The Washington herald., 1920-11-23
tco.t,..ea From Y..sers.y1


"well. well, WELL, said he. you
old doughface! Struck, too. are youe
That's great! But you're too late.
Francesca tells me that Anabela
talks of nothing but me, day and
night. OF course. I'm awfully oblig-
ed to you for making that chin
music to her of evenings. But, do
you know, I've an idea that could
have done It as well myself
Then Fergus tells me his scheme.
The house of the alcalde. Don
Luis Zamora, he says. has a patio.
of course-a kind of inner courtyard
MRS. Judson Tate says I. Don't
forget the name. You've had the
use Of my tongue to go with your
good looks, my boy. You can't lend
me your looks; but hereafter my
tongue Is my own. Keep your mind
on the name that's to be on the
visiting cars two inches by three
and half-"Mrs. Judsbn Tate"
That's ALL
"'All right says Fergus, laugh
ing again. I've talked with her
father. the alcalde. and he's willing.
He's to give a bale tomorrow eye-
ming in his new warehouse. II you
were a dancing nah. Jud, I'd expect
you around to meet the future Mrs
McMahan.'
But on the next evening when
the music was playing the loudest
at the Alcalde Zamora's bale, into
the room steps Judson Tate in new
white linen clothes as IL he were
the biggest man in the whole ma
tion. which he was.
Some of the musicians jumped
on the key when they saw my face,
and one or two of the timidest seno-
ritas let out a screech or two. But
up prances the alcalde and almost
wipes the dust OF my shoes with his
forehead. No mere good looks could
have won me that sensational en-
trance.
"T hear much, Senior Zamora,'
says ], of the charm of your daugh-
ter. 1t would give me great pleas
ure to be presented to her.
There were about six dozen
willow rocking-chairs, with pink
tides tied on to them. arranged
sat Senorita Anabela in white Swiss
and red slippers, with pearls and
firefies in her hair. Fergus was at
the other end of the room trying to
break away from two maroons and
claybank girl.
THE alcalde leads me up to Ana
bella and presents me. When she
took the frst look at my face she
ldrnnnad. hAr u
her chair over from the shock. But
I'm used to that.
Il sat down by her and began to
talk. When she heard me speak
she jumped, and her eyes got as big
as alligator pears. She couldn't
strike a balance between the tones
of my voice and the face 1 carried.
But 1 kept on talking in the key
of c, which is the ladies' key; and
presently she sat still in her chair
and a dreamy look came into her
eyes She was coming my way. She
knew of Judson Tate, and what a
big man he was, and the big things
he had done; and that was in my
favor. But, of course. 1t was some
shock to her to find out that 1 was
not the pretty man that had been
son. And then 1 took the Spanish
language, which is better than Eng
lish for certain purposes. and played
on 1t like a harp of a thousand
strings. I ranged from the second
G below the STAFF up to F-sharp
above II. ] set my voice to poetry,
art, romance, flowers and moonlight
1 repeated some of the verses that
had murmured to her in the dark
at her window; and ! knew from a
sudden sparkle in her eve that she
recognized in my voice the tones of
her midnight mysterious wooer.
Anyhow, I had Fergus McMahan
going. Oh. the vocal Is the true art
no doubt about that. Handsome
Is as handsome palavers.> That's the
renovated proverb.
Il took Senorita Anabela for Q
walk in the lemon grove while Fer
gus, disfgur:ng himself with an
ugly frown, was waltzing with the
claybank girl. Before we returned
I had permission to come to her
window in the patio the next eve