Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-02
A Spanish Kiss.
BY LAFCADIO HEARN.

Uafeadio Hearn, ls5o-lsoO was an Eng
lish author; since he wrote in English; he
mS1s for bis works on japan including III
Some Chinese Ghosts" etc.)
Curves Of cheek and throat and
shadow of loose hair-the dark flash Of
dark eyes under the silk of black lashes
"a passing vision, light as a dream of
| Summer-the sweet temptations of IT
time. when the bud Is bursting through
] the blossom-the patter of feet that
! hardly touch ground in their elastic
movement-the light. loose dress mold
| ing its softnesS upon the limbs beneath
| it, betraying much, suggesting the rest;
an apparition seen only for a moment
| passing through the subdued light of
vine-shadowed window, briefly as an OBJ
| ject illuminated by lightning-yet such
moment may well be recorded by the
| guardian angels Of mems lives.
"Croyez vous CAP" suddenly demands
metallically Sonorous voice at the
other side of the table.
carbohydrates que c'est?" asks
the stranger in the tone of one suddenly
awakened, internally annoyed at being
disturbed, yet anxious to appear deeply
interested They had been talking of
Japan-and the traveller, suddenly re-
gaining the clue to the conversation,
spoke of bath house at Yokohama and
of strange things he had seen there,
until the memory of the recent vision
mingled Enthusiastically with recollections
of the japanese bathing house and he
sank into another reverie. leaving the
untasted cup of black coffee before him
to mingle its dying aroma with the odor
of the cigarettes.
For there are living apparitions that
affect men more deeply than fancied
visions from the world Of ghosts-numb-
ing respiration and momentarily max
ing the blood to gather about the heart
like great weight, hushing the voice
to a murmur, creating an understandable
oppression in the throat-until nature
seeks relief in a strong sigh that fills
the lungs with air again and cools for
a brief moment the sudden fever of the
veins. The vision may endure but an
instant-seen under a CLEAN of sun
shine or through the Anticipated gate
way one passes from time to time on
his way to the serious part of the city;
yet that instant is enough to change
the reins of the will, and make us deaf
and blind and dumb for time to the
world Of solid fact. The whole be-
ing is momentarily absorbed, erslaved
by vague and voiceless desire to touch
her. to kiss her, to bite her.
The lemon-gold blaze In the west
faded out; the blue became purple and
in the purple the mighty arch of stars
burst into illumination with its myriad
blossoms of fire. A Spanish officer i'm
proved the n1omentary lull in the con-
versation by touching a guitar, and all
turned toward the musician, who sud-
denly wrung from his instrument the
nervous. passionate, semi-barbaric mel
ody of Spanish dance. For a moment
he played to an absolutely motionless
audience: the very waving Of fans
ceased, the listeners held their breath.
Then two figures glided through the
vine-framed doorway and took their
seats. One was the vision Of q few
hours before-a type of semi-tropical
grace with the bloom of southern youth
upon her dark skin. The other imne-
diately impressed the stranger as the
ugliest little Mexican woman he had
ever seen in the course of long and
experienced life.
She was grotesque as Chinese image
of Buddha, no taller than a child of
10, but very broadly built. Her skin
had the ochre tint of new copper; her
forehead was large and disagreeably
high; her nose fiat; her cheek bones
very broad and prominent: her eyes
small, deeply set and gray as pearls.
Her mouth alone, small, passionate and