San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-22

of the candles which lit up it's quaint set
ting. A strange and awful picture she
made there,-gaZing with such lingering
tenderness on the portrait of her own
beauty,-while surrounded by the
Wondering collins that silently an
nounced how little such beauty was
worth,-playing with jewels, the foolish
trinkets of life, in the abode of skele-
tons, where the password is death!
Thinking thus, 1 gazed at her, as one
might gaze at dead body, NOT loath-
ingly any more, but only mournfully,
My vengeance was satiated. i
could not wage war against this vacantly
smiling mad creature, out of whom
the spirit of devilish intelligence and
cunning had been torn, and who there
fore was no longer the same woman.
Her loss of wit should compensate for
my loss of love. determined to try
and attract her attention again. l
opened nay lips to speak,-but before the
words could form themselves, that odd
rumblng noise again broke on my ears,
this time with a loud reverberation
that rolled overhead like the thunder of
artillery. Before l could imagine the
reason of it,-before l could advance
one step towards my wife, who still sat
on the upturned coffin smiling at herself
in the mirror,-before l could utter
word or move an inch, tremendous
crash resounded through the vault
followed by a singing shower
Of stones, dust, and pulverized
mortar! . . 49,. l stepped backward
amazed, speechles, -indis-
tlnctively shutting my eyes.
When | opened them again all was dark
ness--al was silent! Only the wind
howled outside more frantically than
ever,-a sweeping gust whirled through
the vault, blowing some dead leaves
against my face, and heard the boughs
of the trees creaking noisily in the fury
of the storm. Hush!-was that a faint
moan? Quvering in every limb and
sick with nameless dread, l sought in
my pocket for matches,-f found
them. Then with an effort, master
ing the shuddering revulSon OF my
nerves. struck light. The flame was
so dim that for an instant l could see
nothing. | called loudly-"Nina" There
was no answer.
One of the eXtinguished candles was
near me; lit it with the trembling
hands and held it aloft .. e.. then
| uttered wild shrek of horror!
o God of inexorable justice, surely Thy
vengence was greater than mine! An
enormous block of stone, ,.dislodged by
the violence of the storm, had fallen
from the roof Of the vault fallen sheer
down over the very place where she had
sat a minute or two before, Enthusiastically
smiling. Crushed under the huge mass,
crushed into the very splinters of my
own empty coffin, she lay-and
vet and vet l could
see nothing, save one white
hand protruding,-the hand on which
the marriage ring glittered mockingly!
Even as l looked, that hand quivered
violently. beat the ground.
and then. was still! 1t was hor-
rible. In dreams l see that quiv-
ering white hand now, the jewels on it
sparkling with derisive lustre. 1t
appeals, it calls, it threatens, it prays!
aud when my time comes to die, it will
beCkon me to my gravel portion OF
her costly dress was visible, my eyes
lighted on this,-and saw a slow stream
of blood oozing thickly from beneath the
stone. the ponderous stone that no
man could have moved an inch-the
stone that sealed her awful sep
ulchre! Good heavens! how fast the
ing the snowy lace of her garment with
dark and dreadful hue! Staggering
feeby like drunken man, half-delirious
with anguish, approached and touched
that small white hand that lay stitf1y on
the ground. . Il bent my head. L
almost kissed it, but some strange re-
vusion rose in my soul and forbade the
act!
In a stupor of dull agony / sought and
found the crucifix of the monk Cipriano
that had fallen To the floor. i closed
the yet warm finger tips around 1t and
left it thus; an unnatural, terrible calm
ness froze the excitement of my strained
nerves.
Ills all can do for theer' l NUT
tered incoherently. May Christ forgive
thee, though l cannot"
And covering my eyes to shut out
the sight before me l turned
away. l hurried in a sort Of frenzy to-
wards the stairway,-on reaching the
lowest step i eXtinguished the torch l
carried. Some impulse made me glance
back . and l saw what | see now =.
what shall always see till l die. An
aperture had been made through the
roof of the vault by the fall of the great
stone, and through this the ftful moon
| poured down a long ghostly ray. The
green glimmer. like special lamp, deep
ened the surrounding darkness, only
showing up with fell distinctneSs one
object-that slender protruding wrist
and hand, whittier than Alpine snowl
yaZed at it wildly 49,. the CLEAN ofthe
Jewels down there hurt my eyes . :.
the shine Of the silver cru