The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-02

The 18th day OF , eptember, 11l9,
dawned on the bay Of Pensacola with a
slight fog, dim and gray, lowering over
the water and fringin9, with fantastic
trailing festoOns the sho res Of the island.
The fort on the hill behind the town
doomed up quite grandly and showed the
projecting muzzles of it's heavy guns,
while the feet In the bay and the earth
works on the island gave an appearance
of great military strength to the little
Spanish post. Doub tless a feeling of
perfect security posse ssed the garrison,
for there was no sign of unusual vigi-
lance, albeit on the ev ening before some
Indian runners had come in to assure
them that the French were advancing by
both land and sea.
The commandment at Pensacola was not
aware that the Compile de ChamPmeslin
had REINFORCED Bienvile's little army at
Mobile with a fleet Of three ships of the
line, nor that a strong force Of Indians
had been induced TO join in an expedition
against Pensacola by land. The routine
of military disc pline was kept up in a
perfunctory way, while both the officers
anu IllElL Cl VIC aDiJctilloi1 11SDu gave
themselves over to the dreamy and re-
laxing influence Of the climate. When off
duty they Iounged in picturesque groups
nnder the grateful shade of the trees, or
sought the rude amusements offered by
the low rooted buildings wherein gaming
and drinking were INDUCED in by the
very officers whose orders prohibited such
indulgence.
To Pauline life grew more irksome
and depressing day by day. After the
interview recorded in the foregoing chap
ter she saw no more of Cortes for a long
time. The Dona Hortense, after exhaust
ing every means in her power to distract
the girls thoughts from the subject Of
going to Mobile, had given over the task
in bitter grief and disappointment. This
gave Don Alphonso most excellent ex-
cuse, IS he seemed to think, for much
sarcasm at his wife's expense.
Your daughter" he was fond of say
ing, sis certainly a model of dutifulness
and gratitude. Just see how she honors
all your wishes.
'She is a girl, Alphonso, as was once
a girl. She has seen man to love, as [
did. He has beckoned, as you did, and
she would follow, as did 1. VIII you
tell me how much 1 honored my moth
er's wishes when
"Not much when you married me,
That is true" he interrupted with a
augh which was devoid of mirth. But
after all have you not done fairly well?"
Perhaps then Pauline might do fairly
well if she could go to her lover"
LET her go to him; her lover is Capt
Cortes."
She does not love him"
"Well, but she ought to love him; her
life is his. he snatched it from the very
Jaws of death. 1t is base ingratitude, it
is souiless perfidy, in her to reject him."
You do not understand women"
yes, l understand them. This is no
very rare instance of their utter lack of
4 high sense of obligation. Every die
tate of conscience, every impulse of I'M
selfshness would force a high souled
woman in Pauline's place to give herself
TO the one who so nobly earned the right
to her love"
But she loves another"
Loves another? There is the gross
selfshness 1 spoke Of. She is thinking
all the time Of herself. That's the way
with woman. True gratitude, noble
unselfshness would address itself to con-
sidering the happiness of her chivalrous
and brave deliverer All she cares for,
however, is to crafty her own love"
And what a terrible mistake she
sometimes makes by so doing!'
Granted, said Don Alphonso, rising
and making q superb obeisance before
his wife. He took his departure without
further remark.
Pauline was compelled to overhear
most of this conversation, as she sat in
an adjoining room, and it came just at
the moNant when it could affect her
most strangely. With the swiftness of
light her thoughts flashed back over all
the kindness and unseltish nobleneSS of
Cortes, from the moment when he
took her in his arms amid the boil
ing vases down TO the present, and
something like chill of self adherence
ran through her breast. She had not
been kind TO Cortes, nav. she had been
bitterly unkind To him, it now seemed TO
her She had been absorbed in herself
without room in her heart for any
thought, save that Of gratifying her
own love-" as Don Alphonso had said
How far from home she was. and all
alone, with such q burden in her heart!
The tension upon her nerves was greater
now than at the time when she was
clinging to the splintered spar in mid
sea. Again and again the words of young
Cortes came TO her: Il would sacrifice
more than life, would cast away honor,
for your His proud, fine, passionate
face. with its sudden fash of strange
pallor after its heat of momentary anger,
haunted her vision. She had not ex-
pected TO see him again; but early on
the morning of the 18th he came to the
house and asked TO see her.
She met him with disTust of both her
self ana him. lie was pale and his eyes
showed that recently he had been suffer
ing.
II have come. mademoiselle,' he be-
gan at once, speaking in the manner Of
one WHO acts under the force Of i'll sup
Iarassed emotion with the necessity OF