Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-05-17
The Cuban
Dancer


By CALVIN HENDRICKS

sunset that Ned Murdoch told Dolores
Of his love.
He was resting upon his oars, half
way between the mainland and Cy-
press Key. Under their boat the blue
tides ran swiftly.
Dolores" said the young planter;
"win you stay here and marry me?"
She startled and looked at him in
tently.
"Your wifei" she m%urmured, and
her fingers clutched the rowlocks con-
vulsively for a moment. Nor. h
continued hurriedly. "You don't know
who l am or anything about me-"
Il don't care" Murdoch cried. II
know that l love you."
She had drifted into Big Cypress in
May, when the last Of the tourists had
left Florida and the hotel was closed.
She had come from Tampa, she ex-
planned languidly a touch of fever, a
need for rest, for change.
Since then two weeks had passed,
and on the morrow she was to go. she
would never come back, they knew,
that brilliant bird Of passage who had
fingered there, talking with the fisher
men, petting the fat children upon the
wharves, or reclining lazily in the
shade of a palmetto tree, putting at
her cigarette.
mo" she answered Murdoch in agi-
tation. II must go home. 1t is impos-
sible."
Ned Murdoch rowed her back and
left her at the cottage door. Next
morning she left Tampa. He did not
see her again.
She was gone, and Big Cypress
swiftly forgot her.
Then the event occurred which
changed his life. One evening, at the
hotel, a tourist offered him a cigar
from the box. He took one and Their
snatched the box from the mans hand
and stood staring at it like a man
hypnotized. For there On the inside
of the lid was Dolores.
All night he paced the beach in an
ecstasy of happiness. He would find
her now-why had he never thought
Of going to Tampa before? He would
nnd her and bring her back to be his
wife.
He took the morning train for Tam
pa and made his way to the cigar fac
tory. There, having obtained an In
terview with the manufacturer, he
stated his case boldly.
"You are under a mistake, senor,"
said the Spaniard. However, l think
you are sincere, and, as I happen to
know where you can find the Senorita
Dolores, I will tell you. Go to num-
Der 1872 Avenida Otranta at nine
o'clock this evening and you will as
suredly meet her there"
He bowed and, with a cynical smile,
passed into his office, Struggling his
shoulders.
In Bulls cabaret, No. 1913 Avenida
Otranta, the usual throng was assem-
bled at nine o'clock that evening.
Senior Bull, an enterprising Yankee
from Philadelphia, certainly knew how
to cater to the tastes of his patrons.
As for Senorita Dolores, he had picked
her up in an obscure music hall, and
# was shrewdly said that the ten days
scandal which had brought her into
the limelight had been actually en-
gineered, If not invented, by Senior Bull
himself.
When she came forward on the stage
that night the attendance at the little
tables broke into a storm of braves.
Attired as a matador, in short scarlet
skirts. holding her dart with its nut
tering banderole, she bowed and kissed
her hands to the audience and capered
forward and began her song.
It was a fine song and 1t went to the
hearts of the Cubans who heard her.
And whirling In the play Of colored
lights, until she seemed like a sea fairy
entangled in masses of flmy drapery,
the senorita spun.
Then. all of a sudden, she stopped.
She stopped and stood perfectly still,
her eyes fixed on the audience-no, one
Of the audience; on q mar who came
forward. elbowing his way through the
crowds and pushing forward toward
the stage. That was all that the audi
ence saw, for the curtain fell and hid
them.
But Murdoch knew nothing saw that
he had found her again. He drew her
into the wings, and, holding her hands,
stood gazing at her triumphantly.
"Comei" he said.
"Come? WhereT" echoed the SEN
orita, for the first time finding her
voice. But it was broken with tears
and filed with shame.
"Why did you come hereT" she
sobbed Indignantly. "Why couldn't you
have forgotten me? You have no right
to Judge me because I am just a
dancing girl"
81 haven't Judged you," said Muir
doch quietly. II want you to come
with me. Answer me n question,
Dolores. Do you love me-or rather
did you love me that day when I asked
you to be my wifer'
- $50 - -TA en11 GPrTf