San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-10-23

ThiS was Just what Roland desired and
he entered the drawing-room, and VOTED
with beating heart Cor lima. Would she
run away from him second time? mol
He heard light step in the oak passage,
the door opened, and the girl entered. She
looked deathly white; and there was q
latent dread in her large eyes, but the
curved lips and firm brow showed nothing
but resolve. She drew back US Roland
came forward eagerly, and held out her
hand, as if by that action to deny him any
other salutation until she knew whether
he returned it as lover or as cousin. Ro-
land paused.
"Well," he said with forced laugh,
which the angry flush in his cheeks and
the fierce CLEAN in his eyes belied," are we
strangers"
"No, Roland" The girl colored deep
ly, and her eyes fell. al am sorry about
yesterday. / don't want to make excuses.
did not forget my promise to you"
"You need not apologize" returned her
cousin, declining the proffered hand. 81
know why you broke your promise; and it
is not worth while to ask whether your
other promise was made before 1 said
goodbye to you the other night or after
wards"
"Other promise! What do you mean?"
said the girl haughtily. 81 made no other
promise. 1 went out to avoid you; that is
the plain truth-nothing MORE"
every well, then; wronged YOU" an
swered Roland, who did not doubt his
young Cousins truth. If lima had made
an appointment with Darrell, she might
have refused to answer questions; but she
would never stoop to an untruth. "I
thought you had promised Sir Philip OAR
rell to meet him; for you were with him.
You were seen walking along the road
with him. 49,
"What them" said lima. els that so
very new or strange thing to do? Have
| never walked or ridden with Sir Philip
before? What is it to you or any one in this
place what do or where / go?"
alt is everything to me, lima, cried the
young man, "if Darrell is-as believe he
is-your lover! No; you shall hear me!
You know that love you; and that can
give you what he, with all his beauty and
his wealth and his intellect, cannot give
you-happness! Sheer as you will, you
cannot shake off all faith in that terrible
curse. You must believe that to love him
is fatal"
"Then how can you save me?" inter-
rupted lima, with flashing eyes. off
love him, it is too late-I must share his
fate" s..-
Glove? No, no." said Roland almost
wildly: sit is not love-only fancy. You
are captivated by his graces; his very
doom has excited your interests. He is
bastard to have tried to win you; and he
tried from the beginning. Look back, and
you will see that L am not unjust to
him. He threw himself in your way, he
gave you a costly gift, such as no man
would have given to girl he did not
want to lay under an obligation to him.
Did he mean nothing by those flowers,
nothing by" .s.-.
"Stop, stop, Roland! 1 will not listen
to you'll How dare you speak so to me OF
Philip DaTrell!" The slender girl seemed
transformed into woman, as she stood
erect, with stern brow and commanding
gesture, never more superbly beautiful
than now. "Leave me, you have said too
much already. | should not have loved
you if 1 had never seen Sir Philip OAR
rell? / never. liked you, never trusted
you, and you have proved that my instinct
was right"
"Never liked me, never trusted mer'
echoed Roland, drawing back a step. His
face was livid-the look in his eyes made
the girl tremble inwardly, though she
showed nothing of this in her fearless mien
and dauntless gaze. Then you love Philip
Darrell, and he loves your"
"Why should | deny it? Even if his
fate is sealed by a gipsy-woman's curse,
am | not free to choose death with him
rather than live without hm!"
Roland stood still for moment, gazing
on the beautiful girl before him. He felt
as if he could strike her; but not so
should his vengeance be worked out.
Suddenly he burst into discordant laugh.
eyes, l suppose you have a right to
choose your fate. Yours, is fair life to
win from him the 'needful sacrifice A
man might well lose all for you. Yours
will be merry marriage-chimcs. Ha, ha
Tell them not to toll the minute-bell when
they bring the last Darrell home with his
bride! No, am not mad; you need not
recoil with that white face. 1t will be
whittier tomorrow by this time"
He laughed again, and, dashing open
the door, rushed from the room and the
house, leaving lima in the full belief that
his mind was unhinged.
An hour later Roland Sabine stood in
the little wood near the COalmere, talking
in low tones to Job and Zeph Heston;
and, as the trio parted, Zeph nodded with
resOlute look of evil in her black eyes,
and said, "All right; Pll do t." and job
dropped some money into his pocket and
said, "Agreed-all one to me sir"
Then Roland turned back towards the
village, but not homewards. He went no
farther than a deserted barn a little way
up the slope and there he sat down, with
tho wide Lands ennp of hill and wnld and