Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-10-20
The Woman at
the Bottom OF It
PREDATORY.
= By GEO. II. TAYLOR

flag was hauled down and the Cuban
flag run up to the masthead on the
Capitol in Havana, proclaiming Cuba
a free and independent republic. the
church bells of St. Boniface rang
wedding chime that, mingled with the
other clamor of bells and strains of
music celebrating Cuba Libre," was
probably lost to most ears. But it
proclaimed a quiet, unceremonious
wedding that was intimately associat-
ed with the greater event.
PART l..
Five years previously, on a lovely
winter night in the tropics, a social
function was in full swing in the
house and on the broad verandahs of
"Vinekraal," the suburban villa OF
Colonel Sanford. OF all the charm
ingly picturesque situations for sub
urban homes that the coast line Of
fers westward of the City of Havana
to Pinar del Rio. that selected by Col
onel Sanford soon after settling in
Cuba. was perhaps the most delight
full. He had secured appointment as
United States Consul to Cuba not
long after the close of the Civil war,
before he discovered that it afforded
field of easy subsistence for anyone
who had his wits about him and Sc
cured control of enough of the ISL
and's surface to necessitate some
body's paying him tribute for the
privilege of living upon it. By tnc
time tie term of his appointment was
ended he had made up his mind that
he did not care to return to his native
country, all the conditions of subsist-
eiIce being much easier in this sunny
and fertile island. By his gracious
and patronizing manner he had won
the hearts of persons eminent in the
best circles of Cuban society, and
what was much better. persons of in
nuence in the islands government
The result of this was that he had
picked out some of the choicest tracts
of land in different parts of Cuba and
secured them for a song through the
affability shown these persons of po-
litical and social prominence. The
beautiful home he had built himself.
with terraced gardens overlooking the
bay, was just now showing marks of
neglect. for the persistency of the
had destroyed temper
arily the profits in plantations. As
his daughter Madeline expressed it:
the plantations were getting more
and more weedy and their home more
and more secdy. There was less and
less revenue coming in, though ex-
IRENE wretchedness and gaunt famine
did not exactly stalk through the pal
ace of the ex-Consul. Thousands
were actually starving to death in the
island, but the inner circle of more
accessible and available territory still
yielded some rentals and the Colonel
and his family were still able to keep
up prescntable social appearances.
The Colonel was among those who
were waiting and hoping that out Of
the ever growing disaster of revolu-
tionary warfare there would come the
interference OF the United States, the
wrestling of the island from the pos
session OF Spain and the placing of it
virtually, il not absolutely. in the pos
session of the Americans. Not until
then would his extensive holdings in
real estate be safe-guarded against
the ever recurring waste of political
disturbance and made handsomely
profitable by freedom of access to
the American markets. But until that
much to be desired consummation
was effected. a seeming loyalty to the
established authority was the proper
temper for the Senior Sanford, and
nobody knew that he entertained any
thing else. He was to all intents and
purposes, Spaniard. Had he not ia
ken the oath of allegiance, in order
to facilitate his becoming a landed
proprietor.
So the social functions went mcrri-
ly on tonight at "Vinekraal," with the
elite of the Cuban Capital, particular
ly the military elite, present IN goodly
numbers, land bright lamps shown
Ger fair women and brave men, de-
srite the fact that all Inc iioir ,rs Of
long and persistent struggle for liber-
ty were to be seen at no great dis
lance beyond its gates.
In a recess of the verandah, quite
in the light of the large bay window
but yet sufficiently aside for sub
dued conversation not to be heard
readily by others, stood Eva Camel
and Lieutenant Castro. In another
and somewhat more secluded corner
of the large parlors. stood Madeline
Sanford and Captain Nogales. These
are the four active figures in our
must leave to the imagination of my
readers most of the details of the per-
sonal charm, or OF reverse character
istics, usually given the heroes, hero
ines and villains in such case made
and provided. To be brief, l will just
say that Eva Camel was flash figure
in Havana society, notable most for
the mischievous magnetism that her
superb physical and artificial makeup
had exercised over some men in pub
lie life. She was really a courtesan,
whose knowledge of other peoples
affairs and her comfortable effrontery
kept her in countenance in social cir
Giles that would have been glad to at
tend her obsequies. She had been
dubbed Eve" Camel. not without
meaning.