Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-12-06


luridly through the stiffness of the room, |
which only rainfalIs against the windows |!
broke, she heard the meeting of his |
strong, white teeth and, timid as she was
by nature, fear for her lover made her for
moment bold.
''Now," she said gently, ''you will be
my friend as well as his; you will for
get that you cared for me and find
some other face in this land of the
stranger fair enough to win your wor-
ship"
He flung out his hands in tempestuous
anger.
ssFriend-his friend" he cried wrath
fully. lis my love but a. robe, to be
flung aside after a days wearing, and am
I dog enough to call him friend who has
left me desolate?"
He walked the length of the room,
then returned. His face was full Of an
evil passion as she saw it.
"And I am to forget you?" he said
bitterly. ''What if bid him forget you
instead?"
A transparent color burned holly in
her face as she turned on him with girl
ish Impotence and somewhat of womanly
pride.
"Listen to me a moment before you
threaten the man / love, Cola AlvereZ,
she said, every word ringing clear through
the storm. clarence and [ have known
| each other since we were children. Our
love has grown as we have grown. In
| all the world there is nobody like him
my Clarence! Do you not remember how
it was that you and first metz He
| brought you here and said that you were
his dearest friend. He babe me so re-
gard you. If Ihave been kind to YOU
if I have never treated you as a stranger
that was my reasOn-Clarence called
you friend. Now, let this interview end
here, and [ will promise that Clarence
shall never know of it-shall never i'm
agine that you have dreamed of becoming
his rival"
"Shall he not?" muttered the Spaniard
in his teeth-'Eshal he not, my star-eyed
senOrita?"
She looked at him timidly, fearfully,
as with down bent head and hands
clenched as in a CONFUSION he stood
| there, his whole undisciplined soul SEEM
ing in harmony with the tempest that
crashed and shrieked and tore abroad.
Clarence, she knew, was some place i'll
the house, for it was his home more than
hers, she being but ward of his father,
and she trembled lest he and Alvarez
should meet ere the latter had somewhat
curbed the demon that looked out from
his dark eyes.
AS the fear smote her clear musical
whistle in the hall without pierced
through the fury of the tempest, and in
another moment the door opened, the
whistle ceased and Clarence Aram en-
tered.
He, perhaps, was not so handsome as
the Spaniard, but there was that in his
frank, mirthful face which has won love
from women since Time was young-a
touch of poetry which did not mar its
strength, strength which did not scorn
the fairer, finer dreams of life, sunny
temper under which slept force and
power, the Tightening in the summer
clond.
He and Cola Alverez had met first
year before in a distant city. They had
grown into friends, and when Cola, whose
land had disOwned him as too turbulent
a son after he had implicated himself in
a plot against The Crown, appeared in the
neighborhood of Clarence's home that
home had opened its doors to him and
for a month he had been an honored
guest there.
Yet as the heavy rains fell on the world
outside, and the fierce, frequent flashes
swept dazzlingly over him, he watched
Clarence enter as he would have watched
the most deadly foe Of his life.
The young lover did not at first observe
him, but fastened toward Hilda, with
outstretched hands and eyes alight.
"My dear love, are you all alone?" he
asked softly, drawing her into his en-
brace; "does not this wild tempest alarm
you? Why, child, you tremble like a
leaf. File! for storm that will pass in
an hour to culver So"
Smiling fondly, he stroked the fair
head of his affianced, which was very
near his breast. He had not looked be-
You'd her, had not observed the lean,
dark, fierce face of the man whom he had
treated as brother, as it glowered on
at his very side
Hilda was about to whisper him that
she was not alone when Cola Alverez,
darling forward, caught her by the shout
der and tore her from the circling arm of
Clarence.
SO unexpected had been the move
ment,s so fierce the grasp of the Spainard's
hand upon her, that the girl gave a sharp
CRY, while her lover seemed for a moment
too astOnished to move.