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PARTISAN REVIEW
In particular, it was a section, or rather what a Sunday editor
would call a feature story, designed to dramatize for the hardest Re–
publican heart the plight of the people of San Rafael, and it pur–
ported to be the life story of Miguelito, a street waif. Beginning with
his birth in unsanitary conditions within the compound of a fruit
banana plantation, it took Miguelito through a series of misadven–
tures in the course of which he lost his father, mother and brothers in
a series of economic disasters.
"This Miguelito," he said with contempt, "I think I am-it is
a made-up name, no?"
"Yes," said Bradshaw shortly, and started to explain, hating him–
self and Senor Orquienz for the necessity to do so, that Miguelito was
a kind of symbol-typical, etc. of local conditions, etc., but Senor
Orquienz dismissed this with a wave of the hand which encompassed
Bradshaw and Bradshaw's baggage, looking suddenly foolish on the
floor of the Grand Hotel.
"Miguelito," he said with a pronunciation which was a meanly
accurate parody of Bradshaw's over-Castilian accent. "This Migue–
lito is not tormenting this lady."
There followed a heavy pause.
"She is tormenting him."
"But how can you know?" The initiative, which Bradshaw
thought he had kept throughout, had passed to this absurd (or was
it sinister?) man.
"Because I am thinking. I think he is my son."
Bradshaw was a "gentleman," that is to say, he was appalled to
think that even by inadvertence he could cause offense to someone,
as he thought, weaker than himself.
"I am sorry." Never had Bradshaw's crew cut hair looked more
wistful, the face so full of drooping goodness, nor his voice more flat
and sorrowful, almost Midwestern in its gravity and earnestness. "But,
you see, look, it's just a story to dramatize the whole thing. . . ."
Senor Orquienz on the other hand looked almost demented with
malice. The fact is that the native dignitary had grasped the heart
of the matter-that whoever handled this project, it would not be
Bradshaw; that he had needlessly wasted time and goodwill on some–
one of no consequence. He felt that he had been the victim of some
kind of confidence trick.
