mm m
' i 8
A Porto Rican
Romance. 8
: . ?
] BY WILL LEYIXIiTUX COMFORT. |
Two months after the squad of a
dozen troopers rode into the moun
tain town of Coronal, far in the high
interior of Porto Kico, big Darby
was doing his trick at stable guard.
It was that wonderful half hour at
the close of a tropical day when the
hush of twilight rests upon the
mountains and the dark is climbing
silently, steadily up from the valleys
and gorges. The troop horses were
buried in their nose bags. Darby
sat upon a bale of hay, with his car
bine lying across his lap. He was at
peace with himself chiefly because
five weeks had passed since a pay
day. A little native girl was ventur
ing shyly toward him. He said
"Good evening" in Spanish, and a
queer tingle crept up from his boots
when he beard how sweet and low
her voice was. She reclined daintily
upon a bale of hay and rolled ciga
rettes for the big fellow to smoke.
Never in the history of military
men did a trick at guard duty pass 1
so quickly.
The days which followed were
strange ones for Trooper Darbv.
Often the senorita watched him
from a balcony or walked past his
quarters in the evening. She was j
always in the plaza when he was. It
was in Darby to treat her as he
would a little girl, and yet an in
stinct hidden somewhere forbade.
Since Darby's first enlistment j
long ago he had shunned women.
He was a quiet fellow usually and
had more manner and far more
mind than were needed for a soldier.
He had killed a grown man's ambi
tion with the feeble satisfaction of j
being a clean, obedient soldier, but j
he had so much time and energy
left over that despair sometimes
crept into the vacuum. Then it was
that Trooper Darby went to the
canteen, in which case lie fell short
of his single ambition. The stripes j
of a noncommissioned officer were j
removed so often from his sleeve 1
that he finally refused to have them
replaced at all. So, in spite of in- 1
tervals of fine soldiering, lie remain
ed Private Darby.
The last four months of his en- i
listment were passing quickly in the
high l'orto Itican town of Coroxal
and passing strangely too. The
days were full of troubled thoughts,
and the evenings ? the evenings
were beautiful. Queer indeed are
the little l'orto Rican maidens. They
know nothing of the world except
their own fruit laden, rain shower
ed hills, but they are moved by the
hearts of women. They arc without 1
education, yet posse-sed of woman's
art. They drink wine in their joy
and rum in their de-pair. They
light a cigarette in their babyhood.
It is still lighted in their dying. For
breakfast they have coffee ami ciga
rettes; for dinner a fried plantain,
with cigarettes before and after; for
?upper they drink the juice of an
orange, followed bv an evening of
cigarettes and native wines; hence
they are ready to die at the age
when a northern woman is looking
for a husband. They adore music.
They are fairies in the dance, grand
mothers at .10. The genius of ro
mance lives in their land. Marie,
who ventured shyly down to the
picket line that night, was one of
these.
A little above the town, in the
very heights, was a little bamboo
shack, where Marie and her old
mother lived and wove white straw
into hats and delicate bamboo strips
into matting. After retreat in the
evening big Darby would be seen
?triding up this steep trail. It was
very beautiful to sit up there beside
the little hill maiden. Far below
the lights of the town twinkled, and
?ometimes when the breeze was i
right the voices of the soldiers could
be heard singing dreamily of their
native land. All about rose the ;
cliff shadows, and on their tops the j
moon flung a veil of misty gray, (
?nd Marie would turn her great dark i
eyes upon big Darby. Those eyes ]
of bo* shone through the dark, for ,
th' i- : \'bt was in them, and he- 1
hind, in the doorway of the shark,
?at the obi mother, humming like
ofie who had lived her life and now
cflly bides.
Darby would have liked to take
the little jrirl upon his knees and
talk to her as he might have done
to a ( hild of her age and size back in
the States, bnt every time this
thought eanjc the heart within hun
throbbed a warning. Marse was not
a child. She was a woman who
*'nuld h?ve K en made hapny indeed
had the big soldier followed the sug
... u mi. 1. Darby could
nbt quite understand for a time why
be.alsavt, sought the shack of Marie
in the evening*
A n f thane was alwava another via
n i
itor. This was Juan, who drove ox
en all day from the coffee planta
tions to the town. Juan was not a
brother. In the natural course of
events he would have married Ma
rie and become master of the little
shack in the heights. Juan always
smiled when the soldier came. It is
the way the poor I'orto ltican peon
had been taught to smile in the
presence of a white man, even
though one's heart be breaking. The
fathers of Juan had learned this les
son well years ago when the Span
iards came.
For a long time big Darby did not
understand about J uan, since the i
latter gave not the slightest hint
that he would be a rival, and Marie
never noticed her native lover, after
the white soldier had reached the
top of the trail. Her ardent heart
could contnin no subtlety, nor was
it large enough for more than one ]
romance.
One night while the soldier and
Marie were talking softly together
poor Juan forgot the outer world,
forgot everything but the pain in
his heart anil the hopelessness of his
life. When Marie had been only a
wee maid, toddling about in the sun
clad in a single garhient, he had
searched the hills for hours to find
the largest, choicest oranges for her.
Long before the white man came he
hail saved pennies until they grew
into pesos?each one the price of j
many days of toil from dawn till
dark on the hot trails?saved them
for her. He did not hate the white
man, but the wound in his heart
hurt desperately, and for a moment
the law and the lessons of his fa- j
thers were forgotten. His face 1?
came the mirror of his heart. Ago
ny, not rebellion, was reflected
there.
It was a strange moment for big
Darby. The perfume, the starlight, |
the sweet torrid air, had put a spell
of romance in his brain. His years
had long been bitter and lonely. He
saw nothing ahead except more such
years and then a soldiers' home in
which to brood and wither and die?
unless? Here was a young girl
who had made him her hero, her
king. There was no one yearning
for him back in the northland?no
one who cared for him, not even an
old mother to bless him. Long ago
he had killed all ambition. He need
never again go north. His enlist
ment would be finished in a month,
and then he would have money. He
might live in these beautiful hills
until the sun had burned him black, j
like the others, and his furoff dream [
of a home and a woman would be a
dream no longer, and the wander
spirit within him would give way to
perfect rest and his brooding heart
to peace.
Itig Darby was breathing hard.
The eyes of the hill maiden. Marie,
were strained toward his. Now lie
knew that she was a woman, not a
little girl, llis thought had laid
this fact bare. He need only to lean
over and touch his lips to hers, and
the great change would be wrought
in an instant. The years had been
long and lonely since a woman had
turned her face toward his. Big
Darby's eves were dry; an aching
lump filled his troat. A kiss that
moment would have destroyed the
monotony of the years. It would j
have fixed a bright vision in what 1
had been a desolate future. It would
have been the cornerstone upon
which nature could build a great
white castle of romance.
That moment big Dnrby saw the
face of Juan, the ox driver. It was
turned toward the low southeast,
where a great pale moon was rising,
and upon that face of Juan, the ox
driver, big Darby saw the tragedy of
a breaking heart. The seal was not
affixed. The trooper arose to his
feet, shook himself like a great beast
that has slept under the weight of
an ugly dream and moved slowly
down the trail. Juan started to his
feet quickly, but he did not under
stand. Senorita Marie would have
followed, but the trooper spoke:
"No, no; manana."
The manner of his words was con
vincing. Big Darby turned on a
cross trail and walked and walked.
At length he came to a river?the
tinv Coroxal, which was tinkling
noisily over the stones and down the
mountain to the bosom of its parent,
the Rio Grande. Darby sat down
upon a rock at the river's edge. He
had done no wrong. The face of
Juan had sent the crushing truths
borne in time. Ilis dream of a life
in these fruit laden hills with Marie
was beautiful, but not according to
the law. In the memory of the
:roop he had drunk when the mood
ras upon him. The thirst was burn
ing him now. He would always
Irink. nnd, like an old cavalry horse
if parted from his troop, he would
'rave for it. Besides, he had not
mrt Marie deeply yet. He would
show her the right way. Rut there
were no lights ahead.
That night big Darby did not re
urn at "taps." The troopers smif
:d and told each other that he had
?ome down the pole. They wonder
id where he got the price. They
rcre very wrong. Darby was not '
trunk. He was out in the dark,
fighting a splendid fight?at the
edge of a mountain stream.
? ??????
To some men life is a continual
nagging skirmish; to others it is a
single decisive engagement won or
lost; to still others, and these are
legion, life iB a long, drowsy sum
mer camp. The men who deserve
the medal* of honor are the hard
and haggard fellows on the skirmish
line who have to fight to live, who
get their training under fire, who
keep the small of their backs to the
fields they have won and who make
the history for the campers to read.
The second class have mortal forces
superior to their infirmities. They
surround their natural enemies in
the beginning and slaughter them
once and for all. These men are to
be praised. They are also to be en
vied for the admirable balance of
brain and sinew which their fathers
gave them. They are the successful,
the happy, the admired, men. But
the evil insurrection within them
was never whole hearted nor unkill
able.
But you want a hero? Go, pick
one front the lean, panting, worried
fellows who are forever on the skir
mish line, whose foes are themselves.
These have mighty virtues, but their
weaknesses are mighty too. These
know no peace. Their foes are as
stubborn as the incoming tide, as
virile as poison, as relentless as
granite. A man indeed is he who
systematically starves a host of ugly
passions.
In the last month big Darby made
many trips up the trail to the shack
of Marie and her mother, and Juan,
the poor Porto llican peon, clutched
at the belief with all his simple mind
that the white man was an angel
from heaven, and because it was the
right way, because he had made up
his mind, Trooper Darby had
strength to lead Marie into the right
way. When he journeyed to San
Juan to get his finals cashed, all the
American soldiers in the capital city
were talking about a new war in
China. Big Darby took no drink,
though there was much money in his
pooket. On the way back to Coroxal
he wondered if the war in China
would mean much action.
It was evening when he walked
up the trail, and by his side was
the old priest of the district. Silent
ly they walked together upward?
upward toward the heights. Marie
was there, Juan was there, and in
the doorway the old mother sat in
the deepening twilight mumbling
old refrains.
The moon beamed down upon the
mountain tops, while the priest ut
tered softly the words of the old,
old story, and the moon played in
the depths of the running rivers and
whitened the great cliffs?and the
soul of one of Uncle Sam's cavalry
men. When it was all over, big
Darby paid the priest and placed a
roll in the trembling hands of Juan,
the poor ox driver?a fortune away
up in the mountains of Porto Rico,
where pennies are dollars.
Then hig Darby kissed Marie, the
bride?for the first time?and held
her fast in his arms an instant, be
cause she was sobbing a little. Then
he hastened down the trail to the
town?for the last time?and at the
canteen he bought a round of drinks
for the boys and told them that he
would start for the States in a cou
ple of days to enlist in one of the
new cavalry regiments which were
being equipped for Chinese service.
?Pittsburg Dispatch.
A Row In the Lords'.
It may be true that parliamentary
life is degenerating, but it is a mis
take to suppose that parliamentary
Hooliganism is a modern growth.
All but three centuries and a half
ago the Marquis of Dorchester and
the Duke of Buckingham quarreled
in the house of lords, and the im
mortal Pepvs tells that, "my Lord
Buckingham leaning rudely over
my Lord Marquis Dorchester, my
Lord Dorchester removed his elbow.
Duke of Buckingham asked whether
he was uneasy. Dorchester replied,
'Yes,' and that he durst not do this
anywhere else. Buckingham re
plied, 'Yes, he would.' Dorchester
said that he lied. With this Buck
ingham struck off his hat and took
him by his periwig and pulled it
aside and held him. My lord cham
berlain and others interposed and
upon coming into the house of lords
did order them both to the Tower!" ,
4 Modnt Rfqnfit.
?A.
"Excuse me, conductor, but I wlsb
you'd run the trsln rather slowly ??
far as MeadrlUc. You see. I'm a Jar ?f
preserves here, and my wife told m* t?
be sure that It wasn't shakeu!"
MICRO NOTES.
We are sorry to note that our
guard house was burned last
week.
Mr. C. A. Fitzgerald who has
been (juite sick, is better at this
writing.
Mr. Bishop of the firm of R. H.
Lunceford, of Petersburg, Va., |
was in town to-dav.
It is reported that Mr. A. J.
Fitzgerald is to open up a stock
of general merchandiseheresoon.
Messrs H. I). Mozingo and T.
?I. Batten, attended the pie-nic
at Harp's school house lust Sat
urday.
A. C. Stancil who has been
teaching here for some time,
closed his school with success
this week, satisfactory to all.
Mr. Oscar Mozingo has accept
ed a position with the firm of
Woodard, Anderson A Jones,
tobacconists of Wilson. He left
Monday to take charge of the
position.
Jim.
Gilman's Deal In Coffins.
When the late George F. Gilman,
the tea store man, whose millions
are in dispute, became old enough to
go into business, his father arrang
ed a partnership for him with a Mr.
Miles, who had been a successful
leather merchant in the Swamp.
Young Gilman did not care for the
leather business, but he obeyed his
father's wishes.
Mr. Miles, his partner, was a
much older man, and, as Gilman
soon discovered, he was inclined to
devote most of his time to outside
interests, among them being a new
cemetery. One day Mr. Miles came
down to the office and said:
"Mr. Gilman, 1 did a good stroke
of business today. 1 bought ten
cemetery lots and then sold nine of
them for what the ten cost me.
That leaves me one lot clear profit." ;
Gilman didn't see that this meant
any profit for the firm of Miles &
Gilman, and on the following mora- 1
ing when he reached the office he i
said to Mr. Miles:
"I did a good stroke of business
myself this morning. I stopped at i;
Broadway undertaker's and bought
ten coffins. 1 sold nine of them for
what I paid for the ten, leaving one
coffin clear profit. I have saved this
coffin for you, Mr. Miles, thinking
that you might use it in your cem
etery lot." ;
Mr. Miles glared at the young
man and then retired to his own of
fice. When he reappeared several ;
hours later, it was to announce thai
the copartnership was dissolved. ,
How to Get the Water Out.
In the fall of 189G Admiral T1 >b
ley D. Evans was in,command of the ,
Indiana. The squadron started u;
a storm from Fort Monroe for N> >?
York. "At 1 a. m." says the admi
ral, "the ash shoots on the gun de<k
had their covers torn off, and lui
deck was flooded, and there was no
way to get the water out except
hailing with buckets. The carpen
ter, who was in a great funk, tame
to me on the bridge, white in th
face, and reported in a tremblinc
voice:
"'Sir, the gun deck is full of wn
ter, and 1 can't see how we are ev.-r
going to get it out!'
"1 replied, 'Go down and drill
6ome of it out, sir, and don't bother
me again with your whining,' whit-a
sent him on his way, and I saw n
more of him."
^
Young Women
The entry into womanhood Is a (
critical time for a girl. Little men
strual disorders started at that time soon
grow Into iatal complications. That
female troubles are tilling graveyards
proves this. Wine of Cardui estab
lishes a patnles and natural menstrual
flow. When once this important func- '
tion is started right, a healthy life will I
usually follow. Many women, young <
and old. owe their lives to Wine of
Cardui. There is nothing like It to
give women freedom from pain and to
tit young women for every duty of life. 1
$1.00 bottles st druggists. (
1
Miss Dells M. Strsycr. Tulty, Kan.i "I
have suffered untold pain at menstrual pe
riods lor a long time, was nervous, had no
appetite, and lost interest in everything,
in fact waa miserable. I ha?e taken four ?
bottlea of Wine of Cardui. with Thedford's
Black Draught, whan needed. and to-day
I am entirely cured. I cannot expreaa the
thanks I feel for what you have done t
for mo." I
1 I
roe aOelao ta iwoea teoairleo auoeSnl aieoo- i
Uoee. eOOreaa. sines ira-po at is# ;ae o 1
AStluifl [wrartaa -l TS-e 'a at tee ?wa Mae
laiaa (eeapnar. CSalsanuupa. Tana.
EME:
With the new life and upward grade of the old town
of Smithfield
HOOD BROTHERS,
(On the Corner)
the old Druggists, Book Dealers and Seedsmen, greet you. For
about thirty years we have been identified with the town in the
DRUG BUSINESS.
We feel that we are well and favorably known to you.
SODA
WATER
5
SODA
WATfR
We thank you, one and all,
for your liberal patronage. We
appreciate your trade. We
keep the goods. Our prices are
right. We carry the best.
Call on us for anything in the
Drug Line,
Books, Stationery,
Seeds, Toilet Goods,
Rubber Goods.
OUR COLD DRINKS
are as good as ice and
fine syrups and crush
ed fruits can make
them.
Special Line of
Trusses and Spectacles
and fresh supply Wood's
Turnip Seeds.
IJCasr^Prescriptions a Specialty.
HOOD BROTHERS,
SMITHFIELD, N. C,
Remember the Old Reliable
Auburn Wagon. For sale by
W. L. Fuller.
Rig lot Wood's Turnip Seed,
just received at J. R. Lkdbetter.
If you want your tobacco sold
for the highest market price, stop
at the Farmers Warehouse with
Boyett Bros.
Skinner & Ragsdale do not
move, but continue to sell to
bacco for high prices at the Ban
ner Warehouse.
Go to W. G. Yelvington's store
for your fine Shoes, Furs and
Straw Hats, for Men and Boys. |
Remember what Baylor & Las
siter did for you last year. They
will do just as much for you this
year at the Riverside.
Try a peach, strawberry, ban- j
ana or pine apple sherbet as j
cold as ice, He at Snipes' Foun
tain, Selma, N. C.
When you have a load of to
bacco ready for market, stop at
the Farmers Warehouse with [
Boyett Bros., where you will al-j
ways get the highest market |
price for your tobacco.
Follow the rush to the River
side and you will be well pleased
with your sales.
If you want to sell your to
bacco where the majority of the
best farmers do, come to the Ifan
ner Warehouse at Smithfield.
(>nr salt's are good, prices high
and all of our customers are per
fectly satisfied with sales. Boyett
Bros., Farmers Warehouse.
Skinner it Ragsdale are anxious
for tobacco to till orders. Bring
it along; it is selling high.
Question seems puzzling to
some how the Smithfield Hard
ware Company sell so cheap. We
buy right and divide our profits
by short division.
Skinner & Ragsdale lead be
jaust they haven't any pets but
sell every farmer's tobacco for its
value.
The place to have your tobacco
graded is at the Riverside. They
have the best basement and best
grader.
Warranty Deed, Mortgage
Deed, Mortgagee's Deed, Quit
claim Deed and Commissioners'
Deed blanks for sale at The
Herald Office.
Why do you get such high prices
or your tobacco? "Because I
iell at the Riverside." I'aylor A
I .assiter will always work for you.
If Fair Dealing, hard work, hon
>st weights and high prices will
jet your tobacco, we want it.
[toyett Bros., Farmers Ware
louse.
You can get your tobacco well
rraded for 7.r?c. per hundred at
Skinner & Ragsdale's and it will
>ay you well to have it graded.
BUY THE CELEBRATED
AUBURN
WAGON.
The Auburn Wagon Co.
have consigned to ine one car
load one and two horse wagons
which 1 will sell cheap for cash or
on time. Come to see me before
buying.
Respectfully,
W. L. FULLER.
SMIThFIELD, N. C.
THE AMERICAN COTTON CO.'S
Round-Lap Bale Press
WILL BE READY
to do business just as soon as the
cotton season opena Those who
have had their cotton put up
ROUND, we thank you for your
patronage and trust that you
have all been satisfied. So don't
forget us. Those who have not
had their cotton put up ROUND,
give us a trial, and we shall do
our best to satisfy you.
Yours truly,
THE AMERICAN COTTON CO.,
Per T. B. B., Jr.
We want a good ginner.
OUR
Turnip Seeds
ARE READY,
Bought direct from the most rclia?
ble growers, carefully selected
especially for our patrons.
They satisfy others,
They will satisfy you.
A complete stock of all things a
Drug Store should keep always
on hand.
MONTAGUE Druggist,
GARNER, N C
Follow the hand eigne arrows
the etreeta and eonie to the Ban
ner Warehouse, Smithfleld.
The Best 10c coffee in the
world at N. B. Snijtee A Bro..
Selmn, N. T