San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-03-05

out of her thoughts, and he could not re-
sist letting fall sarcastic remark.
when Mile. Rouquette becomes Nine
Bruyere," he said, nonchalantly bowling be-
fore her, "the fish of the sea and the fowls
of the air will know their queen and do
her homage"
When you connect my name with that
of Felix Bruyere you insult me-" she ex-
claimed, rising and looking back and forth
from the actor to her brother. He is not
my social equal-he is but a rough fisher.
man of the bayou. will not remain and
hear more of your rudeness."
Her tone and manner were between
earnest protest and mere whimsical pre-
tense of vexation. She was a hard person
to interpret when she saw fit to be enig.
NAUTICAL The truth is, she did not know
herself. If she could have looked into her
own heart and calmly read it she would
have found that she loved Felix Bruyere,
but her nature was double and conflicting
Born and trained an aristocrat of aristo
Gratis, exclusive, lofty, worshiper of 'fam!
lily" as the word was understood among
the old representatives of southern society,
she felt herself incapable of loving any
man not himself of her degree.
She turned away from the gentleman
after a moment, and was walking in the
direction of the hall, when the actor Joined
her. She looked up at him with quick
smile, for she felt that her words had been
harsher than guest ought to receive from
her under her brothers roof
81 beg a thousand pardons," he said,
"but | was goaded to it. l am glad you
have spoken SO plainly. You know how
feel, and although my own way looks black
before me could not bear"-
STOP" she said with decision but gen.
tly enough 1--WE have had too much of this
already. 1t isn't pleasant There, dinner
is announced at last and you are still smok-
ing"
Ray felt himself to be man of distinc
ton; he certainly was famous actor into
whose hands great wealth had fallen; but
it now came upon him that Mile. Rou-
quette set herself far above him socially
Something evil IN the mans nature sprang
up at once and took full control of him.
That night he could not sleep. He
tossed on his bed and cursed fate What
was fame, what the plaudits Of the thea
ter, what the value of money to a man
baffled as he WASP 1t was the old, old story
of love frenzy
Late in the night he arose, dressed him.
self and stole forth to walk in the shadows
of the old trees. The moon had fallen to
the westward and lay like disk of white
fame against the dusky blue of the cloud
less sky. Not a sound was in the now
motionless air. He found the spot where
Mile. Rouquette had walked with him on
the ever memorable evening when she told
him th at his love was h0DeleSs
Meantime, Armentine herself had found
little comfort in her couch. She was not
thinking of Ray, however, but Of the fish
erman, Felix Bruyere-his superb form,
his manly face, his rich, deep voice, his
songs, his guitar. Many and many time
had he come to play under her window at
night, singing quaint old lays, the ballades
and rondels Of gay France-the France OF
the far past.
She vas thinking over all that had hap
pened since she had first met this strange
man. In her hearts deepest wells she felt
vague but pervading guilt. She had not
drawn Felix Bruyere on by any positive
effort; indeed, she had preserved well her
distant dignity and air of superiority, but
her conscience told her that this had been
mere superficial show; that below it the
active fascination of her beauty and her
passionate nature had been even more
powerful on account of her reticence anG
hauteur.
Although he was q fisherman, wearing
the coarse garb of his calling Bruyere ap
peared to be educated. His manners were
admirable, his conversation full of mag
netic surprises, and beyond question he
played the guitar with the art Of skilled
musician. Still, for him to aspire to marry
Rouquette was something so absurd to
Mile. Armentine's mind that the thought
was shock. .
Why, then, had she permitted him to
come nearer and nearer until the inevitable
had befallens She could not say that she
did not know what was approaching. The
heart of woman is not to be taken I'M
aware in such case. She had sailed with
him in his boat many time. True, their
relations were ostensibly those Of boatman
and passenger-of hired sailor and pleas
ure seeking employer; but why would she
sit against the gunwale and find such
pleasure in conversing with himS And
why, after the mysterious monitor in her
breast had warned her, over and over
again, that dangerous ties were forming
between one side of her nature and this
man, did she continue to seek his company
more and more until at last he broke forth
with all the ardor and eloquence of a
powerful and passionate lover, only to be
Indignantly and cruelty repulsed?
She had kept her secret. Her brother
knew nothing of this phase of the matter.
What he had observed had led him to sus.
pect nothing, and his remark about the
fisherman's ghost had its root in mere
playfulness, but it went home like bullet
to her heart. The wound was already
there and it required but touch to make
all its pains start afresh. The actor, too,
had borne his part in narrowing her con-