San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-27

ricd; it tarried so long that Leander lost
| patience and ventursd to open his eyes
a little way. He saw the goddess stand
/ ing there, witk strained expectation
on her upturned face.
| a don't wish to hurry you, mum"
he said, TREMENDOUSLY; but you ought
to be above torturing us. Might | ask
! you torequest your-your relation to
look sharp with that thunder bolt?"
"Zeus!" cried the goddess, and her
| accent was more acute, %thou hast heard
| thou wilt not shameme thus! Mast /
| go unayenged?n
| Still nothing whatever happenened,
/ until at last even Matilda upclosed her
eyes. "Beander!p she cried, with a
J hysterical little laugh, al don't believe
! she can doitI"
mo more don't II" said the hair
| dresser, withdrawing his arm and com
/ ing forward boldly. "Now, look here,
Lady Venus" he remarked, "it's time
| there was an end of this, one way or
\ the other. We can't be kept up here
all night, waiting till it suits your Mr..
ZOoce to make coekshies of us. Either
let him do it now or let it alone!"
The statues face seemed to be IL
lunined by a stronger light. HZeus, L
thank thee!" she exclaimed, clasping
! her pale hands above her head; ~ am
answered! am answered."
And, as she spoke, "a dull onirous
rumble <vas heard in the distance.
Matilda, here!" cried the terrified
hair6resser, running back. to his be-
trothed; keep close to me. It's all
over this time!"
The rumble increased to roll, whiea
al
lessened again to roll, died away to
the original rumble, and was heard no
more.
Leander breathed again. "To think
of my being taken in like that" he
cried. Why, it's only a van out in the
street! Ats no good mum; you can't
work it: you'd better give it up!"
The goddess seemed to feel this her.
self, for she was wringing her hands
with low wall of despair. as there
none to hear?" she lamented. Are
they all gone-all? Then is Aphrodite
fallen indeed; deserted of the gods. her
kinsmen; forgotten of mortals; braved
and Knocked by such as these! Woe!
woe! for Olympus in ruins, and Time
the dethroner of deities!"
Leander would hardly have been him
self if he had forborne to take advant-
age of her discontinue. "You see,
num-" he said, "you're not everybody.
You mustn't expect to have everything
your own way down here. We're in
the nineteenth century nowadays, mum,
and there's another religion come in
since you were the fashion,"
"Don't, Leander," said Matilda, in an
undertone; "let her alone, the poor
thing" She seemed to have quite for
gotten that her fallen enemy had been
booming her to destruction the moment
before; but there was something so
tragic and moving in the sight of such
despair that no true woman could be
indifferent to it.
Either the taunt or the compassion,
however, reused the goddess to a frenzy
of passion. Hold your peace!" she
said tiercely, and strobe down upon
Leander until he beat an instinctiue re-
treat Fallen as | am, will not brook
your mean vauntings or insolent pity!
Shorn / may be of my ancient power,
but something of my divinity cleaves to
me still. Vengeance is not wholly de-
MED to me! Why should l not deal
with you even as with those profane
wretches who laid impious hands upon
this, my effigy? Why? why?"
Leander began to feel uncomfortable
again. "If I've said anything you OBJ
ject to-" he said, hastily, "Tll apologize.
/ willard SO will Matilda-freely and
full; in writing, if that will satisfy
you!"
"Tremble not for your worthless
bodies, she said; "had you been slain,
as | purposed, you would but lave
escaped me after all! Now a vengeance
keener and more enduring shall be
mine. In your gross blindness you
have dared to turn from divine Aphro-
dite to such thing as this, and for your
impiety you shall suffer. This is your
doom, and so much, at least, l can still
accomplish: Long as you both may
live, strong as your love may endure,
never again shall you see her alone.
never moro shall she be folded to your
breast. Forever will stand barrier
between you; SO shall your days con-
sumo away in the torturing desire for
felicity you can never attainl"
at seems to me, Tillie," said Lean.
der, looking round at her with hollow
eyes, THAT we may as well give up
keeping company together after that"
Matilda had been weeping quietly.
@Oh, no, Leander, not that Don't let
us give each other up; we may-we may
get used to it,"
THAT is not all, +" said the revengeful
| goddess. al understand but little of
the ways of this degenerate age. But
one thing know, this very night guards
are on their way to search this abode for
the image in which have chosen to re-
veal myself; and, should they find that
they are in search of you, you will be
dragged to some dungeon and suffer de-
served ignominy. 1t pleased me yester-
| night to shield you; tonight be very
sure that this marble form shall not
| escape their vigilance!"
He felt at once that this, at least, was