A Commerce in Butterflies y Rizal was ever a lively man, full of curiosity and enterprise, and any new environment

stimulated him. y Before leaving for Dapitan he had managed to scribble a hasty letter to his family. y Rizal came from a farming family and was always conscious of the value of good land. y He had a stroke of good luck with Carnicero. He invested his money in some land by the sea. Rizal wrote to his mother Teodora Alonzo Rizal, dated on 19 October 1892, stating that he s good and he has enough diversions to keep him from getting bored. He didn t want to sell Luna s paintings. He also stated about the English grammar of his siblings. Another letter for his mother dated January 5, 1893, saying that he had not spent the Christmas too bad because he had a Christmas Eve dinner with a three Spaniards came from a neighboring town, together with a local commander and another Spaniard, and a Frenchman. They also attended the midnight mass. He also had a letter to his nephew Alfredo Hidalgo. His mother and unmarried sister had left Hongkong in April 1893, and Doa Teodora and Trinidad had join him in Dapitan towards the end of August. His letter to Blumintritt during this period gives a clear and goodhumoured picture of life in Dapitan. In July 1894 he operated once more on his beloved mother s eyes.

y y

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y After the operation, her mother moved in Manila where his father was waiting. y He said that, They are like two friends in the last hours before farewell y He decided to stay in Dapitan for his own peace of mind. y Rizal lives on his memories of those whom he has loved: some are dead, others have forgotten him. y He had confided to Carnicero s successor Juan Sitges in May 1893 that he must make his life in Daitan for he s own peace of mind. [2] y He was not entirely out of touch with the great world. y The community of scientist had not forgotten him. y First and always, there was Blumintritt who offered to send him books from the Universal Bibliothek list y Rizal also concentrated in making some books out of different languages. y Rizal was impressed by the activities of his dearest friend and complained that Rizal on the other hand, was doing nothing. y Rizal has a prodigious talent and an exhaustible energy! y Rizal sent his friend Dr. Meyer a collection of reptiles, crustaceans, beetles, etc. and asked in return for German translation of Greek and Russian y A friend of Blumintritt, Napoleon M. Kheil, launched him into commerce in butterflies.

y Rizal sent him a number of butterflies from Mindanaw through Blumintritt, but Kheil scolded him unmercifully. y It was so much more pleasant to here from Dr. Rost, who had been so good to him in London. Alas, the poor old man had bad news and it is about his retirement. y In less than a year, Rost was dead. Blumintritt give to Rizal the sad news. [3] Rizal had already famous in his early thirties. He was known to as a professional man with all the great manners of the great world, who could well discussed Theology with the parish priest as feed the chickens and make bricks, and a bachelor, must have driven the town s marriageable girls and their mother s to distraction. There were all the signs that he will settle down in Dapitan but no one seemed to be able to catch his eyes and hold it. There was the episode of the stockings. But the point seems to have been that, legs bare or legs stockinged, the marriageable daughters of the district did not interest Rizal. To his cozy little provincial hive, came now the queen bee. One Mr. Taufer arrived at Daitan to have his eyes cured by the renowned ophthalmologist. He was accompanied by his adopted daughter Miss Josephine Bracken.

 Miss Josephine Bracken had the buxom good looks that had always attracted Rizal. A touching little record of her life attributed to her own pen: Description Of My Life - Josephine Bracken 22nd February 1897 Monday Her mother's name was Elizabeth Jane Macbride Her father s name was James Bracken Her father was a Corporal and Detachment. They were five brothers and sisters. Her mother died after giving birth to her. After her mother s burial, she was then moved to the care of their neighbor. The kind benevolent coule Mr. and Mrs. Taufer adopted her when she was seven. Unfortunately her adopted mother died at that age.

This was when I was seven years of age 1882 After a year, Mr. Taufer took another wife then her troubles commenced little by little. They took a trip to Japan for Mrs. Taufer s illness, stayed in three months but her health didn't recover; they returned back in Hongkong. Mrs. Taufer got worse and died on the 26 April 1890.

This is when I was fifteen of age 1890 On the 12th November 1891, Mr. Taufer took to a third wife which was a torment to her. On the 12th December, she left Mr. Taufer s house and went to an Italian Convent for she could not stand any more of her troubles. She stayed in two months until Mr. Taufer begged her to go back home She went back on the 3rd February 1892 to take care of his house. On the 14th Setember, she had a trouble again with Mrs. Taufer and hunted her out of the house. In 1893, Mr. Taufer got very ill and had sore eyes, as he tried many doctors but none could do him any good. This is when I were eighteen years of age On 5th of September, they went to Manila to see Dr. J. Rizal, unfortunately Dr. Rizal was not in Manila. They arrived in Dapitan after six months. They stayed there a week before Dr. Rizal operated on his eyes. After a week s time, Mr. Taufer could see a little. On the 22nd February, Dr. Rizal asked Mr. Taufer if he had any objection if Rizal marry her adopted daughter Josephine. Mr. Taufer objected, but as Josephine had affection towards Rizal, she intended to marry him. She accompanied Mr. Taufer back to Manila. And returned to Dapitan for Rizal. By that time Dr. Rizal prepared everything for their marriage.

 But Josphine heard from the Spaniard that after they were married, they would separate Josephine from her husband. He thought is over and over and had a decision that it is better for them to wait for Rizal s freedom. Anyhow, she stayed with Rizal for one year and they lived very happy. She thanked God she had a very peaceful life as if she was a child on its mother s knee. But her happiness lasted only 20 months then her sorrow commenced again. There had been many obstacles between the relationship of Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken. It had been a gossip that Josephine had a miscarriage. Perhaps she realized that she didn t make her lover happy. Then, there had been a talked again that she was going away.