Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-09-12

ner and find the cheer of congenial So
ciety. But on consideration she felt
Il at this, too, was more than she
could just now bear. They would tor
ment her with questions and she felt
In no mood to put them off or to be
confidential. Finally she remem-
bered Mexican restaurant, to visit
which had at one time been fashion.
She had been there with Hazel and
Josh, and once in party with some
of the bank people. She knew where
the place was and felt that she could
dine there with no fear of encounter
ing any one she knew
With an objective point in view,
her step gained decision. and she
moved forward briskly. leaving the
plaza and plunging into the congeries
of picturesque streets which harbor
swarming foreign population. The
lights of shops and open stalls fell out
into the fog, Transforming 1t into thick.
churning currents of smoky pallor.
Wet walls and sidewalks showed
gold veneer, and lingering drops,
trembling on cornices, hung like tiny
globes of thin yellow glass.
People and things looked magnified
and sometimes horrible seen through
this mysterious, obscuring medium
Once behind pane of glass she saw
lines of detached, staring eyes. fas-
tened glaringly on her as she ad-
vance.. 1t was the display In an op-
tician's show-window. where glass eyes
were disposed in fanciful lines, like
decoration. She looked at them ask
<hot oth in
sinister in their wide, unwinking scrut-
iny. She hurried by the market stalls.
where the shawled figures of women
stood huddled round the butchers
block. They looked as II they might
be grouped round a point of interest.
bending to stare at something lying
there. something dreadful. like
corpse. Berry thought.
When she saw the Mexican restau-
rant she felt relieved. The strange at
mospheric conditions seemed to have
played upon her nerves and she was
glad to get somewhere where she
could find warmth and light and peo-
pie. The place, a little shabby house
dating from the era of the projecting
shingle roof and encircling balcony,
two streets. 1t was built upon slope
SO sharp that the balcony. which in
front skirted the second story. in the
back was on a level with the sidewalk.
The bright light of gas-jets. under
shades of fiuted white china, fell over
the contents of the show-window.
They were not attractive. A dish OF
old and shriveled oranges stood be-
tween a plate of tamales and another
of red and green peppers. There were
many flies in the window, and. chilled
by the cold, they stood along the In
side of the glass in state of torpor.
Berry pushed open the door and en-
tered. The front part of the place was
used as grocery store and had short
counter at one side. behind which
stood shelves piled high with the
wares demanded by the Mexican and
Spanish population. Back of this were
the tables of the restaurant. The pow
erful, aromatic odors of the groceries
blended with the even more powerful
ones of the Mexican menu. The room
was close and hot. In corner. his
back braced against the wall. Span
lard, with inky dark hair and a large
expanse of white shirt bosom. was
languidly picking at a guitar.
Berry knew that there was an inner
sanctum for the guests that preferred
more secluded quarters. and walked
past the counter and between the
tables. An arched opening connected
with this room. Coarse, dirty, lace
curtains hung In the archway and.
looped back against gilt hooks, left
space through which a glimpse of the
interior was vouchsafed to the diners
without. 1t was smaller than the res
taurant proper. and was fitted up with
an attempt at elegance. Lace curtains
also coarse and dirty-veiled the
windows. and two large mirrors, with
tarnished and fy-spotted gilt frames.
hung on the wall opposite the en-
trance.
Just now It was sparsely patronized.
In one corner two women in mourning
and child were sitting. They glanced
at Berry with languid curiosity and
then resumed a loud and voluble con-
versation in Spanish. A party of three
Jews. an over-dressed woman and two
young men-evidently visitors from
another part of town-sat near them.
On the opposite side there was no one
Berry slipped noiselessly into a chair
at the corner table. her back against
the partition that shut off the rest OF
the dining-room. She felt sheltered
in this unoccupied angle. despite the
fact that the mirror hanging opposite
gave reflection of her to any ono
standing in the archway.
The cloth was dirty and here and
there showed hole. Her ineradicable
fastidiousness was strong in her even
at this hour. when everything that was
a manifestation of her own personality
seemed weak and de-italized She was