Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 161: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE STOLEN NECKLACE, derloin. Ostensibly they brought down to her baskets of ackee and yuca and jars of tamarind sirup and other Jamaica fruits and produce. On the other hand, wagging tongues in the shadows of the dingy calleci- tas along Bolivar and Third Streets whis- pered that it was not altogether a platonic relationship between them and Etelina’s mother. In spite of which Santiago loved Etelina —loved the very earth she walked on. It had come about in a singularly romantic way. One day while watching the dom- beros parade he had seen her for the first time leaning over the balcony. One glimpse of her and Santiago murmured: “ Gee, I could love a girl like that. She is so— dainty.” And he went on. Now, after years of silent devotion, San- tiago had emerged into a full fledged lover. And Etelina had blossomed into the comeli- est black girl in Aspinwall. Other girls, octoroons, quadroons, native senoritas, sometimes intoxicated him, but always San- tiage drifted back to Etelina, to the glow- ing tempestuous beauty of her. And Ete- lina had a way, this lovely black girl, of toying with him, of weaving her subtle charms about him. It was voeodooistic. Other girls flattered him; told him he had such a handsome figure; but not Etelina. With her, to all intents and purposes, he was just a man, neither more nor less. It piqued him. “Oh, you lock splendid to-day, Etelina,” Santiago murmured. “ a day <— seem to grow prettier and prettier.” Etelina was always skeptical about com- pliments. Elevating one of her eyebrows she looked at Santiago—at Santiago ad- miring her. “You are such a noisy flatterer,” she sighed modestly. “I can hardly believe a word you say, Santiago.” In spite of which there crept into her cheeks a crimson spot, and Ftelina’s eyes dropped to the ground. It was the way she wore her clothes. Other girls, neighbors of hers, Spanish sevo- ritas and West Indian brunettes, splashed color all over themselves—wallowed im It. ‘In Etelina’s world silks and satins and bright colors had no place. She hated 631. adornment. flecked piqué dress, cream silk stockings, black patent leather shoes—and a stray rose stuck in the side of her well poised head. All Etelina had to do to attract attention was to walk slowly and alone through the park on a dusky moonlit night and let the rays of the moon dance on her face, on her arms and shoulders—let it absorb and re- flect the lights and shadows of her golden brown satin skin. ‘“Come, it is almost time for me to go back,” Etelina said to Santiago as she bade her folks good-by and sped down the steps with him, ““I have been away nearly two aays:: Mis. Kanike will be worrying about me— a past the smoking dump, through the black, downy swamp, across the bosom of the billowing sea to New Cristobal, the American colony, Santiago and Etelina rode. Over the sea the forests of Coco Té perched on the horizon. Near the water’s edge donkey carts, a dog’s bark, straggling Span- ish peasants on the road back to the city, the mooing of the cows in the abattoir, a hunter embarking for the deer country, fishermen placidlv smoking their pipes and mooning at the slowly rising tide. Near the sea shoals of turtle nests, emerald crusts on the water, nets, cow skulls, and—beyond the skeleton of a schooner wrecked on the amethyst shores of Margarita. Night wrapt its cloak about the Gopher Prairie form of New Cristobal. In the cot- tages library lamps burned. White canal diggers were outside on the wire screened porch smoking or reading or rocking or en- joying the night. Santiago and Etelina crept up to one. “Have you got your key, Etelina?” “Yes. I guess Mrs. Kanike is out. There is no li¢ght—”’ Inside, Etelina let Santiago mto the pan- try. She turned on the light, and San- tiago, for the millionth time, ejaculated at the dazzling whiteness of the tile floor and the general spick and spanness of it. He sat on 2 chair, crossed his legs, and smiled at Etelina as she came out of the room. ‘‘T have got a surprise for you, Etelina,” Santiago whispered. ‘‘ Come over here and sit beside me.” O All she wore was a white violet Eomichbooks:co