Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-11-17
The Golden
Heart
By BARBARA PHlPPS

There has never been an invasion Of
an encmy's country that the invader
has not made willing capuves of n
number Of the daughters Of the region
! invaded, During the war between the
states many n Union soldier wooed and
won n southern girl whose antagonlsm
against the Union armies was very
bitter, There seems to he something
in the social relations that deiles the
horrors Of war,
Lieutenant Joaquin Molina, young
Spanish officer just out of his teens
was during the last years Of the last
century sent with his command to
Cuba. Those were the days when
General Weyler was attempting to
crush the Cuban revolution by execu-
ton and Imprisonment, and both he
and Spanish soldiers were hated by the
downtrodden Cubans.
Lieutenant Molina was encamped
with his regiment near sugar planta-
tlon owned 10y one Leandro Reyes The
officers were received at the plantation
with clvllity, If not cordlallty, for
Reyes did not care TO antagonize them
though his sympathles were all for
free Nuba. His daughter, Inez, n dark
eyed beauty Of seventeen, saw Molina,
and Notwithstanding she hated him as
an enemy Of her country she fell nt
once under the spell Of love, n spell
that was mutual, for Molina recipro.
Gated.
True, the lady did not ut once ac-
knowledge that she had given her heart
to the young Spaniard. Indeed, she was
struggling against her enthrallment.
1t was not long before the two
passed from mere acquaintance to
an acknowledgment OF what they felt
for each other lneZ, though she ad-
mitted her passion for the young Off
Ger, refused to become his betrothed
on the ground that he was engaged in
the work Of Subiccting her country
men to the yoke Of the king Of Spain,
He pleaded for her to at least with
hold her decision till the war had end
ed, but she replied that the end Of
the war, whatever 1t might be, would
not alter her decision.
When Molina's regiment was order
ed to Santiago there was sad parting
between the two, during which lnez
gave way and told her lover that II
Cuba achieved her independence he
might come back and ask her again.
Encouraged by this he took one kiss,
which she permitted, and tore himself
away. He left her n parting gift-a
little gold heart he wore on his watch
chain.
Molina fought at Santiago, and when
the end came he was shipped with his
regiment to Spain, He asked for leave
in order to visit Sen0rita Reyes, but,
owing to the terms of the surrender,
was unable to obtain one. He was
obliged to defer seeing her again for
final reply to his proposition till he
had gone to Spain. Then, II neces-
sary, he would resign his commission
in order to seek her.
When Lieutenant Molina reached
Madrid he found it impossible to OBJ
tain leave to return to America. He
would have resigned his commission
in order to 90 and claim Inez, but his
mother dissuaded him.
What" she said. evil you cross
the Atlantic to claim girl you are
not sure Of? If you resign from the
army what career have you? And you
will not find 1t pleasant to live ON the
income furnished by your wife's ia.
Their"
Molina was thus persuaded to put off
the matter so near his heart from day
TO day, till at last, having thought less
and less of 1t. he drifted away from it
altogether. He was thrown In with
girls at home who desired the atten-
lions Of a young soldier who had been
through the last struggle to preserve
Cuba for Spain. In n few years he
married one of them, and his Cuban
romance was looked upon thereafter
as pleasant dream.
Fifteen years passed. Molina had in
the meantime resigned from the army
and had been elected member of the
cortes. Ten years after his marriage
his wife died and left him a widower
without children. Fourteen years
after the close of the Spanish Ameri-
can war he was appointed to a promi-
nent place In the Spanish legation at
Washington. While there he was one
night attending a reception of the
president and was introduced to a
lady Of middle age who, though a ma
tive Of tropical America, where wom-
en- bloom and fade early, was still
beautiful He did not catch her name,
but saw at once that there was Span
ish blood in her veins.
1--WE have met before, senor" she
said.
"Indeed" looking at her scrutiniz.
ingly. "When? Where?'
'In Cuba"
81 have not been to Cuba for fifteen