The Washington times., 1925-12-16

Chapter Nv
Dona Bernardo did not suspect
| the reason why her son rose on
the following morning pale, and
with dark rings under his eyes
as If he had spent a bad nigh.
Nor could his political friends
guess. that afternoon; why ir
such fine weather, Rafael should
come aid shut himself up in the
sitting atmosphere Of the Club.
When he came In. crowd OF
noisy henchmen gathered round
him to discuss all over again the
great news that had been keep .
ing the Party in feverish ex..
element for q week past: the.
Cortes were to be dissolved The
newspapers had been talking Of
nothing else. Within two or
three months, before the close
of the year at the latest, there
would be new election, and
Herewith, as all averred, land
slide for Don Rafael Brull. The
intimate friend and lieutenant of
the House OF Brull was the besI
informed. IL the elections took
place on the date indicated by the,
newspapers, Rafael would still be
five or six months short OF his
twenty-fifth birthday. But Don
Andres had written to Madrid TO.
consult the Party leaders. The
prime minister was agreeable
there were precedents!'' and
even though Rafael should be u
few weeks short OF the legal age,
the seat would go to him just the
same. They would send no more
"foundlings" from Madrid! ,Alcira
would have no more ''unknowns'
foisted upon her! And the whole
Tribe of Brull dependents was
preparing for the contest with
the enthusiasm OF 81 prize-ffghtcr
sure of victory beforehand.
Well along in the Afternoon,
when the Club parlOr was less
crowded with members, the at
mosphere freer of smoke, and the
ivory balls less noisy on the
green cloth. Don Andres consid-
cred his game at an end, and
took a chair in his disciples cir.
Gle, where as usual Rafael was
sitting with the most parasitic
and aduIatory of his partisans.
Keeping Quiet
The boy pretended to be listen
ing to their conversation, but all
the while he was preparing men
tally a question he had decided
to put to DON Andres the day be-
fore.
At last he made up his mind.
You know everybody, Don An
dres. Wen, yesterday, up on San
Salvador, met a fine-looking
woman who seems to be a for
eigner. She says she's living
here. Who is she?"
The old man burst into q loud
laugh, and pushed his chair back
from the table, so that his big
paunch would have room to
shake in.
80 you've seen her, tooy' he
exclaimed between one guffaw
and another. well, sir, what a
city this is! That woman got in
the day before yesterday. and
eVerybody's seen her already.
She's the talk of the town. You
were the only one who hadn't
asked me, about her so far. And
now you've bitteni Ho! Ho!
Ho! What place this is!'
When he had had his laugh
out-Rafael, meanwhile, did not
see the joke--he continued in
more measured style:
THAT foreign woman as you
call her, boy, comes from Alcira.
In fact, she was born about two
doors from you. Don't you know
Dona Pepa, the Doctors woman
they call her-a little lady who
has an orchard close by the river
and lives in the Blue House,
that's always under water when
the Jucar floods? She once
owned the place you have Just
beyond where you live, and she's
the one who sold it to your
father-the only property Don
Ramon ever bought, so far as I
know. Don't you remember"
Rafael thought he did. AS he
went back in his memory, the
picture of an old wrinkled woman
rose before his mind, a woman
round-shouldered, bent with age,
but with a kindly face smiling
with simple mindedness and good
nature.
Childhood Memory
Yes; / remember: ] remember
Dona Pepa," said Rafael.
''WelI, your foreigner" Don
Andres continued is Dona Pepa's
niece, daughter of her brother,
the doctor. The girl has been ali
over the world singing grand
opera You were probably too
young to remember Doctor Mo-
reno, who was the scandal Of the
province In those days. -
But Rafael certainly did re-
member Doctor Moreno That
name was one of the freshest OF
his childhood recollections, the
bugaboo of many nights of terror
and alarm, when he would hide
his trembling head under the
clothes.
A weird, a formidable person.
age, the Doctor! Rafael could
sitting there in front of him:
see him as clearly as il he were
with that huge, black. curly