San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-12-24
1epths I have gone down to win
'''0"I% a RQNEN SINGER 's,G.


confidence" the Wanderer answered
haughtily. IL came here to save your
life and not to hear your confess
sions."
"And when you have heard you
will no longer wish to save. If you
choose to leave me here, l will wait
for Israel kafka alone, lie may kill
me ifhe pleases. do not care. But,
if you stay you shall hear what l have
to say"
81 loved you from the moment
when | first saw YOU" said Unorna,
trying to speak calmly. but YOU
loved another woman. Do you re-
member her? Her name was Beatrice,
and she was very dark, as l am fair.
You had lost her and you had sought
her for years. You entered my house,
thinking that she had gone in before
you. Do you remember that morn
ing. 1t was a month ago to-day.
You told me the story
You have dreamed it," said the
Wanderer in cold surprise. Il never
iOVeu any woman yet.
How perfect it all was at first!"
she exclaimed. How smooth it
seemed! How easy. You slept be-
fore ne, out there by the river that
very afternoon. And in your sleep l
babe you forget. And you forgot
wholly, your love, the woman, her
very name, even as Israel Kafka for
got today what he had suffered in the
person of the martyr. You told him
the story, and he believes you, be-
cause he knows me, and knows what
/ can do. You can believe me or not,
as you will. did it,"
You are dreaming" the Wanderer
repeated, wondering whether she was
out of her mind.
II did it. / said to myself that If
could destroy your old love, root it out
from your heart and from your men,
DRY and make you as one who had
never loved at all, then you would
love me as you had loved her, with
your whole soul. l said that | was
beautifully is true, is it not? AND
young l am, and love as no woman
ever loved. And / said that it was
enough and that soon you would love
me, too. A month has passed away
since then. You are of ice-of stone
= do not know Of What you are
Ihia m"""::iiiing you hurt me. /
thought y was the last hurt,
ana that should die theH-.,nstead OF
tonight, Do you rememberP You
thought was Ill, and you went away
When you were gone l fought with
myself. My dfeamS-yes, had
dreamed OF all that can make earth
heaven, and you had walked me. You
said that you would be a brother to
me you talked OF friendship. The
sting of it! 1t is no wonder that |
grew faint with pain. Had you struck
me in the face | would have kissed
your hand. But your friendship!
Rather be dead than, loving, be held
Il friend! And had dreamed of being
dear to you for my own sake, of
being dearest and first and alone be-
loved, since that other was gone
and | mad burned her memory.
That PRIDE | had still until that
moment. | fancied that it was in
my power, if / would stOOp so low,
to make you sleep again as you had
slept before, and to make you, at my
bidding, feel as felt. | fought with
myself. | would not 90 down to that
death. And then | said that even
that were better than your friendship,
even false semblance of love in
spired by my will, preserved by my
suggestion. And so 1 fell. You came
back to me, and led you to that
lonely place and made you sleep, and
then told you what was in my heart
and poured out the fire of my soul
into your ears. A look came into
ycur face-I shall not forget it. My
folly was upon me, and | thought it
wa; for me. know the truth now.
the old memory revived in
you of her whom. waking you will
never remember again. But the look
was there, and bid you awake. My
soul rose in my eyes. l hung upon
your lips. The loving word / longed
for seemed already to tremble in the
air. Then came the truth You
awoke, and your face was stone, calm,
smiling, Indifferent, unloving. And all
this Israel Kafka had seen, hiding like
4 thief almost beside us. He saw it
all, he heard it all, my words of love,
my agony of waiting, my utter humil-
alton, my burning shame. Was 1 |
cruel to him? He had made me suffer,
and he suffered in his turn. All this !
rou did net know. You know it now.
There is nothing to tell. Will you
wait here until he comes? Will you
ook on, ard be glad to see me die?
Viii you remember in the years to
rr-tAh -. 49,