Evening star., 1921-03-13

His bushy yellow eyebrows
n were drawn together in . ter
rife frown. His clear blue
Syes-eyes usually as serene as a
summer sea-were troubled. He
walked majestically away from the
BspaanAde. followed a narrow, wind
ing street for a short distance and
catered his own doorway with 4 sigh
Of relief. It was blistering hot, SO
he went through the house to the
veranda, where there was at least a
breath Of air and the green shadow
OF tropical trees and bushes.
Queer" he said under his breath.
Mighty queer. AS like as two PEN
nies. And yet-twenty years"
He put his big straw hat on the
floor and stretched himself at length
in wicker armchair. Perspiratlon
stood on his brow and his hands
trembled. He kept licking his lips
as if they tasted of salt. But his
huge body was motionless. and he
gazed steadily into the brilliant. tan
gled garden. not as if he were seeing
the waxiike flowers and proaieiouss
palms. but as if his eyes were fixed
on some invisible scene that fasci-
mated and terrified him.
Queer" he muttered again. AS
like as two pennies.
And vet nothing out OF the ordlhaT!
had happened to John peterson, aI ri
had gone out. following his usual
custom, at IL O'Clock and had strolled
as far as the Piazza lndependenZ nZia,
keeping always in the SHADOW OF ,ne
houses He was very imposing IN
white linen clothes-a huge: oioi,u is
fellow, bearded like NiS,hs. .,,air %
ewes as blue as ice beneath tne.s
shaggy brows. The shouting drivers
of dilapidated cabs swerved sharpas
ont of the way to avoid MN. oale
footed mozos gave him 'ne
sidewalk with a subservient coui
Big-eyed. black haired haatwa assea All
looked slyly at him as he paSseu.
This was exactly as usual. feteIo,
.ras accustomed to being adrni,eu.
Was he not the incorruptioie pa
NJ Mageiia, a rich citizen and hs-
ure of national importance: .,sr
He began the day. ike an .h q
davs with a glass of brandy at .to
Cafs Albion. Various dapper. copper
co,ored Young men tipped their straw
hats in his direction. and some VIM =
haired royalist officials. sweiterihs IN
frock coats and gloves, bowed .ets
low as they passed his table.
con ..stood in" with the royahstS,
They had been in power Tor seNei
years. and 1t began to look as
President Diego were a permaneMn. ny
fixture in the old white paiace
fronted so conspicuously on tne pmha
"a. Magella was growing sIea
Fairchild Company. an American So
dicate. controlled the 1aou,ous MIA 9
were enriching the royalists. ana
yankee railway was pushing across
thn campaena, across the hai -ae
serted interior of Concordia, Hnh1ns
NaoelIa TO the rest of the world. De
cidedly il was best to stand IN VIZ
the marty in power. Peterson hanuieu
tha modest fortunes that were oelhe
-, .de by Diego followers: ne even
can.ed for safekeeping. in the Hia'
ner Of bankers the world over .he
savings of native workmen. Europsa
settlers, that army OF nonosI.,pss .,
which had drifted into the T,pS
1itrle republic in the wake Oh 1>o''"
American capital.
had lived in Aasena
L twenty years and had waikea
,,. narrow white line Of moral recti-
tuae. He had married q Magellan
wou.n-a dark-skinned beauty VINO
hsd grown fat with happiness anu
Who smoked big black cigars. @ ..
daughter. Cora. was tne
rirI in Mabgella and the pride Oh fete-
sons heart. She was as faiF A
tall. white-skinneo' so'oen
haired girl, with eyes the color OF
.entians. 1t was said that every
Young man in Magella was in love
with her. Signing suitors were al
waya parading back and forth De-
meath her windows, preening tnem-
selves. hoping that the blond Cora
would feel the pangs of passion. But
Peterson snubbed all wouio-oe
wooers and the cool, snow-white Cora
refused to be charmed by dapper'
brown dandies, who had 80 little
IMAGINATION that they made love 10
her BY calling attention to themselves.
Cora had her own conception OF love
and lovers. All day she sat in the
Ettla garden at the back Of her
fathers house, dreaming. woman
fashion. of the man xho would win
her in spite of herself.
Peterson had been in very sooo
hurnor that morning at the Care Al
bion.. He sat for q long time over MS
pIass of brandy. his thoughts busy
with the .delectabTe flture& And ~ the
divni6ed royalists who bowed SO COZ
daily when they passed MS eauie
could have known what ne was tnlhA-
ing. there would have been riot.
or a civil war IN Maseila
before night. But Peterson's eyes
were as guileiess as chiids m ne
was ontvardly as mild as a milk
led xod-maiestic, Jovian and incor-
ruptible. -..r.s
across the city to the .espIanade. MS
thou0hts still busy with the future.
John Peterson had somefhlng UP n,s
sleeve for himself and Cora His wiie
Ing senseless mound Of flesh in a
calico print wrapper. He had loved
her for a brief tropic month OF moon
light and madness. a long time, ago.
Twenty years ago. NOW 1nere vas
Cora, tall. fresh Skinned goddess
in this land of little. swarthy women
with straight. black hairl And Peter,
SON did not propose that she should
stav in Magelln forever: A little
longer. Only a littie longer. Then
he would take her to Paris: Vienna,
Berlin. London; They would stay at
races. to Monte Carlo. to the gay
watering places. Cora would wear
European clothes. and men of fashion
would stare at her. He. Peterson,
would stroll along the bouievards as
lie was strolling now. only that upon
his head. in place of broad d-brimmed
straw hat, he would wear shining
stoyepipe. and his majestic body
would be clothed. not in crumpled
linen. but in broadclosh. excellently
tailored. There would be money in
his pockets. and Magella, this land OF
blazing sky. towering mountains,
palms. revolutions, and purple sea.
would be erased from his memory
like 4 miserable dream. There were
ways.
For instance: The royalists might
be very much in power. but there
were others who aspired to At into
the comfortable inches now filled by