San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-25

round with weeping, elbOwed her way
through the little throng to the front
and spoke.
May the Holy Virgin and saints bless
your Majesty" she cried in shrill &C.
cents. "And as for what is wrong. it
would soon be right if those shameless
pigs" pointing to the beccamorti,
would let us alone. They will Kill
man rather than wait an hour-one lit
tie hour The girl is dead, your Majesty
and Giovanni, poor lad! will not leave
her; he has his two arms round her
ight;-Holy Virgin! &. think of it!
and she cholera corpse-and do what
we can, he will not be parted from her,
and they seek her body for the burial.
And if we force him away, poverinO, he
will lose his head for certain. One little
hour. your Majesty, just one, and the
reverend father will come and persuade
Giovanni better than we can"
The King raised his hand with slight
gesture of command-the little crowd
parted before him-and he entered the
miserable dwelling wherein lay the corpse
that was the cause of all the argument
His attendants followed; /, too, availed
myself a corner in the doorway. The
scene disclosed was so terrible pathetic,
that few could look upon it without emo
tion--Humbert of Italy himself uncov-
cred his head and stood silent On a
poor pallet bed lay the fair body of girl
in her first youth, her tender lOveliness
as yet untouched even by the diSfgurinC
marks of the death that had overtakpn
her. One would have thought she
slept had it not been for the
rigidity OF her Stiffened limbs, and
hands. Right across her form, almost
covering it from view, man lay prone,
as though he had fallen there lifeless;
indeed he might have been dead also for
any sign he showed to the contrary.
His arms were closed firmly round the
girls cOrpSe,-his face was hidden from
view on the cold breast that would no
more respond to the warmth of his
caresses. A straight beam of sunlight
shot like a golden spear INTO the dark
little room and lit up the whole scene,
the PROSTATE figures on the bed, the
erect form of the compassionate King,
aud the grave and anxious faces of the
little crowd of people who stood around
him.
See! that is the way he has been
ever since last night when she died"
whispered the woman who had before
SpOkcn-''and his hands are clinched
around her like irOn--One cannot move
/ liuger!"
The King advanced. He touched the
shoulder of the unhappy lover. His
voice, mOdu!atcd to IN exquisite Softness,
struck on the ears of the listeners like
NOT" Of cheerful music.
"EiciiO mni!'
There was no answer. The women,
touched by the simple endearing words
Of the monarch, began to sob, though
gently, and even the men brushed few
drops from their eyes. Again the King
spoke:
"FigIio milo. ! am your King. Have
you no greeting for me?"
The man raised his head from its pill
| low on the breast of the beloved corpse
| and stared vaCantly at the royal speaker.
His haggard face. tangled hair, and
wild eyes gave him the appearance of
| one who had long wandered in q labyr-
NTH OF frightful visions from which
| there was no escape but SeIf-murder.
Your hand, my sOn!" resumed the
King in tone of soldier-like authority.
Very slowly,-very reluctantly, as
though he were forced to the action by
some strange magnetic influence which
he had no power to withstand, he loos-
ened his right arm from the dead form
it clasped so pertinaciOuslY and stretched
! forth the hand as commanded. Hum
bert caught it firmly within his own and
held it fast,-then looking the poor fell
low full in the face, he said with grave
steadiness and simplicity:
There is no death in love, my
| trend!'