San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-27

years 1 had Ielt Tor Guido Fer
rari froze in its very foundations
and in its place there rose up
not hate, but pitiless, immeaS
urable contempt. A stern disdain OF
myself also awoke in me, as / remem-
bered the unreasoning JOY with which
had haStened-as thought-home, full
of eager anticipation and Romeo-like
ardOur. An idiot leaping merrily to his
death over a mountain chasm was not
more fool than L. But the dream was
over. the delusion of my life was past.
was strong to aYenge. | would
be swift to accomplish. So, darkly. mus
iuN for an hour or more, / decided on the
course had to pursue, and to make the
decision final | drew from my breast the
crucifX that the dead monk CipriaaU
had laid with me in my coffin, and kiss.
il. raised it aloft. and Swore by thai
sacred symbol never to relenU, never to
relax, never to rest, till had brought my
VOW of just vengeance to its utmost full
hllment. The stars, calm witnesses of
my oath, eyed me earnestly from their
judgment thrones in the quiet sky;
there was brief pause in the singing of
the nightingales, as though they too lis
tened; the wind sighed plaintiVely, and
scattered shower of jessamine bios
SONS like snow at my feet Even so, l
thought fall the last leaves of my white
days--days of pleasure, days of sweet
illusion, days of dear remembrance; even
so let them wither and perish utterly for
ever! For from henceforth my life must
be something other than mere garland
of fowers-it must be chain of finely
tempered steel, hard, cold, and I'M
enough to wind round and round
two false lives and impriSon them
so closely as to leave no means
of escape. This was what must
be done-and resolved to do it. With
firm, quiet step turned to leave the
avenue. / opened the little private
wicket, and passed into the dusty road
A changing noise caused me to look up
as went by the principal entrance of
che Villa Romani. A servant
my own man servant by the by
was barring the great gates
for the night. L listened as he
slid the bolts into their places, and
turned the Key l remember that those
gates had been thoroughly fastened be-
fore, when / came up the road from
Naples,-why then had they been open
since? To let out visitor? OF course!
e.. / smiled grimly at my wife's
cunning. She evidently knew what she
was about. Appearances must be kept
up-the Signor Ferrari must be decor
ously shown out by servant at the chief
entrance of the house. Naturally!-all
very MISUNDERSTANDING and quite in
keeping with the prOprietieS! Guido had
Just left her then? | walked stead
lily, without hurrying my pace, down the
hill toward the city, and on the way
overlook him. He was Strolling laZily
along, smoking as usual, and he held a
spray of stephanotiS in his hand,
| knew who had given il to him!
passed him, he glanced
up carelessly, his handsome face clearly
visible in the bright moonlight, but there
was nothing about common fisherman
to attract his attention. his only look
rested upon me for a second and was
withdrawn Immediately. An insane de-
sire possessed me to turn upon hIm-to
spring at his throat-tO wreStle with him
and throw him in the dust at my feet
to spit at him and trample upon him
Gus emotions. | had better game to
play-I had an exquisite torture in store
for him compared to which hand TO
hand fight was mere vulgar footing.
Vengeance ought to ripen slowly i'm the
strong heat of intense wrath. till of itself
it falls, hastily snatChed before its time
it is like uumellowed fruit, sour
and ungrateful 10 the palate. So let
nv dear friend,-m wife'S cOnSoler.-
Saunter on his needless way without IN
terference,-l passed, leaving him to
indulge in amorouS musings to his false
hearts content. | entered Naples and
found nights lodging at one of the
usual resorts for men of my supposed
craft, and strange to say | slept sound
ly and dreamlessly. Recent illness, IA
tigue. fear and sorrow, all aided to
throw me like an exhausted child upon
the quiet bosom of slumber, but per-
haps the most powerfully. soothing
opiate to my brain was the conscious
ness l had of a practical plan of retri-
bution-more terrible than any human
creature had yet devised, so far as L
knew. Unchristian you call me? ] tell
you again, Christ never loved a womanP
Had He done so, He would have left us
some special code of justice.
CHAPTER TX.
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