ROUGE ET NOIR
A L[T'_TLE ]IUSIX ,-4 :SSOIANCE OF THi1E J AN\_NA TI'II.
BY O()IVIER III
I.
DICIY'S D)IGRI]SSION.
N()U1)Y knew exactly where Dicky
Ialoney hailed 'from or how he reached
l'uerto Iey. Ile appeared there one
day, and that was all. lie afterward said
that he came on the fruit steamer Tior,
but, an inspection of the '/hor's passenger
list of that date would have found it to lie
Maloneyless. Curiosity, however, soon per-
ished, and DIicky took his place among the
heterogeneous litter of the coast--the
stranded adventurers, refugees and odd fish
from other countries that line the shore of
the Caribbean.
lie was an active, devil-may-care, rollick-
ing fellow with an engaging gray eye, the
most irresistible grin, a rather dark, or
much sun-burned complexion, and a head of
the fieriest red hair ever seen in that coun-
try. Speaking the Spanish language as well
as he spoke English, and seeming always to
have plenty of silver in his pockets, it was
not long before he was a welcome companion
both with the natives and the resident for-
eigners. lIe developed an extreme fondness
for rino bl,,cho; could drink more of it than
any three men in the port, and to meet
Dicky Maloney's brilliant head and smile
coming down the street meant, to any of his
acquaintances, the consumption of from one
to three bottles of strong, white wine.
Everybody called him I)icky: everyody
cheered up at sight of hint- especially the
natives to whom his marvelous ruddy hair
and his free and easy style were a constant
delight and envy. Anywhere about the port
you would soon see Dicky and hear his
genial laugh, and find around him a group of
admirers, who appreciated both him and the
rvino hilNcho he was so ready to huv.
A considerable amount of speculation still
existed concerning the object of his stay in
Puerto RIey, but one day he silenced this ily
opening a small shop for the sale of cigars,
d u ,s and the handiwork of the interior In-
diain fiber and silk woven goods, deerskin
zrlcs t and asked tiork (of ti rebels. ien
then 1
w as h ni ill. ltl kill', iIr. in ,:> :iIp i,
and night with the coanulants, the <
lector of the port, the l.efe Politico), :,
other gay dogs among the native otlicin
T'ile care of thie shop Ihe left entirely i
Lisa. And now it is both dsi rable and iii-
ting to make Pasa's acquainLlace, for sh'
was I)icky's Digression.
La A\laan Timote hlencamini os y : S!
zar deo las Yglesias kelpt a ruti shop in (';aIl
lnu!llero ocho. No disgrace, mind you, Io
rull-makiiing is a government opl(llly, and1
to keep a government diispelnsary assur'es
respect<ability if not supiereminence. More-
over, the saddest of prec(isins could find no
fault with the conduct of the sh(1op. (usto)m-
mers drank there in the lowest of spirit
and fearsonlely, as in the sliadlow of the
dead, for la niai;lna's ancient imbut vaunted
lineage counttrac edx even the rum's lehest
to Ile joyful. For, was she not of the
Yglesias whlo landed with ]izarro? And
had her deceased husband not been ('o-
misionado de Caminos y ]'uentll for the dis-
trict ?
In the next roomm, seTated1 in the cane
rocking-chair, dr'eamiyi st'luml in iig a guial',
could generally he found her daughter I'a
- "I, ,Si'nt//i K rinjd 'I" the young men
had named her. kron.jrll(lll is tihe Sp anils
xword for a certain shadle of color that you
must go to more trouble to dscrihe in
English. BPy saying: "The littIe unt,
tinted the most beauiftiful -d icate-slightly-
orange-golden" you will allproximatn t'
description of IDoia ';ilsa Jueiniult' linos v
Salazar de las Yglesias;
Every evening a row of visiting young
canhalleros wouiid occupy the prim ]ilI' of
chairs set a!iainst the wall of this r(Iolo .
They were there to lsie'l the bial of "i.a
Santita." Their method (which is int proof
against intelligent COmlpetition) consisted of
expanding the chest, looking valorous, and
silently consuming a cross or two of ci,;r-
ettes. Even saints, delicately ornged, pre'-
fer to be wooed differentiv. IDoa Iasa was
accu stomle to tile, over lile vast chasms of
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- II ~*PR"Wsenarwap5~3~
