married a Spanish gentleman
She was lovely TO me- It was at her
house that went 70 my first ball Elk
cept the Fergusons, hers was the only
house in the city with rooms large
enough 70 dance IN, and that ball is
still the most dazzling 1 can remember
l wore a rose-colored tulle skirt with a
| peasant waist Of rose-colored satin, and
father, for great surprise. had given
me pair of pink silk stockings. No
other girl IN town had such a beautiful
thing, and in the dressing-room they
would not let me go down until I had
shown them. The lighted dancing rooms,
and all the strange people and my tall
partners made me nearly die Of shy
ness. but I danced two large holes IN
the toes Of my lovely stockings. and aft
! erward father teased me. and said he
! found he had suddenly become very
popular with the young men. He had
never been 50 called upon in his life
But most OF our parties were not such
elegant affairs, though sometimes they
were even more fun. like the Fergusons
/ calico ball. where I work my grand
mothers Bingham. and prunella shoes
/ or the party the Sumne" Light Guards
/ gave. which was the prettiest Of all on
account If the young mems uniforms
and the way we sat around the little re-
! freshment tables between dances wiki
/ our mothers and our partners. the band
playing all the time. and every one so
/ gay.
I sometimes went 10 as many as four
| parties week. so that in the morning
it was all I could do 90 be up in time
10 see breakfast on the table I found
cut that being a housekeeper meant more
| than long petticoats. and pouring tea
/ IL meant being all over the house before
/ 10 in the morning. FOR as Abby said. a
/ house has a lot OF strings 20 IL. and I'M
less you keep them all tied up tight
something's going to sag But I enjoyed
my authority Of the house. and my lib
| erty abroad seemed ike license 10 me-
I felt launched on a wide sea OF life
! The city Itself was changed 20 my new
/ horizon. 1t was larger. more compli-
Gated. with more masts in the harbor,
new streets and horse-car lines. and
every one moved about in II Ike the
pieces OF a Chinese puzzle The friends
I who had lived close about us had all
/ moved westward or southwark with the
trend OF the city. and between Tele-
graph and Chestnut street hills there
were some very fine houses I was
often running over there t. see Halle
or Estrela. and my shortest way lay
past the convent that stood little
apart in the middle of the settlement.
Next to Il. but facing on another street.
was a house which had been built at
The same time as the convent The con-
vent wall came up at It's back. On the
| other three sides was a high fence.
Over the fence only the upper story
| could be seen. and it had a look so stu
and closed up. that II brought back to
me that feeling Of mystery the city
used 10 give me as a child. But never
noticed or wondered about II particu-
larly until one day when 1 saw an open
carriage waiting in front Of the steps.
While was looking a woman came out
Of the gate. and got into the carriage.
She was Spanish. I saw at a glance.
and big, and all in sweeping black. but
Instead of being dark she was tawny.
with wonderful glow Of eopper-col-
oTed hair through her black lace veil
and in all my life I had never seen a
creature move so gracefully as she. Il
was like watching a beautiful cat l
asked Estrella Mendez who she was, and
Estrella blushed, and said she did not
know. And when I asked was she sure.
because I knew the woman was Span
ish Estrella got quite angry. and said
she wasn't supposed 10 know all the
Spanish people in the city. and especial
" If they didn't have husbands That
surprised me, for the woman had looked
quite like great lady, and when went
home I spoke to father about it,
He said he feared Estrella was right
we none Of US knew the Spanish wom-
an. But" 1 told him, "she looks like
a queen; and she has a beautiful car
Rage" He laughed and said yes. she
I had money, and a good deal Of influence
in high places, but the women she knew
were not the sort of people would care
about; and he finished by saying I was
a silly child to go staring at strange
'greasers."
did hate to have father laugh at me-
but I couldn't help looking at her slyly
when now and then 1 saw her about
the city. She was like no other Spanish
woman had ever seen. Most Of them
are as white as callas. powdered over
the lashes; but you could see the strong
bloom Of her skin even through the thick
coat of rice powder she wore, and hel
lashes were lovely. I noticed that be-
cause she kept them half down, and look
ed out through them. But the most fas-
cinating thing about her was the way
she moved. like something flowing; anc
once in a shop 1 heard her speak, and
her voice was so attractive. sweet and
rather thick. with such a gracious, pet
ting sound 20 81 But she was always
alone. With It all she seemed TO be mys-
FERROUS, like her quiet closed-up house.
I got to making up stories about her
and sometimes in my room, in front OF
my mirror, I practiced looking on,
through my lashes. But It was NUS
ance, for though they weren't short they
curled back so suddenly that it didn't
look right; and my hair being blond
and flying into corkscrews, and my be-