The Washington times., 1925-12-14
A Fierce UlGeaSOning
Love for a Woman
for Whom Men Pour
Out Wealth and
Honor
PART ONE.
Chapter 1.

VOOh Irlehue aES WlAe1s AOs
you at the club. They saw
~ for moment only, this morn.
inr: they'll be wanting TO hear
al your stories about life in
Madrid"
Dona Bernardo fixed upon the
young deputy a pair Of deep,
scrutinizing, severely maternal
eyes that recalled to Rafael all
the roguish anxieties of his child
hood.
Are you going directly 20 the
club? . she added. AN
dres will be starting too. right
away
Rafael. in reply, wished a blunt
good afternoon to his mother
and Don Andres, who were still
at table slipping their coffee, and
strobe out of the dining room.
Finding himself on the broad,
red mar bic staircase in the silence
Of that ancient mansion. of such
princely magnificence, he expert
enced the sudden sense OF comfort
and well being that q traveller
feels on plunging into a bath aftec
tedious journey.
Ever since he had arrived, with
the noisy reception at the station,
the nurrahs, the deafening music,
handshakes here, crowding there,
the pushing and elbowing Of mora
than q thousand people who had
thronged the streets of Alcira to
get c,ose look at him, this was
the first moment he had found
himself alone. his own master,
able td do exactly as he pleased,
without needing to smile auto.
maticaIly in all directions and well
come with demonstrations Of af-
lection persons whose faces he
could scarcely recall.
What q deep breath OF relief he
drew as he went down the de-
serted staircase. which echoed hie
every footstep How large and
beautiful the patio was! How
broad and Iustrous the leaves of
the pIantains flourishing in their
green boxes. There he had spent
the best years of his childhood.
The little boys who in those days
used to be hiding behind the wide
portal, waiting for chance to
play with the son OF the powerful
Don Ramon Bruill. were now the
grown men, the sinewy orchard
workers, who had been parading
from the station to his house,
waving their arms and shouting
yivas for their deputy -Alcira's
ssfavorite son
RecOIIections
He thought he could still see
his father-thei imposing, solemn
Don Ramon-sauntering SSout the
patfo. his hands behind his back,
answering in a few impressive
words the questions flung at him
BY his party adherents, who fol-
lowed him about with idOlatrous
ewes. If the old man could only
have come back to life that morn
ing to see how his son had been
acclaimed by the entire city!
1t was only the month OF March;
but at 2 in the afternoon he air
was almost uncomfortably hot.
Accustomed to the cold wind OF
Madrid and to the winter rains,
Rafael, as he walked along the
street, inhaled, with a sense Of
voIuptuous pleasure, the warm
breeze that waited the perfume
ofthe poisoning orchards through
the narrow lanes Of the ancient
town.
Rafael reached the Suburban
Bridge, one of the two means OF
egress from the Old City. The
Jucar was combing its muddy,
reddish waters on the piles or
the ancient structure. A number
OF row boats, made fast to the
houses on the shore, were tugging
at their mornings. Rafael recog-
nized among them the tine Craft
that he had once used for lonely
trips on the river. It lay there
quite forgotten, gradually shed
ding it's coat Of white paint out
In the weather.
Then he looked at the bridge
itself; the Gothic-arched gate, a
relic of the old Qualifications; the
battlements of yellowish, Clipped
rock, which looked as II all the
rats of the river had come at
night to nIbble at them; then two
inches with a collection Of mu-
tilated, dust.Iaden irnages-San
Bernardo, patron Saint of Alcira,
and his estimable sisters. Dear
old San Bernardo, alias Prince
Hametes son of the Moorish king
Of Garrett, converted to Christ by
the mystic poesy Of the Christian
cult-and still wearing in his
mangled forehead the nail Of mar
tyrdom!
AS Rafael walked past the rude.
disfiguted statue he. thought of
ali tie stories his mother, IN I'M
compromising clerical and "a wonn-
an Of credulous faith, had told
him OF the patron of Alcira, par
ticuiarly the legend of the en-
nifty and struggle between San
Vicente and San Bernardo, an
ingenious fancy OF popular "uper-
gtltIon.
SAINT Vincent, who was an elo-
quent preacher. arrived at Alcira
on one Of his tours, and stopped
ut a blacksInith's shop near the
bridge to get his donkey shod.
When the work was done the
horseshoer asked for the usual
price for his labor, but San
Vicente, accustomed to living on
the bounty of the faithful, waved
Indignant, and looking, at. the
Jucar,s exclaimed, vindictively:
"eome day folks will say: This
is where Alcira used to be-"
"Not while Bernardo is hers"'
the statue of San Bernardo re-
marked from It's pedestal.
And there the statue Of the
saint still stood, like an eternal
sentinel. watching over the Jucar
to exercise the curse of the ran.
corous Saint Vincent! To be sure
the river would rise and over
now it's hanks every year, reach
ing 10 the very feet Of San Der.
nardo sometimes, and coming with
: IN an an.a nf raIlllinn.L fha Wilu