The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 21, 1900, Page 1

to be taken overs, sir,” she ¥ pretty mald?’ r me, sir,” she oung Spaniards of New Me f a Guel over Senorlta Deifine e belle and beauty of the ey. They met at noom . ws of nightfall thelr wered into the freshly ¢ good standing tly ected 2. Melaulades duellists wealthy s win the heart of Delfina Lo t are ask- 10 Grande selves and clasy 2 Lo- in men have was shot be- to tarnish the falr name A fourth e to the O y of Mex- semorita % z from Green- India’s coral maiden whose n so ste 1 gore f courting as been death side of the Rlo Grande ~ tion of 2 Lopez has powers of maimed for life were the scraps” f The ears added t iness. At 16 she was ravis beautiful, with the lithe, ang h. Once her - aroope laughing of the tragic has crept her sixteenth birthday that to her first ball, there to earn her fatal charms. She was as fragrs nd sweet as a Castillan rose, all white Her thick, soft sed in a again. was her only was compelling and ivilege of danc- re two lads who clashed over gave each other the lte. own on the Rio Grande there is but one insult. The rt of a pistol arrested he flash of a bowie-knife cut ven a wild o bits. It such an screamy was Del- while ot One man the other the knifs dying man wounded one. the ballroom 1t I there, and Del- the blood and r shone in they out were > the doctor ver the wounded for lite!” the usual of her first ball reasure box. She lling the drooping d tearing off the she threw them Santissima! an ill cackled-the old nurse swallowed the blood wn aimed & vor of the duel went country But Delfina was never quite the same, though time somewhat healed the bruise to her lightheartednes: Ehe came out from her shell.of melan- cholia to take part in the festivities of her eister's marriage to David Baca. The year of sorrow had but chastened her beauty. Among the guests at the wedding was one Jose Banches. At first glance he be- the Liprary.+++; came a captive, He wooed so persistent- ly and he wooed so well that Delfina could not say him nay. She was so young, only 17, and at 17 grief dies easily. Jose was forced to make & business trip to Albuquerque. “‘Something is going to happen,” sald Deifina’s “still small ‘voice,” but she crushed her somber fore- SN2 bodings. In the pale dusk of coming night a horseman dashed up to the house. “The body of Jose Banches has been found by the wayside,” was the message. The curse of murder seemed to lurk tn her favor, and Delfina determined never again to bestow her fatal love. The mur- _derer of Jose Sanches and the cause of “AND STILLDELF ) - the foul attack te this day remain myste- Tiea. For twe years Delfina Lopes fought against the shadows and specters that darkened her life. Then the sunlight be- gan to creep in. When she was nineteen ‘she met Melquiades Baca, one of the .wealthiest and most sought after young INA' SAT DY HER. DEAD LOVER" men inNew Mexico. He saw Delfina Lopes and he loved her. Melquiades Baca knew no fear. He laughed to scorn the !dea that Delfina's admirers ‘'were marked for murder. He braved the doom that all predicted, and gave himself with ardor to the task of overcoming Delfina’s superstitions. . —_— S His sturdy opposition carried all before it. Peopie veered like weathervanes to Melquiades’ point of view—“mere coinci- dence.” And since a woman's “perhaps” usually means “yes,” Delfina succumbed to the pleading of her lover. That was just four weeks ago. The ‘wedding bells were to ring early in Sep- QBER 20 1OV tember. Delfina shut her eyes to the clouds that flecked her happiness. For some unaccountable reason her brother- in-lay, David Baca, had taken an intense dislike to Deifina. Her visits to her sister ‘Wwere 3o plainly discouraged by David that Delfina was forced to discontinue them. Melquiades Baca pooh-poched the x and blamed it to Deifina’s supersensitive. ness. Deifina took his advice and made another attempt to see her sister. David Baca met her at the door and foreibly forbade her to ever agaln cross thetr threshold. Fearful of the result, Delfine sugar- eoated the account of the Interview. But &t last gossip had dared to whisper to Moiquiades what every one else in the town of Belen slready know—that David Baca was smudging the fair name of his uister-in-law. Mad, with the fury of his race, Mal- jutades Baca sought David Saca They met In the plaza. “Are you armed?’ hissed Melqulades. David pulled out & iix-shooter. A crowd Intuitively collected sround the men. The reports rang out simultaneously. Each man fired three shots and esch man was wounded thres times. Frightened women and callous mew preased close. A physician made his way to their prostrate forms. Then a tremor ran through the crowd and swiftly It parted to make way for & woman,a young woman, with the blazing noontide sun Deating down on her uncoversd head. Delfina bent over Melquiades just tn time to catch his last loving message. A' few feet away, writhing in agony, lay David Baca. The minutes dragged them- selves to the hour mark, and stfll Delfine sat by Ner dead lover. So still she was, %0 pale, she might have been a form of wax. David Baca lived out the hour. Before the death fllm gathered to shut out the world forever, Delfina rose like a wraith from the beyond, and turned mpon h look so full of reproach that the mih shuddered and tried to turn away. But even In death his wide staring eyes were turned upon the spot where Dellna had stood like an accusing spirit. Delfina Lopez, the belle and beauty of the Rio Grande, 1s fighting life and death. She is meetin than half way, but arra her family and the physici They claim that they wil to health. But to happin to Be Erecte d on Vesuvius. N Immense and most artistic monu- on Mount V. place vator square on Ca this being the place where a ¢ welected eront Hm, stood in old days. Pending the er: monument, which will be wooden cross will be placed peak, and its dimensions will that a“clear view of it ¢ from Naples. The monument be con- structed by some famous sculptor, and by the orders of Pope Leo the following inscription will be engraved on “Jesu Christo Deo Restitutae per ipsum Salutus, Anno M. C. M. Leo P. P. XIIL" For generations those persons whose homes have been near Mount Vesuvius have plously belleved that the fury of an eruption could be much mitigated by the prayers to the Almighty, and that those would be in the least danger who could congregate In .some consecrated spot. When the terrible eruption began in 1631 Cardinal Buoglcampagno went In stats to the chapel near the mountain and offered up prayers, in the hope of appeasing God’s wrath. A great religious procession was held at the same time, and when it was over thousands gathered in all the chapels within view of the mountain, declaring their determination to die thers If death were inevitable. The Governor of the dis- trict and 600 persons had fled for safety to a large buflding opposite the Francis- can chapel, In the little town of Torre del Greco, while others had poured Into the chapel until it was packed to the very door. Hardly had they tered when burning lava poured down treet and swept to destruction the Governor and his companions A terrible time it was, mains that these who sought she the Franciscan chapel were saves hundreds of others lost but the fact re- this fact has made a deep imprsssion en those who dwell near Mount Vesuvius, and has convinced them of the necessity of placing their trust In God during every such awful emergency. It is the exist- ce of this deep faith which Is the reason why a splendid image of Christ Is now to be erected on the Calderom! Hill