ieking curse on curse.

They met in the wet, slippery passageway between the two lines of
counters. Head down, the smaller woman rushed full tilt into her taller
and sturdier antagonist. It was a shock of nerve on muscle. Dolores was
scarcely stirred, and the blows Rosario rained on her did not seem even
to ruffle her temper. Answering in kind, she began to deliver the most
merciless slaps upon the pale, bony cheeks of her assailant, which grew
red under the punishment.

But suddenly Dolores shrieked in agony and raised both hands to one ear.
"The dog! The dog!" she cried.

Rosario's fingers had closed over one of those pearl earrings that had
been the admiration of the Fishmarket. She had torn it out. The pretty
girl began to sob, pressing her torn ear under both her hands, while
blood streamed through her fingers. "Was that the way to fight fairly?"
she moaned. That showed the kind of woman she had to deal with. People
had gone to jail for life for less than that! Then, whipped to a violent
rage by the pain she felt, she started once more for her enemy. But the
fish-women had gathered round her, petting and consoling her, and they
held her back. _Tia_ Picores, meanwhile, was spitting oaths and insults
into the face of Rosario, who stood there pale, fainting, in fright and
horror at what she had done.

Above the crowd outside the portico the top-knots of several policemen
had appeared. The forces of law and order were trying to elbow their way
into the throng. Sh ... h ... h! _Tia_ Picores assumed command. "Back to
your stalls, everybody! And mum's the word! Those pretty boys will be in
here with their summonses and their papers! Nothing's the matter,
remember, everybody, nothing happened at all!" Some one threw a big
handkerchief over the bleeding ear of the wounded girl. The women were
all in their places looking straight ahead as solemnly as in church, and
calling off their prices with laughable mechanicalness. As the officers
passed from counter to counter the market was again in turmoil, but of a
different kind. "What are those dudes doing in here? Some people never
know where they belong. What's the idea? Just butting in, eh,
lolly-pop!" And the police marched out as wise as they had entered,
chased away by the drawling voice of _tia_ Picores--who could never
understand how people allowed such a government of thugs and grafters to
exist among honest people--and marking time to the banging of metal
scales, whi