The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-05-04


''spEAK AND LET ME- LIVE"
The nth day Of September, 171s,
dawned on the bay of Pensacola with a
slight fog, dim and gray, lowering over
the water and fringing with fantastic
trailing festeons the shores of the island.
The fort on the hill behind the town
looned up quite grandly and showed the
projecting rnuzzles of its heavy guns,
while the fleet in the bay and the earth
works on the island gave an appearance
of great military strength to the little
Spanish post. Doubtless feeling of
perfect security possessed the garrison,
for there was no sign of unusual vigil
lance, albeit on the evening 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 re-enforced Bienvilie's little army at
Mobile with feet of three ships of the
line, nor that strong force of Indians
had been induced TO join IN am expedition
against Pensacola by land. The routine
of military& discipline was kept up in a
perfuncbprys way, while both the officers
andmerAof the Spanish garrison gave
thelnssAgesuover to the dreamy and re-
laxinx in6uence.of the-cIimate. When off
duty they loungea In picturesque groups
under the,gratssni shade of the trees, or
sought the rude anusements offered by
the low ofedbuiidings 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 shesaw no more of Cortes for 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 Aiphouso most excellent ex-
cuse, as he seemed to think, for much
sarcasm at his wife's expense.
s'Your daughter" he was fond OF say
ing, lis certainly model of dutifulness
and gratitude. Just see how she honors
all your wishes"
ssShe is girl, Alphonso, as was once
girl. She has seen man to love, as l
did. He has beckoned, as you did, and
she would follow, as did /. VIII you
tell me how much honored my moth
er's wishes when
Not much when you married me.
That is true" he interrupted with a
laugh which was devoid of rnirth. "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 so to him; her lover is Capt.
Cortes.v
"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 soulless perfidy, in her to reject him"
s'You do not understand women"
Eyes, understand them. This is no
very rare instance of their utter lack Of
high sense of obligation. Every die
tate Of conscience, every impulse Of un-
se|fishness would force 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"
cloves another? There is the gross
selfishness spoke of. She IS thinking
all the time of herself. That's the way
with a 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-"
'sAnd what a terrible mistake she
sometimes makes by so doing"
Granted" said Don Alphonso, rising
and making superb obeisance before
his wife. he took his departure without
further remark.
Pauline was compelled to oyerhear
most of this conversation, as she sat in
an adjoining room, and it came just al
the moment when it could affect heI
most strangely. With the swiftness Of
light her thoughts flashed back over all
the kindness and unselfish nobieness Of
Cortes, from the moment when he
took her in his arms amid the boil
ing waves down to the present, and
something like chill of self adherence
ran through her breast. She had not
been kind to Cortes, nay, she had beer
bitterly unkind to him, it now seemed tC
her. She had been absorbed in herseli
without room in her heart for any
thought, save that of gratifying hel
own love-" as DON Alphonso had said
How far from home she was, and al
alone, with such a 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 youns
Cprtes came to her: ~ would sacrifice
more than life, Iwould cast away honor
for youi" His proud, fine, passionate
face. svith its sudden fash OF strange
FaIlor after its heat of monetary anger
haunted her vision. She had not OK
pected to see hinl again; but early 81