San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-21


ity, stood still and waited. The
singing voices came nearer and nearer
l saw the priests, the acolytes, the
swinging gold censers heavy with frag-
rance, the faring candles, the snowy
wells Of children and girls-and then
all suddenly the picturesque beauty of
the scene danced before my eyes in a
whirling blur of brilliancy and color
from which looked forth-one face! One
face beaming out like star from n cloud
of amber treSseS-one face of rose
tinted, child-like loveliness-a loveliness
absolutely perfect, lit up by two lumin-
| Gus eyes, large and black as night-one
face in which the small, curved mouth
smiled half provokingly, half sweetIy!
| gazed and gazed again, dazzled and ex-
cited; beauty makes such fools of
us all! This was a woman
one of the sex mistrusted and avoided
"a woman in the earliest spring of her
youth, a girl of fifteen or sixteen at the
utmost. Her veil had been thrown back
by accident or design, and for one brief
moment | drank in that soul-tempting
glance, that witch-like smile! The process
ssion passed >. the vision faded
but in that breath of time one epoch
of my life had closed forever, and an.
other had begun!
Of course l married her. We Nea-
politanS lose no time in such matters
We are not prudent. Unlike the calm
blood of Englishmen. ours rusheS swiftly
| through our veins-it is warm as wine
! and sunlight, and needs no fictitious
stimulaut. We love, we desire, we pos
sess: and then? We tire, you say?
| These southern races are so tickle! All
| wrong-we are less tired than you deem.
| And do not EngliShmen tire? Have they
4 no secret ennui at times when sitting in
| the chimney nook of 'home, sweet
| home" with their fat wives and ever
| spreading families? Truly, yes! But
| they are too cautious to say so.
need not relate the story of my court
| ship-it was brief and sweet as a song
sung perfectly. There were no obstacles.
| The girl l sought was the only daughter
| of ruined Florentine noble of disSoluts
| character, who gained bare subsistence
by trequenting the gaming tables. His
| child had been brought up in a convent
renowned for strict diScipline-she knew
nothing of the world. She was, he as
| surcd me with maudlin tears in his eyes,
"as innocent as flower on the altar OF
the Madonna believed him-for what
could this lovely, youthful, low-voiced
maiden know of even the shadow of
| evil? ] was eager to gather so fair
lily for my own proud wearing-and
her father gladly gave her to me,
no doubt inwardly congratuating him
| self on the wealthy match that had
| fallen to the lot of his dowerlesS daugh-
| ter.
We were married at the end of June,
| and Guido Ferrari graced our bridal
with his handsome and gallant presence.
| by the body of Bacchus" he ex-
| claimed to me when the nuptial cere-
mony was over, ''Thou hast profited by
my teaching, Fabio! Aquiet rogue is Oft
Ell most cunning! Thou hast rifled the
caSket of Venus, and stolen her faireSt
| iewel-thou hast secured the lovelieSt
maiden in the two Sicilies!'
| pressed his hand, and touch of re-
| morse stole over me, for he was no longer
| first in my affection. Almost | regretted
| it-yeS, on my very wedding-morn /
looked back to the old days-old now
| though so reCent--and, sighed tothink they
| were ended. l glanced at Nina, my wife.
1t was enough Her beauty dazzled and
! OverCame me. The melting languOr of
| her large limpid eyes stole into my
| veins,-I forgot all but her. | was in
| that high delirium of passion in which
| love, and love only, seems the keynote
of creation. / touched the topmost
peak of the height of joy-the days were
| foaStS of fairyland, the nights dreams
of rapture! No; | never tired! My
| wife'S beauty never palled upon me; she
grew fairer with each day of possession.
| l never saw her otherwise than attract
| i've, and within few months she had
prObed all the depths of my nature. She
discovered how certain sweet looks or
| hers could draw me to her side, willing
and devoted slave; she measured my
| weakness with her own power; she
kuew-what did she not know! | tor
ture myself with these foolish memories.
All men past the age of twenty have
learned somewhat of the tricks OF wo-
| men-the pretty, playful nothings that
| weaken the will and sap the force of
| the strongest hero. She loved me? Oh,
yes. | suppose so! Looking back on those
days | can frankly say | believe she
| loved meas nine hundred wives out of
a thousand love their husbands, namely
for what they can get. And grudged
her nothing. II l chose to idealise her,
and raise her to the stature of an angel
when she was but on the low level of
mere womanhood, that was my folly, not
her fault.
We kept open house. Our Villa
was a place of rendezvous for the
leading members of the best so.
ciety in and around Naples. My
wife was universally admired; her
lovely face and graceful manners were
themes of conversation throughout the
whole neighborhood. Guido Ferrari,
my friend, was one of those who were