The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-04


each other: but when we met our desire
was TO part / do not know that while
apart we ever felt actual nate 10 eacn other;
lint fine least show of preference on the part
of the lady was sufficient to rouse that
worst of demons in my bosom. The road
led through the village. Ii was asleep. l
remember seeing light IN just one OF the
houses The moonlight seemed to have
drowned all the lights of the world. / came
to the stream rushing cold from its
far-off glacier mother. l crossed it, and
went down the bank opposite the chalet: /
had taken fancy to see it from that side.
Cleaning under the moon, the river rushed
joyous to its frightful fall. A short distance
away, it was even now falling falling from
the face of the world-falling from my feet
into the void-falling. falling, unupheld,
down, down, through the moonlight to the
fearful valley.
went farther down. The full-rushing
stream went with me like dog. 1t made
no murmer, only low gurgle as il shot
along. 1t seemed to draw me with it down
to its last leap. AS looked at it thought
comes TO me yet in my dreams. came 10 a
familiar block of stone that lay on the edge
of the little river. Passing behind il ! was
in view of the place where the LADY chose
oftenest to sit Two were on the grass to-
gether, one lady seated, the other man
with his head on the lady's lap. | gave a
leap, as If bullet had gone through INV
heart, then instictivey drew back behind
the rock. In its shadow | began 10 take
courage. She had said She was going away
for tile night 1t could not be shel
peeped. The man had raised his head and
was leaning ON his elbow. 1t was Edmund.
She stopped and kissed him.
scrambled to the top of the rock
ana sprang across the stream. Would 10
God had missed the bank and been swent
to the great fall! The rock rose some six
or seven feet above the meadow | was
careless, aud when l lighted l Tell. Her
clear hooking laugh rang through the air
and echoed from some still mountain. When
L rose they were on their feet
told you" she said, you were not to
trouble me tonight; you have paid no re-
| gard to my wishes 1t is time this foolerv
| should end! A woman cannot marry a
double man, or half man, without know
| Ing which is which of the halyesv"
She ended with a toneleSs laugh, and nv
| brother Joined In 1t, as if he knew that her
| words were not meant for MIN. She turned
| upon MN with mockery which in a mo-
| nent cOnvir ced him that of him only had
| she been making game. l never doubted
| myself the only dupe. For one thing, she
| had never received me in the guise in which
| | now saw her. The night was warm. and
| her deshaoille was somewhat prodigal I'M
| masking OF her beauty TO the mOUn The
| sight OF her might have driven an unfayored
lover to madness! The conviction in each
| OF us was that she and the other were laugh
| ing at him.
| In a moment we were locked in deadly
| struggle, with what object | cannot tell
| nor do believe either OF US had an object
| 1t was a blind conflict of poinlless enmitv.
| in which each sought to overpower the
| other. Which first laid hold of the other,
| which If either began to drag, have not a
| suspicion. The next thing / know is that
| We were in the water each in the other )
| grasp, swept and tumbled along as in a
| flooded mill-racc.
The shock of the ice-cold water. and the
| sense OF our danger, brought me to myself.
| let my brother 90, but he clUtehed me still,
| and down we shot together toward the sheer
| descent to the valley below. Already we
I seemed falling. and the terror Of it over
| mastered me. 1t was not the crash feared
| but the stayless rush through the whistlng
| air. In the agony OF my despair | struck at
| Edmund u fierce, wild, all but aimless blow,
| II was the only blow in the wreslle. His
| hold relaxed. l remember nothing more.
When l came TO myself, | was lying in q
| pebbly shoal. The moon was aloft in
heaven. L was cold to the heart, cold TO the
marrow OF my bones; could move neither
| hand nor foot, and thought | was dead. By
| degrees a little power came back, and man
| aged after much agOnIZing effort to get at
last on my feet-only to fall again. BY
| means of several such failures, however, |
| found myself capable at length of Just drag
! ging myself along l had forgotten every
| thing; but when my eyes fell on the darling
| torrent | remembered all-not as a fact,
! but as a terrible dream from which thanked
| heaven | had come awake
But as l crawled along, and came slowly
! to myself, terrible doubt awoke. If it was
| q dream, where had l dreamt it? How had
| l come 10 wake there where l found myself
How came it that | was drenebed? Where
was l last in my remembrance? Where,
where, was my brother? Where was the
no dreaml If my brother had not
! got out OF the water, | was his
| murderer l had struck himi Oh, the hor-
TOR of it! / said to myself lie must have got
out! 1t could not be that had drowned my
| own brotherl Such CHASTITY thing could
not have been permitted! 1t was too terri
| bic TO be possible!
At last approached the house. All was
| still. A handkerchief lay on the grass,
hoping to find it my brothers, 1t was .
| lady's. | let it lie. What had the passion
| been worth that could in moment die SO
utterly? l turned toward the house.
| would tear him from her; he was mine, not
| hersl
My wits were nigh gone! AS 1 drew
nearer, | thought the moonlight was dis
solving the chalet, that the two within
might escape me. L held II fast with my
eyes. The moon drew back and seemed
only to possess and fill it. Then saw that
she shone reflected from the windows and
would not 90 in. ! would go IN would
treat the woman like thief! She was a
| tllef! Sne was at ltlaL ulOmchV oeS"h"S Al
f, the broken house OF life!
1 stood for moment looking up at her
| window Iu the house was neither motion
nor sound Was she gone away, and my
brother with her? My thoughts were all
| confused. She could not be in bed and
| asleep, when she had seen us carried down
the river to the fall Could he be with her
and at rest believing me drowned or dashed
to pieces l must be resolved. | sought
the door; it was not bolted. l stole up the
stair to her chamber. Softly entered, and
stood. with the door open behind me. The
moon nlled the room with a clear, sharp
edged pale-yelow light. In her bed she lay
asleep, lovely TO look at as an angel of God.
Her hair, part of 1t thrown out across the
head of the bed, streamed on each side over
the pillow. and in the midst of it lay her
face, an island of light in a dark sea. ]
stood and gazed. Fascina ted by her beauty ?
God forbid ] was fascinated by the awful
incongruity between that face, pure as the
moonlight, and the charnel-house that Law
unseen within. She was to me hencefortf
not woman, but a live death. had nc
sense of saeredueSS In the chamber of such
female monster. l stood and gazed.
| m