Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-05-12
The AbdI0ne House
Bv RUTH ALLEN BEJeEDIcT.

81, jose, WILL uUIIy CACC "ACAS
when" Carmencita' black eyes
softened musingly, and fell upon the
string Of polished abalone about her
neck-"when thou canst build be q
house of 'dobe inlaid with the aba
lone she'll"
Surely. Carmencita but how"
queried her lover.
The big 'dobe blocks, with one
shell stuck in each. 1t will not take
long, and" coldly, II thou are not
enough of a diver, Manuel, thy broth
er, is certainly
The dark blood flushed Jose's face,
but because of his constraining love,
he answered quietly enough:
1T is we'll, and l begin our homo
Tomorrow"
Day after day, through the opales-
cent waters Of Catalina Bay, the 1.-the
body of Jose shot downward. With
dextrous knife he wrenched the huge
sea-ears from their rocky home, and
rose with his prize to the surface.
Oh, what relief to draw the air once
more through the straining lungs,
the wild exultaticn at the sight OF
the sun, the half-sigh Of gratitude
for another perilous trip accomplish
ed! Every swift dart through the
blue-green water meant a possible
encounter with a shark, or, more to
be dreaded,a misstep into the open
jaws of a huge abalone. The great
clam never relaxes his hold, and
many a luckless diver has been
drowned, or choosing heroic meas
ure, risen to the surface minus
heel.
The little home progressed stead
lily; not so Jose's wooing. The chang
ing lights Of the abalone she loved
seemed to dominate Carmencita's
character. One day she smiled on
Jose, the next drove him to despair
by sailing with the rich fisherman
Fernando. But at last the little two
roomed house was all but done; the
swastika was craven on the lintels;
all was ready save the one great shell
needed to fill the niche above the
door. Shells of course there were,
but none large or shimmer1ng
enough to suit the capricious Car
mencita Whereupon, Jose stumbled
along the reef at low tide, looking
closely at every rock to discover the
prize shell. 1t was weary hunter
that toiled through the oozy sand,
for he had spent the day In fruitless
MI fthA
were fast coming on.
The thought quickened his steps.
He slipped and fell. The knife In his
hand stabbed crevice In the rock
and snapped of. At the same mo-
ment Jose felt his foot caught in
vise-like grasp, which slowly tight
ened with a sickening pain. In vain
he struggled to tear his foot away;
even the fragments of his knife were
beyond his reach, and the one NOV,
able stone was too small for use. He
sent shrill cry echoing over the,
lonely beach. Spent by this useless
effort, he fiercely pressed his
hands over his burning eyeballs.
as If by shutting out the world he
might get inspiration for his release.
The tapping Of the waves at bis feet'
reused him from his frantic plan-.
ming. He started to his feet, but
the pain in his ankle dragged him
down again. This, then, was to be
his death, caught like q silly fish,
just when life was at its fullest,
when Carmencita-ah. that was
hardest of all to bear!
Yet as he sat there stoically, still
shouting at intervals. not a hard
thought Of her troubled his loyal
heart, never reproach for the van
ity which had cost life, only a re-
greet that he could not find the last
shell for her. When the water crept
up above his waist he seized the lit
tie Jagged piece Of rock and sawed
madly at his foot. Seeing that it
was impossible to hack 1t off before
the tide swept over him, he desisted
and waited Slowly and precisely
the waves crept up, calmly they
choked his last cry, and with a
suave insouciance blotted out the
tragedy.
When his body was brought homo
Carmencita's grief was beyond
bounds. Five months she mourned
and on the sixth mar
ried Manuel, his brother. To those
who dared demonstrate with the i'm
perious beauty, she gave but one an
swer-"Sne had loved Jose truly.
Yes, but Jose was dead Why not
then marry Manuel, his nearest OF
kim" But the simple fisher-folk
shook their foreboding heads at the
daring couple who took up their
abode In the new adobe house, and
saw clearly the visitation of God in
the tidal wave which crept up the
bay, demolishing the glfttering little
house. and drowning Manuel and
Carmencita In their bridal bed. And
to this day a mound of crumbling
clay remains, with polished shells
protruding here and there, to testify
TO the tragedy. No one will take q
she'll from the heap, and all the W.
ut xn1r