The Washington bee., 1911-07-22
THE Gil A
MONSTER
By DAVID WALTER CHURCH

~>N-D t1NlACBIOy q hCAfSah
girl l saw while engineering in the
southwest was merry child Gf she
had been born in the north she would
have been child; but, being a Mexi-
can, she was a woman) She might
have been anywhere from fourteen to
sixteen. She played the guitar and
sang with a little birdlike voice, jab-
bered Spanish musically, danced, and
her face wore a perpetual smile, which
was for every one. But if any person
attempted to guy her she would knit
her brows and shrink away as though
terrified. And once her confidence
was lost by bit of banter her good
will could never be regained.
There was young engineer engaged
on the same work as myself out there, at
the time fresh from one of the ''Teck''
schools Of the northern states. He
was twenty years old, handsome as a
picture and as bright as a new brass
button. What must he do but make
love to Inez with all the recklessness
of youth regardless OF the cOnSe-
QuenceS both to himself and her! I,
who was older, saw his danger and
warned him. 1 knew what was up,
for in the evening when the days
work was over l would hear on the
BasquementO Yeranda the twang Of
Inez's guitar, her little flute voice, her
merry laughter mingled with sounds
which l recognized as coming from
Ben EgglestOn, the young man who
was sowing the wind to reap the whirl-
wind.
You little fool" would say to him,
don't you know that the girl is a min
CLING Of child and woman-child in in
experience, woman in development;
that she will fall in love with you and
then
III break it off at once" would be
the young fellows invaTfable reply.
The boy fully intended to keep his res
olution when it was made, but gave up
trying to do so when it got cold The
next night 1 would hear the same
pleasant sounds on the yeranda and
knew that they were breeding the
same storm.
This went on till the work on that
division was finished and we were
about to move. EgglestOn assured me
there wouldn't be any trouble. The
girl was such a child that he couldn't
believe she had been attracted to him
as she might have been if more Of
woman. He was going away and
would simply bid her gOodby as he
would any other girl of immature
years whose companion he had been.
My advice to yOu," l said, lis to do
no such thing. Go without saying any
thing about your going"
He didn't take my advice. The day
before leaving he told her in a care
less way that the engineering party to
which he belonged was going to move
its headquarters.
And l Will not see you againT' said
the girl, her smile vanishing.
Perhaps not, replied Ben, not think
ing it wise to leave her to look for
ward to meeting him again. You'll
grow up soon and get married. Then
you won't want any young men friends
like me-"
In order the better to Kill in her all
expectation of getting any nearer to
him he told her he had a girl in the
north.
That evening 1 met Inez carrying
cudgel in one hand and a canvas bag
in the other. She wore the same innO-
cent look she had always worn, but l
noticed a peculiar glitter in her eye.
There was something incOngruOus in
a little girls carrying bludgeon, and,
naturally fearful for Ben EgglestOn,
l could not help vaguely connecting
the act with the jilting he was giving
her She passed me without looking
back, and, taking position behind
tree. l watched her.
She went along, looking about her
on the ground as if searching for some
thing. She spent half an hour in this
way, l following her, taking a new pO-
sitiOn now and then where I would
not be observed by her. Presently l
saw her hit something with her weap-
on. Then she picked up what looked
to me from a short distance like a
baby alligator. She held it by the tail,
dropped it into the bag, closed the
mouth and went away.
1 didn't know what it all meant; but,
still timOrOus about Ben, told him he
had better not wait for the moving Of
the party, but get out at once. He
laughed at me and said there was
nothing to fear and If there were he
wouldn't run from a little Mexican
girl who had scarcely given up her
doll.
We engineers slept in a long tenn
porary building one story high. That
night l was startled by an unearthly
yell. Springing out Of bed, ran along
to d room where Eggleston and a rod
man slept. The window was open,
and EgglestOn had just struck a light.
His roommate was holding one leg
and writhing with pain.
xiii itr' he yelled.
I