Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
MiN. you BE- gone,
very ]on82 she asked

of the dawn. The old man had been
waiting for hours. He was half crazed
from apprehension. and now cast him
self prone before his master. begging
for Evangelina.
Don Pablo. in whom the liquor was
dying. cursed impatiently: 'Carramba =.
Have won the treasure of your whole
saps Han ~sae this he eneh hs
a thousand pesos; il so, you will ga Y
that I cheated YOU
NO! She's only an ordinary girl,
termined to get rid of her She is
yours, fairly enough" Narona I I'D him.
Then send her to my house. III
breed her to Salvador. my cochero.
He's the strongest man I have"
Sebastian uttered strangled cry
and rose to his feet Master, You
must not
"silence. ordered Esteban. Wine
never agreed with him. and this morn
ing its effects, combined with his losses
at gambling. had put him in nasty
temper. Go about your business.
What do you mean by this. anyhow >"
he shouted.
But Sebastian, dazed of mind and
sick of soul. went on. unheeding. she
is my girl. You promised me her free
dom. I warn you-
En-" The planter swayed forward.
and with blazing eyes surveyed his
slave. Esteban knew he had done a
foul thing in risking the girl upon the
turn of a card. and an inner voice
warned him that he would repent his
his present mood this very knowledge
enraged him the more. You warn me:
OF WHAT" he growled
At this moment neither master nor
man knew exactly what he said or did
Sebastian raised his hand on high. In
reality the gesture was meant to call
heaven as witness to his years of
faithful sefvice but. misconstruinR his
n ~ ri in
whip down across the old mans back.
crying:
'lFIo, None of that
A shudder ran through Sebastian's
frame. Whirling. he seized Don Pablo's
wrist and tore the whip from his An
gers. Although the Spanlard was a
strong man. he uttered cry of pain.
At this indignity to a. guest Esteban
"Ho. Pancho" When the manager
came running Esteban explained: This
fool is dangerous. He raised his hand
to me and to Don Pablo
Sebastian's protests were drowned by
the angry voices of the others.
Tie him to yonder grating directed
Esteban. who was still in the grip of a
senseless rage. "E'log him well. and
make haste about it
Sebastian, who had no time in which
to recover himself, made but a weak re-
sistance when Pancho locked his wrists
into pair. Of clumsy. oldfashioned
II
around one OF the bars of the iron win
dow grating which Esteban had indI-
Gated. Sebastion felt that his whole
world was tumbline about his ears. He
thought he must be dreaming
Cueto swung a heavy lash, the sound
of his blows echoed through the quinta
and they summoned. among others.
Dona Isabel. who watched the scene
from behind her shutter with much sat
isfaction- The guests looked on ap-
proyinglY.
Sebastian made no outcry. The face
he turned to his master. however. was
puckered with reproac CHI and bewilder-
ment. The whip bit deem; it drew
blood and raised welts the thick ness Of
ones thumb: nevertheless, for the first
few moments the victim suffered less
in body than in spirit. His brain was
so bennmbed. SO shocked with other
excitations. that he was well nigh in
sensible to physical pain. That Evan
gelina,. flesh OF his flesh. had been sold.
brought such reward as this, that Este
ban. light of soul, had turned against
hin--all this was simply astounding
More his simple mind could not COM
ever, he began to resent the shriekine
injustice OF It all, and unsuspected
forces gathered inside Of him. They
grew until his frame was shaken by
primitive savage impulses
After q time Don Esteban cried:
That VIII do, Cueto, Leave him now
for the flies TO punish They will re-
mind him of his insolenee"
Then the guests departed and Este
ban staggered into the house and went
to bed.
All that morning Sebastian stood with.
his hands chained high over his head
The sun grew hotter and ever hotter
upon his lacerated back: the blood
dried and clotted there; a cloud of flies
gathered. swarming over the raw CASH
es left by Cueto's whip.
Before leaving for Don Pablo's
ouinta Evangelina came to bid her
father an agonized farewell. and for a
long time after she had gone the old
man stood motionless, senseIess. scarce
~ breathing. Nor did the other slaves
venture to approach him to offer SYM
pathy or succor. They passed with
head averted and with fear in their
hearts.
Since Don Esteban's nerves, or per-
haps il was his conscience, did not per
nit him to sleep, he arose about noon
time and dressed himself He was still
drunk. and the mad rage Of the early
morning still possessed him: therefore,
when he mounted his horse he pretend
ed not to SEQ the figure chained to the
window grating. Sebastian's affection
for his master was doglike and he had
taken his punishment as a dog takes