San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-01

bub " A'lN 'H'." -AliCChE AOhC Seiu ShS
was comm. Mona looked in one direc-
ton and then &uother, and at last there sat
Aileen close to . window, and nearby stood
Gerald. gain" at her. Mona turned lit
tie pale. -. ...i hot see Patsy and Barney
and Far. ...:g up to her; she never
even th2ar', 3 my Of them. , In her Gag
erness to ma.,c no mistake she stood up on
tiptoe to see II" better. Yes, it was Aileen,
and now G'YHd was leading her out to
dance. The pink silk kerchief was round
herneck. Eois2thiUg seemed to shoot across
Mona's eyes with binding pain. When
Barney begged her to dance she answered
little sharply, and he went away again.
at is too warm here, aunt, just now"
she said T. .. .S2lly.
"Go stapd in the cool a while, child"
said her aunt There's Aileen coming
over here; Dluu IA bit"
But Mon was gone Not under the
trees did n stop, not by the little gate.
Swiftly she PASSED ont the side way, over
the dusky road and into her own yard.
Here she paused moment, and catching
her breat,. ,..,L something that sounded
like a sob passed around the tiny matched
hut, and 50 over the stile to the river.
Down on he: face upon the grass she threw
herself, careless of the yellow sash of which
she had been - proud; the yellow beads
burst their string and some rolled down
the bank into the river. She lay very still
and quiet, so quiet that a nightingale gave
her no heed and began to sing. A whip
poorwill called on the opposite bank, and
far off in the woods came the answer of
his mate. The cleaning moon rolled
slowly into view and silvcred each branch
and blossom.
The birds sang on, but Mona heard them
not. She was thinking-one hand on the
heart that beat SO fast, the other arm pill
lowing her head. She did not try to ana
lyze her feelings: she would not have
known how. There was dull ache in her
breast, and memory was torturing her.
"Holy mother" she began whispering,
and could get no further. "She will not
help me now am too bad, too bad at
all"
She thought how unkindly she had al
ways treated Gerald. She had laughed
then to herself.
"Och, wirra, wirra," she calculated. And
now Aileen had taken him. 1t was Aieen's
fault, rot Gerald's. How could she do it,
how could she?
And wear his kerchief-the prettiest girl
in kilgarnock-those were his words, and
now she knew what he had meant. Oh,
why had not Aileen staid away! And
now Gerald was gone from her entirely.
Slowly she made up her mind that she
would be brave. No one, not Aileen nor
Gerald, should ever know the truth. Ger.
aid should never know she was sorry now,
H., H., ,nl
him a farewell in soft Irish words, Ger
aid, aroOn ma Gerald
The slow tears trickled down her cheeks
and CLEANED upon the grass like diamonds.
The moonlight lay over the PROSTATE fig
ure in broken patches. Gently the breeze
lifted and let fall again each dark ring of
silky hair curling over her head and down
to the white neck that shone all the whittier.
The moon reached the middle of her jew
eled course The nightingale sang, all I'M
conscious of the silent grief beneath him.
The lashes lay over her flushed cheek like
a dark shadow; in very WEAKNESS and
worn out with her misery she had fallen
asleep.
The bird at last hushed his sweet treble
and flew away. He had heard hasty step
over the grass But Mona heard not, saw
not. Somebody came down to the river
bank almost on run, and stopped short
at sight of the little figure lying there so
mOtionless He knelt down beside her.
With quick eye Gerald noted the tear
stained cheek, the parted lips, whence came
a long drawn sobbing breath.
Without word he gathered her up in
his arms, asleep as she was, but Mona
stirred and then started from him wide
awake.
"I-you--Oh, Gerald"
"They are all ahunt for ye," he an
swered "Ye have scared the heart NV me.
An why did sc come down here"
Don't" she whisper, |, trying to re-
member her resolution. II will go back
now" She stood up and then swayed a
little, dizZily
Mona. mavourneenl' said Gerald, hold
ing her close.
She struggled To release herself and stood
back from him pitiiully ucIaut.
I'VE shall not touch urcr' she cried. $50
back TO Aileen. Go back to her and sDaEp
your words. Tell her that same mavoUr
neen story She will believe yc. Let me
pass can 90 home. I'll not nced"-
But the proud curve of the lips weakened,
and the eyes commenced To brim with
tears She turned away her head and tried
to spring past him Gerald stood motion.
less at first, looking at her in surprise, and
then he caught her 10y the arm.
Mona. stop bit" lie said almost stern
ly. What is this come To ye? What NV
Ailcen to mey Are yv~dhramin', chiId?'
LET me CO." she whispered; 'let me
GO"