All over the little village of San Domingo, on the morning of February
sixteenth, 1898, the news spread like wild-fire that the United States
battleship, _Maine_, had been blown up in Havana Harbor.
Manuello, having secreted his map in what he considered to be a safe
place, and having remained quietly inside his own domicile during the
balance of the night preceding the general acceptance of the the salient
facts concerned in the great disaster, ventured forth at daylight,
hoping to discover the condition of the public mind with regard to it.
The first place he visited was one of the block-houses where he had
hob-nobbed with the soldiers before the news of the explosion had
reached them; here he found closely shut mouths and stern countenances
meeting him on every side, as he was known to be engaged in stirring up
strife and dissatisfaction among the peons of whom, to some extent, now
that Victorio Colenzo was dead, he was an acknowledged leader; the
soldiers, knowing nothing of what action would be taken by their own
government, much less of how far the resentment of the powerful nation
involved in the disaster would carry them, thought that discretion was,
by all means, the better part of valor, in this instance, and,
accordingly, had no private conversation with Manuello at all, being
careful to have several of their number within ear-shot of every word he
uttered; he, realizing the situation, after some few moments, went
quietly away, glad, indeed, to escape so easily from among the armed
hosts of Spain, for his own native country had been under the heel of
Spanish oppressors for more than three years, at this time.
From the block-house, the young fellow proceeded to the dwelling of
little Tessa for he had a sort of mild affection for her, knowing how
profoundly she admired him and being flattered by her preference, while
his own heart was set on Estrella, to win whom he had, indeed, committed
a most terrible crime, for it had been his hand that had almost severed
the handsome head of Victorio Colenzo from his strong and agile body, he
having taken advantage of the confusion in the prison at the time of the
liberation of the political offenders to vent his own jealous spite upon
the natural leader of them all, little dreaming that he had cut off in
his prime the husband of the lady of the mansion on the hill, but only
congratulating himself on having removed from his own path a dangerous
rival in the affections, not only of Estrella, but also of all of those
with whom he, Manuello, hoped to advance his own interests; for Victorio
Colenzo was a man to be feared by all those who opposed him as Manuello
knew very well; now that his dead body was lying there in the little
improvised morgue, it seemed to the young Cuban that his great influence
would soon die away, and, so far as Estrella was concerned, he felt
pretty sure of her as she was so near to him and would, naturally, lean
upon him in trouble.
So that, he felt quite complacent as to the recent turns in his affairs,
when he entered the rude home of little Tessa; he found that small, dark
young woman standing quietly beside a window watching his approach; she
turned to him, when another member of the family had admitted him,
eagerly and expectantly:
"What do you think, Manuello?" she inquired. "What will be the result of
last night's terrible disaster? Shall we, now, have the Americans to
fight as well as the Spanish? Will the great United States hold us
responsible for this crime? I wondered, right away, what you would think
about it all and am so glad you have come over early. Is dear Estrella
as well as we could expect under her distressing circumstances? Will the
body of her lover be buried, today? Will this new trouble make any
difference with the burial of the bodies in the morgue? Tell me
everything you know, Manuello. Don't pay any attention to my
questions ... just go ahead and tell me!"
She had come near to him as she kept asking questions, and was now
beside him and had grasped the collar of his short jacket, for Manuello
was something of a dude among his associates and was very particular as
to his appearance, being proud of his straight, strong figure and broad
shoulders which towered above many of the heads of his companions, so
that little Tessa had to stretch her small, dark hands well above her
smooth, black head in order to cling as closely as she desired to him.
The young fellow looked down into the eager face lifted toward his own
and hesitated a little while before he answered her; diplomacy had
become so much a part of his acquired habit that, even when it was
unnecessary, as in the present instance, for Tessa trusted him
implicitly, he still employed it:
"To begin with," he said, as if issuing a decree from a judgment-seat,
"I do not think that the blowing up of the battleship, last night, will
make our case in Cuba much harder than it already is ... in fact, it
might be that the American government would resent the loss of their
property and the murder of their sailors sufficiently to induce them to
assist us in our struggle for independence from the tyranny of Spain."
He looked about him anxiously, as he made this last statement, for he
knew that agents of the government might be in hiding almost anywhere.
"As to the burial of Victorio Colenzo," he pronounced the name with some
braggadocio, "and the rest, this disaster should make no difference as
to that, for when human beings die they have to be buried somehow, no
matter what happens." It was with secret satisfaction that he explained
this last matter, for, so far as he was concerned, the sooner the body
of his victim was under the ground the better he, himself, would feel,
"and as to Estrella, as soon as she recovers from the loss of her
handsome lover, I think she will listen to reason again and be the same
nice girl she was before she ever met this stranger who came among us
like a whirlwind and who has left us as suddenly as he appeared among
us. Now, little Tessa," he ended, "I think that I have answered all of
your questions ... suppose you answer some of mine ... for example," and
he bent his bold eyes on her little face, "why are you growing to be so
beautiful? Whom do you love more than anything else in the world? When
will you be a married woman? Do you like me as well as you did when we
were little children? Do you think that Estrella will ever marry me, now
that she has lost her new lover? Are you my little friend in this matter
and will you assist my cause with Estrella?" seeing a look of
consternation spread over her countenance, he ended his category with,
"Who is _your_ lover, little Tessa? I know you must have one for you
have grown to be very fair and winsome since we were shut up in that
hateful prison."
"Manuello," said the girl, "I don't believe that I will ever marry....
I have no lover and I am not beautiful. Estrella does not love you, now,
but she may learn to do so. I wish her to be very happy and if being
your wife would make her so, and I see no reason why a girl could not be
happy as your wife, Manuello, then I will do what I can to further your
cause with her. I know she is in deep sorrow, today, and I intend to do
all that I can to help her. Of course you know what arrangements have
already been made. Father Felix will take charge of the ceremonies, I
understand. I will accompany poor Estrella to the burial place. You may
tell her that I will soon be with her."
The simplicity and truth of the young and innocent girl affected even
the hardened heart of the murderer and the evident adoration with which
she regarded him also had its effect upon him, so that Manuello
trembled, inwardly, in spite of all his hardihood and determination to
force his passionate love upon Estrella, as he intended only to use poor
little Tessa's admiration for him to influence the older and fairer
woman; the very fact that Estrella was, very evidently, not of his own
race had a powerful attraction for his untutored imagination and, in
secret, he often dwelt upon her difference from all the other women of
his acquaintance, while he assumed toward herself an air of superiority,
hoping thereby to attract her to himself as being above all of the
others of their acquaintance; now that his successful rival was out of
his way the young fellow looked forward to an early conquest of the
heart and hand of Estrella, and, now that the Americans had become
involved in the Cuban war, he hoped for the defeat of the Spaniards as
he never had before. Therefore, he could well afford to be a little
condescending to the young girl who still clung to his hands as if to
her only hope of happiness and looked up adoringly into his smiling
eyes.
Stooping toward her a little, he suddenly raised her in his strong arms
and lifted her small, eager face to a level with his own; her lips were
very near to his and were trembling for that very reason, so he stilled
them by holding them for a passionate moment against his virile mouth.
Tessa yielded to his embrace without thinking of its import for Manuello
was a strong and healthy man, full of the electrical attraction that
goes with those of his build, and, like many uneducated human beings,
the animal side of his nature was more fully developed than any other
part of it so that almost any healthy young woman appealed to him in
some degree and Tessa's evident affection for himself added to her power
in this respect.
The two young beings were placed in the situation in which we have
described them for only a very short space of earthly time, but it was
sufficient to build up a barrier around Manuello that separated him from
all the rest of the young men known to the simple-minded girl with whom
he was only playing at making love, for all of that sacred emotion of
which he was capable had been laid at the feet of the girl who had
scoffed at his advances, for some years.
When he had set her, gently, upon her small feet again, Manuello
addressed the small maiden in an almost wheedling tone, for he thought
that he could, now, better control her feelings than before the episode
of the past few moments:
"You _do_ like me as much as before I was put away in prison, don't you,
little Tessa? Estrella's aloofness from me on account of her crazy
notions about Victorio Colenzo has not affected you with regard to me,
has it? I can depend upon you as upon a faithful little friend, I
believe I can, anyway ... how about that, little Girl?"
He bent his black eyes upon her as he asked the question, and, with his
picturesque costume, dark face, up-tilted _mustachio_, as black as his
heavy, curling hair, and his strong and agile figure, in many ways, he
was as handsome as anyone upon whom Tessa's eyes had ever rested, for,
to her simple mind, Victorio had been too much inclined toward
intellectual pursuits to really appeal very strongly to her untutored
mind and she had never been able to understand why Estrella preferred
him to Manuello; now, she answered the latter in no uncertain language:
"Of _course_ you can depend on my friendship ... of _course_ I would
always do anything I could to help you ... even ..." her voice shook
over the words, "even with the woman whom you love and prefer to all the
other women whom you know ... Estrella," she said this firmly as if to
convince even herself of the truth of the statement. "Estrella _is_
superior to the rest of us girls around here ... she is of another race
of people, I believe ... a superior race, I guess ... anyway," she ended
naively, "I love her and do not blame _you_, Manuello, for doing the
same thing."
It took a good deal of courage and loyalty combined for the girl to make
the remarks we have just recorded here with her small mouth yet tingling
from the kisses, for Manuello had not been chary of their number while
he had the opportunity to bestow them, of the man whom she almost
worshiped as earthly women adore merely human men, but she had waded
through the above sentences, bravely, and felt better after having
passed through what was an ordeal for her to undergo.
Manuello scarcely knew how to meet this plain exposition of the matter
under consideration and quickly changed the subject of conversation, not
wishing to go too far, all at once, with Tessa, as that might complicate
his relations with Estrella, and, yet, feeling the need of some stanch
friend, in case he should have need of one, for he realized, dimly, that
he might easily be in danger, at any time, for various good reasons,
for he had been implicated in many of the plots of the revolutionists as
well as having secrets of his own to cover up; he was naturally cautious
as far as his own safety was concerned and did not wish to involve
himself any farther than seemed best for his own interests with Tessa,
and, yet, he desired to have her assistance ready at hand in case he
should have need of anything so feeble.
He had now fixed her previous regard for him upon a vital memory,
so that she would not soon forget the few moments she had passed
encircled by his arms, and this was all he cared to do in that line,
at present.... Later on, in case Estrella still remained obdurate ...
why ... that would be a far different matter; he had now arranged for
himself a secret harbor in the simple heart of this uneducated girl, so
that, if pursued too closely by cruel storms, out on the open sea, he
could retire to it at will.
As for Tessa, after she had made her declaration of love for Estrella,
she felt that she had performed her full duty in that matter, and went
about her preparations for the affairs of that day, with an even lighter
heart than before Manuello's short visit, for, after all, she had
discovered that she was not at least repulsive to the man she had
secretly loved for almost as long as she could remember anything, for
they had grown up in San Domingo together and he had always been
identified with her daily life; the beauty of her personal dream
regarding the tall Cuban had been her motive in assisting in the
liberation of the prisoners, mentioned in the beginning of this
narrative, as she had small sympathy with Estrella's adoration of
Victorio Colenzo, although she was willing to have her intimate
girl-friend feel exactly as she had felt and pitied her with all her
loving heart, now that she had lost, in such a terrible manner, the man
she loved and who, as they both had believed, loved her.