Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-10-02
CHAPTER Im
W7~
GThe o,ReIIIy.n

become so fat that he waddled like a
penguin when he walked; and when be
rode the springs of his French vic
toria gave up in despair.
In disposition Don Mario was prac.
ticnl and unromantlc; he boosted that
he had never had an Illusion, never an
interest outside Of his business. And
yet. on the day this story opens, this
prosaic Parsonage, In spite Of his bulg-
ing waistband and his taut neckband.
in spite Of his short breath and his
prickly heat, was In very whirl of
pleasurable excitement. Don Mario, In
fact, suffered the greatest of all iIlu-
sions: he was In love, and he believed
himself beloved. The object of his
alteration was little Rosa Varona, the
daughter of his one-time friend Este
ban. To be sure. he had met Rosa only
twice since her return from her Yankee
school, but twice had been enough /;
with prompt decision he had resolved
to do her the honor of making her his
wife.
Notwithstanding the rivulets Of per-
spiratIon that were coursing down
every fold of his flesh, and regardless
of the fact that the body of his Victoria
was tipped at drunken angle, as IL
struggling to escape the burdens of his
great weight, Don Mario felt a jaunti-
ness of body and of spirit almost like
that of youth. He raw himself as q
splendid prince riding toward the
humble home of scme obscure maiden
wnom he had graciously chosen to be
his mate.
His arrival threw Donna Isabel into
q fiutter; the woman could scarcely
contain her curiosity when she came to
meet him, for he was not the sort of
man to Inconvenience himself by. mere
social visits. Their first formal greet
ings over, Don Mario surveyed the bare
living room and remarked, lugubri-
0usly:
II see many changes here"
sNo doubt" the widow agreed.
.erimes have been hard since poor rs
e tebnn's DEATH
"What terrible calamity that was!
] shudder when think OF It." said he.
"A shocking affair. trulyl and one
shall never get out of my mind"
Shocking, yes. But what do you
think OF rich man, like Esteban, who
would leave his family destitute? Who
would die without revealing the place
! where he had stored his treasurer"
Donna Isabel 1t was plain, felt her
wrongs keenly; she spoke with as much
spirit as If her husband had permitted
himself to be killed purely out of spite
toward her.
ssAs IL It were not enough to lose
that treasure" the widow continued,
stormily, "the government must free
oil our slaves. Tsel Use! And now
that there is no longer profit in
sugar, my plantations"
mo profit in sugar? What are you
saying?" queried the caller. ''If your
crops do not pay then Pancho Cueto
is cheating you. Get rid of him. But
didn't come here to talk about Este
bans hidden treasure, nor his planta-
tions. nor Pancho Cneto. came here
TO talk about your step-daughter,
Rosa"
"Sor Donna Isabel looked UP
quickly.
"She interests me. She is more beau
tiful than the stars" Don Mario rolled
his eyes toward the high ceiling, which.
like the sky, was tinted u vivid ceru-
lean blue.
''She Is now eighteen" the fat sutton
went on. ecstatically. 'and so alto
gether charming But why waste
time In pretty speeches? / have de-
cided to marry her"
"Rosa has will of her own" guard.
edly ventured the stepmother.
Don Mario broke out, testify: "Nat-
urally; so have we all. Now let us
speak plainly. You know me. am a
person of Importance. am rich
enough TO afford what / want, and
pay well. You understand? Wen, then,
You are Rosa's guardian and you can
bend her TO your desires"
ssIf that were only sol" exclaimed
the woman "She and Esteban-what
children! What tempers-just like
their fathers! They were to be their
fathers heirs, you know, and they
blame me for his death. for our pow
erty, and for all the other misfortunes
that have overtaken US. We live Ike
cats and dogs"
Don Mario had been drumming his
fat fingers impatiently upon the arm OF
his chair. Now he exclaimed:
'Your pardon, sonora, but / am just
now very little interested in your do
nestle relations. What you say about
Rosa only makes me more eager, for
loathe sleepy woman. Now tell me,
is She Has she any-affairs of the
hearth
"N-no. unless perhaps a Irritation
with that young American, Juan
o'Reilly." Donna Isabel gave the name
its Spanish pronunciation of ''O'Rail.