Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-11

! to-day she tried To say.
Then the tears came, tears of shame, big.
hot, SLOW. They fell upon his hand. She
was weeping for Joy, he thought. What
| else could any man thiul5 in such 4 case,
He drew her TO him. and pressed her cheek
with his hand as her head nestled on his
shoulder
when you put this ring on my finger.
dear-so long ago"
She SObbed aloud
No, darIng-no. dear heart, he said.
comforting her, YOU must not cry-that
long ago is over now and gone forever. Do
You remember that day. sweetheart. in the
broad spring sun upon the terrace among
the lemon trees, No dear-yojn tears hurt
me always, even when they are Shed for
happlnesS-nO, dear. no Rest there-iet
me dry your dear eyeS-so and so. Again,
Forever, if YOU will. While you have tears
have kisses to dry them-it was 50 then.
on that very day. | can remember. l can
can see it ail-and you-yOU have not
changed, love, in all those years more than
blossom changes in one hour OF sum
mer's day. on took this ring anG put il
on my finger Do YOU remember what |
said, / know the very words I promised
you-lt needed no promise, either-that ii
should never leave its place until YOU took
it bach-and yOu-how well | remember
your face-you said that you would lake II
from my hand some day. wnen all was Wei,
when YOU should be free to give me another
IN its stead. and TO take one in return.
/ have kept my word, beloved. Keep
yourS-I have brought you back the ring.
Take it. sweetheart. 1t is heavy with the
burden of lonely Years. Take il. ana give
me that other which claim
She did not speak, for she was fighting
down the choking sObs, struggling 70 keen
back the burning drops that scaldeu her
cheeks, striving TO gather strength for the
weight oil greater shame lie, or lose all,
the voice said
Very slowly she raised her head. She
knew that his hand was close TO hers, held
there that she might fulfill Beauice's
promise. Was she not free, Could she not
give him what he asked? No matter how
she tried to say it to herself and could not.
He was waiting. If she did nOt act soon or
Speal. he would wonder what held her back
-Wonder-SuSpcIon next-and then, She
put out her hand to touch his fingers. half
blinded, CROPPING as though she could not
See. He made II easy for her. He fancied
she was trembling. us she was weeping
with the JOY OF il all
She felt the ring, though she dared not
look at it. She drew ii little, and felt thai
IL would come off easily. She felt the i'm
gers she loved so well straight, strong and
nervous, and she touched them lovingly.
The ring was not tight. ii would pass easily
over the joint that alone kept it III its place
Take il, beloved" he said, 1T has
waited long enough
He was beginning to wonder at her hest
tatiOn As she knew lie would. After Won
der would come suspicion-and then! Very
SlOwly-it was just upon the joint of his
finger now Should she do it, What would
happen. He would have broken his vow
unWlttlngly. How quickly and gladly Be
atrice would have taken it. What would
she say if they lived and met-why should
they not meet? Would the spell endure
that shock-who would Beatrice be then!
The woman who had given him this ring!
Or another whom he would no longer know
But she must be quick He was waiting,
and Beatrice would not have made him
wait
Her hand was like stone, numb, motion
less, immOVa5ie. as though some unseen be
ing had taken it in an non grasp and held
il there, in mid-air Just touching his Yes
no-yeS-She could not mOye-a hand was
clasped upon her wrist. Il hand smaller
than his, but strong as fate, fixed in its grip
as an iron vice
Unolna felt cold breath. that was not
his, upon her forehead. and she felt as
though her heavy hair were rising of itself
upon her head. She knew that horror, for
she mad been overtalIen BY il once before
She was not afraid. but she knew what il
was. There was shadow, too. and dark
woman tall queeny, with deep flushing
eyes was standing beside her. She knew.
before she looked; she looked. and it was
there. Her own face was winter than that
other woman 5.
Have YOU come already" she asked of
the shadow. in a low deSpairine tone
'Beatrice-what has happened,' cried
the Wanderer. To him, she seemed to be
speaking TO the empty air and her white
face startled him.
Yes, she said, staring still, in the same
hopeless voice. 1t IS Beatrice. She has
come for you.
that. For Gods saze-what do YOU seel
There is nothing here
Beatrice IS there. am Unorna''
''UnOrna Beatrice-have we not said it
should be all the same! Sweetheart-loOll
at me, Rest here-shut those dear eyes Of
yours. 1t is gone now whatever it was
YOU are tired, dear-you must rest
Her eyes closed and her head sank It |
was gone, as he said. and she knew what ii |
had been-a'mere vision called up by her
own over-tOrtured brain. keyork Arabian |
had name for il.
Frightened by your own nerves, laughed |
the voice, when if You had not been a cow |
ard, you might have faced it down
and all would have been well. But
YOU shall have another chance, and lying is !,
very easy, even when the nerves are over
wrought. You will do better the next !.
time.
the voice was like Keyork Arabian's !
Unstrong, almost forgetting all, she Won |
dered vaguely at the sound. for it was real |,
sound and u real voice to her. Was her soul |
his indeed. and was he drawing it on |
slowly. surely to the end Had he been be- |
hind her last night! Had he left an hours |
liberty only 70 come back ana take at last |
what was his.
There is time Yet. you have not lost him. |
for he thinks YOU mad. The voice spoke |
once more.
And at the same moment the strong dear [
arms We're again around her. again her head !
ner pale face was turned up 10 his. aud |
kisses were raining or her tired eyes, while |
broken words of love and tenderness made |
music through the tempest.
Again the vast temptation rose. How |
could he ever know! Who was to undeceive |
him if he was not yet uudeceived? Who |
should ever make him understand the truth |
so long as the spell lasted. Why not then |
take what was given 10 her. and when the |
end came. if it came, then tell all boldly |
Even then he would not understand Had |
he understood last night, when she had con- |
fessed all that she had done before, He |
had not believed one word of it, except that |
she loved him. Could she make MIN believe |
it now, when he was clasping her so fiercely
to his breast half mad with love for her
himself.
So easy. too. She had to but forget that
passing vision. to put her arms about his |
neck, to give kiss for kiss. and loving word |
for loving word. Not even that. She had