The Opelousas courier., 1890-03-15
A FLASH OF LIGHTNING.
BY MARY e. PRESTON.

II am so sorry, so very sorry!" fal-
tered the girl; s'pray say no more, Mr..
Alverez; I cannot listen to you"
The face of Cola. Alverez darkened in
the darkened day. It wes a Spanish
face, with lustrous eyes Of gloom, in
which swept flames that awakened at a
word; a low brow, straight nose and
full, impetuous lips; a face in direct con-
trast to the fower-fair one of Hildg
Denton, with its shy girlhood and its
starry eyes Of gray-the face that had
enslaved him.
ssBut I will say moreln he burst out
p~assionately: s'can a love like mine be
hushed to silence, do you thinka Can
a word from your lips quell the passion
your eyes have awakened in my soula As
soon might your voice still a storm in
the ocean! I love you, my beautiful
one, do you understand? I love YOU.
What lives have gone to shipwreck for
a love like mine? And you shall hear
me; you shall reply. Nay, you shall tell
me that your heart replies, or II"
He broke off suddenly, for she was
shrinking from him in terror, her gray
e7es dark and dilated with fear.
His own face changed, grew wondrous
soft and tender, as, falling on his knee
before her, he caught and held her hands,
despite her struggles to free them.
"My love, my queen, he said, almost
in d whisper, ssforgive this rudeness.
The love I give you is my life! Say one
little word to me of kindness; bid me
live. I would die, soul and body, with.
out your smile! Child, your little hands
are cold; / could warm them with my
kisses; pray heaven Jour heart may hold
warmth for mel / have made of you ar
idol"
He lifted her hands as he spoke and
crushed his burning face against them,
while a short sob crossed his lips which
told her more than his disjointed SEN
fences how great a love had burst t.
fame in the unframed, impetuous heart
of this child of Spain-this man who had
come from his own sunny land to love heI
with a love which was his DOOM
Rise, I beg of you-I command
you'll" she cried. 81 must not hear you:
/ wish you had not SO spoken to me; ]
am not free-I am q promised wife"
A low cry left his suddenly livid
lips; be loosed her hands, clenched his
own, and sprang to his feet with a bound
like that of a panther.
aWhose2'
The question reached her in a sort Of
hiss. Ere she could answer a vivid,
lingering flash of lightning shot across
the sky without. Its blue light playing
on Cola's face gave it a strange, fierce
expression; then a loud, reyerberating
crash Of thunder, and silence, followed
in d moment by the rush and patter of d
summer rain.
She was very pale, and her sweet sace
had d look Of pain on it as again he
asked:
aWhose promised wifean
tsClarence Arams; ! thought you
knew
ssKnewl Would / have laid my soul
at you feet If | knewn he cried fercely.
UOuiu 4 AhHt dItO5Eu JOuE AdCC W
steal into my heart until it could not beat
without a thought of you2 Would
have called him friend and trusted him as
q brother If I knew2 But now-now-''
His hoarse voice broke, his eyes burned
luridly, through the stiffness of the room,
which only rainfalls 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
d moment bold.
Nov, she said gently, lyon 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 ~tenapestuous
anger
"Friend-his friendin he cried wrath
fully. Ills my love but d robe, to be
flung aside after q days wearing, and am
! dog enough to call him friend who has
left me desolate9n
He walked the length of Tie room,
then returned. His face was full of IN
eTli passion as she saw it.
And I arn To forget youg liz said
bitterly Whatn ( bid him forget you
iEsaSeeI4U