The Raymer enterprise., 1919-04-17


stricken preferred 10 remain and to
de among their dear onsa
Yea Matansas was pacined. Wey.
ler's boast was trua Nowhere In the
entire province was . neld In culti-
vation: nowhere. outside the garri-
soned towns, was = house left stand
Ing. Nor was tho dty of Natanxas the
only concentration camp; thsre were
others dotted through Santa Cara,
Habana and Pinar del Rio. In them
half q million people cried for food.
Truly no rebellious land was ever
more completely pacined than tAiA no
peoples spirits ever more completely
crushed.
Into Matanzas. city Of beggary and
death, came Rosa varona and her two
negro companions, looking for relief
They made the journey without mis-
hap. for they were too destitute to
warrant plundering. and Rosa's dis
guise concealed what charms remained
to her. But once they had entered the
city, what an awakeningi What suf-
fering. what poverty, Whist rags they
sawi The three Of them grew weak
with dismay at the horror Of II all:
but there was no retreat
Asensio built q makeshift shelter
close under La Cumbrs-from It the
ruins Of the Quinta do Esteban ware
visible-and there they settled down
to live. They had hoped to lose them
selves among the other prisoners. and
In this they were successful. for none
Of their miserable neighbors were In
any condition to notice them, and
there was nothing sufficiently con-
splcuous about two tattered blacks
and their hunchbacked daughter to
draw attention from the soldiers.
Asensio foraged xealously. and at
first he managed somehow to secure
enough food for his little family. Ons
day the soldiers seized him and put
him to work on the fortihcations along
with Z gang Of other men who ap-
peared strong enough to stand hard
labor. Asensio was not paid for this,
but he was allowed one meal Q day,
and he succeeded In bringing homo
sach night q share Of bis allotment.
It Il surprising how little nourish.
ment viii sustain life. Rosa and her
two friends had long felt the pinch
Of hunger, but now they plumbed new
depths of privation. for there were
days when Asensio and his fellow con-
scripts received nothing ut all. After
. time Evangelina began making bas-
kets and weaving palm-leaf hats, which
she sold at six cents each. She taught
Rosa the craft and they worked from
dawn until dark, striving with nimble,
ureless fingers to supplement Asensio's
ratons and postpone starvation. But
II was hopeless task. Other nimbls
fingers worked a. tirelessly a. theirs,
and the demand for hats was limited
Their hut overlooked the road to
San Severino, that Via Dolorosa on
which condemned prisoners wers
marched out to execution, and In time
the women learned to recognize the
peculiar blaring notes Of certain cor.
net which signined that another sCu-
ban cock was about to crow" When
In the damp Of dswy mornings they
heard that bugls they ceased their
weaving long enough 10 cross them
selves and whisper . prayer for tho
souls Of those who wsrs on their way
to die. But this was the only respite
they allowed themselves
Rosa meditated much upon the con.
trast between her present and her for.
mer condition. MatanSas was the city
Of her birth, and time was when she
had trod its streets In arrogance and
pride. when she had possessed friends
By the score among IT. residents. But
Of al these there was not one to whom
shs dared appeal In thiA her hour Of
need. But even had sAs felt assured
Of meeting sympathy. her pride was
pure castilian, and II would never
down. She . varona, whose name was
one to conjurs with, whose lineage was
Of the highestl Shs to bssi Ths
thing was quite impossible. One crumh
- taken. would have choksd her.
Roa prsfsred b suffer proudly and
await The hour when hunger Or disease