The Redemption of David Corson

ur best thoughts as gypsies do stolen children,

eri

tain day when this same Doctor Aesculapius rode slowly down the main street of a small city in Western Pennsylva

m a fire which seemed almost too laz

scant and ragged, his face bronzed with exposure to the sun. A thin moustache of straggling hairs served rather to exaggerate than to conceal the vicious expression of a hare-lipped mouth. He stood with his elbow in the palm of one hand and his chin in the other

rning, B

edged his salutat

traveler added, without appeari

eye over the anima

perhaps you will tra

obeyed, and the dogs sneaked after him, still growling, but keeping a respectful distance. A moment later he found himself in a

elbow in his left hand and his chin in his right-

an easy, familiarity, glanced them over q

well feigned surprise; "ze se?o

. Every one of them is as much worse than mine as mine is than the black

ear ol'. Her teeth are fell oud. Zhe haz ze zpavins. Zhe haz ze ringa bonze. But, se?or," growing suddenly respectful, and spreading out his hands in open and persuasive

whatever surprise he might have felt at the charge of theft. His at

tered. From that of an easy nonchalan

hite and hard; "let us stop our

erturbable gypsy, with an expr

do not take me to him this instant there will be a

red blandly, showing his teeth and

t at the right eye of the gypsy, and said: "Look into the mouth

ztol are boz lying in zeir zroat

nd lie or no lie, I will have it. Take me to it, or I swear I will bl

y, but turned on his heel an

came to a booth of boughs, through the loose

he doctor imperatively

th snorting, pawing the ground

he law nor in any other way a minister of justice. I have as few scruples as you as to how I get a horse; but we differ from each other in this, that if you were in my place you would take the horse w

rs as if in the presence of an inexorable fate, and added: "Ze

h, the doctor said: "There seems to be persuasive power in co

sical clink of each piece the eye of the gypsy brightened, and when he closed his ha

d saddle from his mare, placed

gh the silent forest the gy

chal to his

ed the bit

ry, Rom

kuster,

they emerged into the open fields, and t

d been gathering water cresses there sprang a young girl, who cast a startled gla

ater of the brook. A black bodice was drawn close to a figure which was just unfolding into womanhood. The color of this garment formed a striking contrast to a scarlet skirt which fell only a little below her knees. On her feet were

s endowed with a certain rude power of divination which enabled him to see in a single instant, by swift intuition, more than the average man discovers by an hour of reasoning. By this natural clairvoyance he saw at a glance that this face of exquisite delicacy could no more have been coine

maiden with passion; and with him, to feel an appetite, was

sar!"

ypsy

thief as well as

nce of a man who seemed to read his inmost thoughts; and for the first tim

still remembered that if speech was silver,

ermining to take another chance shot; "you stole this girl from the family of a Spanish nobleman. I am the representative of th

the gypsy, taken comp

he must be a burden to you, Baltasar. You evidently never have been able or never have dared to take her back and claim th

a Duquende (spirit)

e reasonable about the horse. Be reaso

ro muz be m

n from his pocket and flipped

springing into the water he began to scr

ontempt, and finally said: "Baltasar, I am in haste. You can search for that trif

uctant to leave, he shrugged his shoulders and r

ed the quack, smi

ng from the brook and looking backwar

ona!" he cried as

woman, a little elfish child; and an old hag, wrinkled, toothless and bent with the weight of

byed ze ztallion for zwo hunner an' viftee

r?" she

dunno," he answered, digging the toe of

trawberries in ze zea, nor red herring in

w path and are about to fight for its possession. It was not an unequal match. The man's eyes regarded the woman with

of the Spanish Gypsy fortune-teller were incarnate. The vices were legion; the virtues were

like two sheep in a pasture. Will you sell

e answered, with

ll take he

ze monkey do, if h

nd therefore I mu

; to ze winz; to ze lightn

fer for this girl, you will be in jail f

shower of angry sparks, and she exclaimed in deri

ee! hee! hee!" giggled the little i

' oud your 'an', my pretty fellow. Crozz ze ol'

still more determined. "Pearls are not to be had with

r the limb of a tree, he approached

ngers at him and hissing like vipers. As the old woman passed before his face she threw a handful

imals that can never be caught asleep, or even napping, and he was one. He winked and dodged, and,

he once more drew his pistol and leveled it at

and a family of gypsies would be missed as little as a litter of blind

e a language of their own, the gypsy said "Chicarona, you do not l

er ear at which she started. Turning with a sudden motion to the stranger, she fixed

d

u l

I know that you

t who I zdole 'er vrom, you do not know any more zan yo

steal children when they have so many of their o

hy it zdrikes! I will alzo azk ze Caballero a q

!" he answered, with a

, I am no sheep! Tell me,"

to one who can read the fut

r that she was defeated in the contest by this wily and resistless

ou gif vor zis c

d dollars,"

zan twize as much vor ze horze! Eez

she is a woman. S

ze color of

om his pocket and held it t

upon her avaricious soul, a

o my han'!"

a into mine

Pepeeta!"

eta!" shrilled

ed upon the ground, and her fingers picking nervou

y and take her,

s life he experienced an emotion of reverence. There was something about her bea

eveloping from jealousy into hatred as the child's beauty began to increase and attract attention. The others loved her, but dared not show it. Not a sig

o the saddle. As they turned into the highway, he heard Chicarona

use in struggling, and so she sobbed softly and yielded to the inevitable. Her little hands were folded across her heart in an instinctive attitude of submission. Folded hands are not always resigned hands; but Pepeeta's were. She submitted thus quietly not because she was weak, but because she was strong, not because she was contemptible, but because she was noble. In proportion to the majesty of things, is the completeness of their obedience to the powers that are above them. Gravitati

that great rough nature went out in a rush of tenderness toward the little creature who thus suddenly became absolutely

, and pretty clothes, and everything that little girls like. I don't know what they are, but whatever they are you shall have them. So don't cry any more! What a pretty name Pepeeta is! It sounds like music when I say it. I have got the toughest name in the world myself. It's a regular jaw-breaker-Doctor Paracelsus Aesculapius! What do you think of that, Pepeet

uld remember. They fell on her ears like music and awakened gratitude and love in her heart. She

e all his plans to take her to Spain and establish her identity in the hope of securing a great reward. But just as he was about to execute this scheme, he was seized by a disease which prostrated him for many months, and threw him into a nervous condi

a of marriage. She knew nothing of her own heart, and little about life, but had been accustomed to yield implicit obedience to his will. She consented and the ceremony was performed by a Justice of the Peace in the city of Cincinnati, a year or so before their appearance in th

issive. As she did not yet comprehend life, she did not protest against its injustice or its incongruity. The vulgar people among whom she lived, the vulgar scenes she saw, passed across the mirror of her soul without leaving permanent i