Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-10-14
Continued from Yesterday


save the disgruniled few who always COM
plain, was quite content and happy. The
fun and good humor which greeted Casa
ban everywhere was accepted by him as
an auspiclous omen. How glad he was
that his mothers words had broken his
| foolish pride and stirred him into return
ing to France His heart was Overlooking
with rapturous Joy and his soul was full
of ecstacy. He-Casaban-whom all
Spain adored and all the rest OF Europe
revered and respected, was about stalking
everything upon the daughter of COM
mon French peasant. Yet, lowlv as was
her origin, in her he saw more womanly
grandeur than he had ever seen in woman
/ before. She was, to him. the high priest
ess OF a lost faith or the empress of some
dead world. come back again among NOR
tails, and Christ like, among the humblest
His whole life had been lived among royal
and noble surroundings. and through it all
he had never once been awed or en-
barrassed by the great And vet he was
now shaken and confused at the thought
of once more facing Lucette. the proud,
regal, bronze woman, ard Offering himself
at her feet. He thought that this new
emotion was called into being by what
was to him Lucette's sublime greatness.
Perhaps 1t was this; perhaps it was love.
For three days he hestated, fearing to
meet the woman in whose hands, all I'M
known to her. he had placed his fate and
future. He went daily to the vineyard
where he knew she was toiling with the
other grape shippers; still he avoided
her.
hnn tfrht no nc IL n
its mellow light softened all the harsh
gray landscape. Casabah, lost in a fantas
tic maze OF tender and romantic fancies,
wandered by himself along little river
which ran past the home of Lucette. For
a time he walked among the shadows cast
by the thick green trees. with only an oc
casional glimpse at the moon, except
where it was reflected up into his eyes by
the smooth surface of the sluggish river.
Suddenly he advanced upon the edge of an
opening-a sort of natural amphitheater
on the banks of the stream among the
trees. At this point the river widened
into small shallow pond. flanked on each
side by cleaning yellow sand.
Casaban paused tor moment, and as
he did so he saw figure advancing into
the opening from the opposite side. 1t
took but single glance to tell the hand
some Spaniard that what he saw was the
stately figure of Lucete. She walked
slowly into the amphitheater and stood by
the waters edge. She was bareheaded
and her loosened hair hung in a great
black mass down her back. Her draperv
was mean and scanty, but royal raiment
could have scarcely emphasized her
strange, impressive beauty. Her arms
were bare from her shoulders, and her
bosom was only half hidden bv her rough.
loose Jacket. Her cold face was upturned
and her ewes were upturned to the moon.
Had she hidden it pause in its course, and
had it obeved her Casaban would have
felt no surprise. 1t seemed 10 him that
such woman might control the universe
For several minutes she stood there. mo-
tionless. in the yellow sand by the river
in the br ght moonlight within three yards
o: the man who so madlv loved her. She
seemed more than ever. the Woman of
Bronze.
$50 Cleopatra might have stood some
night on the banks of the Nile," thought
Cassaban; "only Cleopatra was softer,
weaker and less queenly."
Lucette. all unconscious of Casaban's
presence. crossed her bare arms over her
brown bosom and sighed. Instantly the
GOODNESS went out of her face. a smile
came upon her lips and soft. tender light
into her ewes. Her whole personality
underwent an entire change. and from
regal statuesqueness she was transformed
and relaxed INTO all that is indictive of
yielding womanly genleness. Casaban
watched her in rapt amaZement; sooner
would he have expected one of his marble
figures. cut out of the cold stone with his
chisels. to soften and relax.
Still smiling. and with another sigh.
Lucette knelt slowly, and leaning forward
seemed to be tracing characters in the
sand with her fingers. Then she again
looked at the moon, kissed her fingers to
it. sprang up and darted away, leaving a
melodious ripple of girish laughter ring
inc in the air after she had gone.
For long time after her departure
Casaban stood as If in stupor. He
could not believe his senses. and thought
at last that he must have been dreaming.
That naughty woman could never so un-
bend! Then he FASTENED forward to the
spot where she had knelt. and looked
down to see if she really had traced char
dt'eIS III tnS Sitnu ne It'tti MS tWu uiitut
"Casaban." and he staggered with are
sistless and incomprehensible dizziness
What strange woman she was-more
than ever marvel to him. Still he
felt that he must hold some small
place in her thoughts. else she would
not have written his name in the
sand Could it be that she loved
himp He dared not hope that. And then
her kneeling and kissing her hands to
the moon, was that pure accident, or was
it part of her rel gion2 He thought that
so powerful and magnificent 8 creature
must have some religion unlike that of
other mortals. Throughout that night
his mind was full of Lucette and her
strange caprice. A thorough artist. he
set about weaving a curious labyrinth of
curious whims and fancies. centering them
all upon Luceite and her varying moods,
and so completely were the two blended
together that it would be difficult to decide
whether the part she played in his dreams
was mole fantastic and irrational than
that which she played in his waking
moments.
The next day they met in the VINEYARD.
and she was once more the cold. naughty
Woman OF Bronze. Gazing upon her
face then. it seemed impossible 10 Casabau
that she had ever smiled, or that she ever
could smile. Again and again they met,
her cold face never once relaxing into the
merest semblance of smile; and her