The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-02-28

He frees himself violently from the arms that
sustain him, and precipitates himself toward
the horse, exclaiming, Look at your work,
heartless woman Perico killed him." Saying !,
this he lifts the sheet, and exposes the body OF
Ventura, pale, bloody, and with deep wound
in the breast.
CHAPTER XVI.
tempestuous night covered the sky with
flying clouds, which were rushing further on
to discharge their torrents Sometimes they
separated in their fight, and the moon appear
ed between them, mild and tranquil, like a
herald of concord and peace in the midst OF
the strife
In the short intervals, during which this
placid light illumined earth and heaven, pale
and emaciated man might have been seen
making his way along solitary road. The
uncertainty eff his manner, his apprehensive
eyes, and the agitation of his face, would have
shown clearly that he was a fugitive.
A fugitive, indeed for he fed from inhabit-
ed places-f1ed from his fellow men-fed from
human justice-fed from himself and his own
conscience. This man was an assassin, and no
one who had seen him fleeing, as the clouds
above were fleeing before the invisible force
which pursued them, would have recognized
the honorable man, the obedient SOD, the
loving husband and devoted father of o few
days since, in this miserable being, now fallen
under the irremissible sentence of the law of
expiration.
Yes, this man was Perico, not seeking peace
now and forever lost, but fleeing from the
present and in dread of the future.
He had passed days of despair and nights of
in, ha aolitarv MA oUatapinO
himself on acorns and roots shrinking from
the light of day, which accused, and from the
eyes of men, that condemned him. But no
darkness could hide the images that were
always before him, no silence awe their clam
ors. His unhappy sister-his disconsolate
mother-the bereaved old man, his fathers
friend, haunted his vision the reprobation of
his honorable race oppressed his soul; and
more appalling than all these the solemn,
mournful and warning note of the passing
bell, which he had heard calling to Heaven for
mercy upon his victim, sounded continually in
his ears. In vain pride, insnusted, through
its most seductive organ, worldly honor, that
he had, and that not to vindicate himself
would have been a reproach that the injuries
were greater than the reprisal.
A voice which the cries of passion had
| silenced, but which became more distinct and
more severe in proportion as they, like all that
is human, sank and failed-the eternal voice OF
conscience, said to him, 90 that thou hadst
never done ii!
There came, borne upon the wind, an extra
ordinary sound, now hoarser, now failing and
| fainter, as the gusts were more or less power
full. What could it bes Everything terrifes
the guilty soul. Was it the roar of the wind
the pipe of an organ, OF voice of lamenta
tionf The nearer Perico approached it, the
more inexplicable it seemed. The road the
unhappy man was following led toward tht
point from whence the sound proceeded. II,
reaches it, and his terror is at its height when
unable to distinguish anything-for blacl
cloud has covered the meon-he hears directly
above his head, the portentous wall, SO sad, 81
vague, a ful!
At this moment the clouds are broken, ant
like mantle of transparent snow. Every
object comes ont of the mystery of shadows
He sees reya asleep in it's valley like whit,
bird in its nest. He lifts his eyes to discove
the cause of the sound. o horror! Upon fiv
posts he sees five human heads! From thes
proceed the doleful lamentation, q warnin,
from the dead to the living
Perico starts aghast, and perceives, for tn
first time, that he is not alone A man
standing near one of the posts. He is tall an
: vigorous, and his bearing is manly and erect
He is dressed richly after TIE manner of COZ
trabandsts. His bronzed face is hard, bolt
and Calm He holds his hat in his band, il
CHUNG uncovered before these posts of ienc
miny head which was never uncovered in hr
f man respect; for it is that of an outlaw, of
man who has broken all ties with society, an
respects nothing in tho world. But this man a
though impious, believes in God, and althoug
criminal, is a Christian, and is praying.
When from an energetic and indomitabl
nature, emancipated from all restraints the1
> issue a few drops of alteration, as water ooze
from rock, what do you call it unbelievers
Is it superstitious fear? To this man fear is
/ word without meaning. Is it hypocrisy
Only the heads of five dead men witness i
Is it moral weakness He has strength of sor