Bloomington High School, The Gothic, 1915, Page 11

Description:	ElevenThe Gothicget me, never get me. He feebly put his hand to his lipsand Mela understood.She arose from beside the couch and brought half acocoanut shell filled with cool water. She raised the manshead and touched the water to his lips. His eye-lids beganto move and he drank.The Americano lay staring at Mela, his eyes wide open.Then he spoke, half dazedly. Where am I? For an an-swer Mela gazed at him blankly.The man smiled. Ah, pardonime, Senorita, he spokein good Spanish, Will you do me the favor of telling mewhere I am?You were brought here yesterday by him, she an-swered, pointing to Kapiz upon the couch nearby.He remembered it all now. The escape from the boat inthe night and the terrible swim ashore.His eyes roamed to the woman beside him. Her skinwras dark, like that of most of the native women he had seenback at Santiago, but she was strangely beautiful. Differ-ent from others he had seen, her eyes were a peculiar gray.Her mouth was well-shaped and her lips were very red.Strangely pretty, he thought, for a native.He spoke to her.Tell me, wife of Kapiz, where is this place?As he spoke, the brown eye-lids covered her gray eyesand she lowered her head under his gaze. But she finallyanswered. A hundred miles from the equator, many milesfrom the sea.And the nearest town?Macapa, she answered, without lifting her head.Rising to a sitting position upon the couch, the Ameri-cano said, in a rather low tone, Tell me, wife of Kapiz,what is your Christian name?Ah, Senor, spoke Kapiz from his couch, I am glad toknow you are feeling better.III.Kapiz rolled a cigarette as he stood looking at the Ameri-cano, who still slept.The tropical sun was up, and Kapiz prepared to startfor the forest.Mela brushed a straw mat.The Americano still sleeps, he said to his wife. It iswell; I will return from the forest, Mela, when the sun ishigh.He stopped at the door and again looked at the sleepingwhite man, then he descended the bamboo ladder, rifle inhand.A serpent glided into the long grass as he moved to-wards the forest.Quite awhile afterward the white man stirred, thenopened his eyes and sat up. Mela did not know that he hadawakened, and he sat watching her as she moved about herwork. He noticed how gently she handled everything andhow gracefully she moved about. He gazed at her for sometime, then she turned instinctively and started in surprise.The man smiled.What is the matter, Mela? he said, calling her by herchristian name, which he now knew.I did not know that you were awake, Senor, she answered.When Mela told the white man that Kapiz had gone tothe forest, his eyes sparkled and many thoughts came tohim. He thought of his comrades back at Santiago andwondered what they might think of sue ha pretty Senorita.He had known and associated with many of the native wo-men of Cuba, but he had seen none as strangely pretty asMela; and he wondered at her living in such isolation.Mela stood watching him as he now arose and came to-ward her. She noticed the white mans great strength andadmired it; admired it because she had seen nothing butmen like her husband, Kapiz, whose slim, wirey bodiesseemed small in comparison with the great white man withB. H. S. 1915Do today what you put off yesterday.
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloom/id/1533
Collection:	Bloomington High School

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