The Washington bee., 1911-07-29
THE Gil A
MONSTER
By DAVID WALTER CHURCH

southwest, was a 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 birdIike voice, jab-
bered Spanish musically, danced, and
her face wore 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 a 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! l,
who was older, saw his danger and
warned him. I knew what was up,
for in the evening when the days
work was over l would hear on the
BasquementO veranda the twang Of
Inez's guitar, her little flute voice, her
merry laughter mingled with sounds
n I
Ben EggleStOn, the young man who
was sowing the wind TO reap the whirl-
wind.
you little fool" l would say to him,
don't you know that the girl is min
Cling Of child and wOman-child in in
experience, woman in development;
that she will fall in love with you and
then
"Tn break it off at once" would be
the young fellows inYariable 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 I would hear the same
pleasant sounds on the veranda 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 a
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," I 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 / will not see you again? 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 l met Inez carrying a
cudgeI in one hand and a canvas bag
in the other. She wore the same inno-
cent look she had always worn, but 1
noticed a peculiar glitter in her eye.
There was something incOngruOus in
a little girls carry ing a bludgeOn, and,
naturally fearful -or Ben EgglestOn,
1 could not help vaguely connecting
the act with the jilting he was giving
her. She passed me without looking
back, and, taking position behind a
tree, | 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, following her, taking a new pO-
sitiOn now and then where | would
not be observed by her. Presently 1
saw uGA LII oOA1lClAl4AS NAbA 4CA NCAR
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.
I didn't know what it all meant; but,
still timoTOus 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 be
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 I was startled by an unearthly
yell. Springing out of bed, ran along
to a 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.
xii itP' he yelled.
Then l saw a little alligator looking
thing on the floor
skill it! It's the GiIa monster and
has bitten me. Pm gone up"
Inezs actions were explained. She