Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1892-02-27
Dayton, Nevada, Saturday, February u, 1902.


She and Sibyl had been walking up
and down the long, splendid room,
while Mrs. Derwent sat on the special
sofa of honor with Dona Luisa and
talked French fuently. Both girls
paused as the gentlemen entered, and
Miss Lenox sank gracefully into q seat,
while Dona Zarifa moved away to where
q vase filed with great masses Of grow
ing heliotrope stood on a pedestal OF
puebla onyx. She began to gather a
few sprays, and the fragrance Of the
flowers filled the whole atmosphere
around her. It was almost intoxicating
in its sweetness, Derwent thought, as
he moved on toward the lovely, classic
figure and the dark, soft eyes with their
glance Of welcome.
"Are you gathering those sprays Of
smiling. Thanks; you are too good to
answer that presumptuous speech by
| giving me one 1t is delicious-I have
never seen heliotrope bloom anywhere
else as in Mexico-but, if | might ven-
ture to say SO, there is another flower
that would prefer to have"
"And why should you not venture7"
she asked. "Surely you have learned
that with our flowers at least we are
| generous"
What are you not generous with?
But your cactus"-he looked at the bios
SONS she wore in her belt-"is 30 entire
ly your own that fear you would not
care to give it to a stranger"
"Ohr she glanced down, smiling and
blushing little, sit is the cactus you
mean2 Well, frankly, think the hello
trope suits you better. This, as you say.
is especially for Mexicans."
"And may not be adopted, in de-
gree at least, as a Mexican" he asked.
"Do you know that | am going to make
Mexico my home for an indefinite length
of time to conner And, more than that,
am to be your neighbor at Mirahores.
Don Maurizio and | are to take the
Buena Esperanza with Senior Barrera,
and l shall personally direct the work.
This, you see, will bring me within COM
Portable distance of Mirafores"
"Do you call sixteen leagues COM
Portable distance"
Compared to thousand miles-yes,
very comfortable. can see you once or
twice month at least. / only hope /
shall not become dreadful nuisance"
"You could not possibly become that,
she said, with the gentle gravity and
sincerity he had learned by this time to
know well. II am very glad that you
are to be near us, and that you are to
have the Buena Esperanza after all. !"
~ owe it altogether to you" he said
gratefully Don Maurizio did not tell
me SO. but am sure that had you not
interested him in my behalf he would
never have thought Of Offering me this
opportunity"
81 told him simply what you told me
that you had debt of honor which it
was important that you should pay, she
replied. He is very kind, my father,
and always ready to help every one; 30 l
felt certain that if he knew Of anything
which would enable you to accomplish
your purpose he would tell you of it."
He is more than kind, said Derwent,
earnestly "I can never forget his good
ness And as for yours-well, language
fails me when try to speak OF that l
can only repeat what told you at Mira
aores-that my life belongs to you. And
when say this, remember that am not
using the fowery language Of comph-
ment to which you are accustomed l
mean the words with our Anglo-Saxon
literalness 1t is yours. by every possi-
BILE claim-yours because you saved
it"-
She lifted her hand with a quick, de-
terring gesture. and he saw her cheek
grow pale. do not speak Of that, she
said. ~ try am trying hard-to for
get it."
"But l do not try" he said impetu-
ously, "and | could not forget it if |
would. It is as told you; my life was
given to me over again by your hand
So it is yours, whether you ever have
use for it or whether you have not. And
then there is another claim" He paused
q moment, conscious that he was on the
brink of betraying all he felt, filed with
sense of the utter hoplessness Of any
avowal, yet impelled by power stronger
than himself to speak. mot only my
life, but my whole heart is yours" he
said. and when the words were spoken
a sense of wonderful calmness took pos
session of him suddenly. He grasped,
az it were. more than his ordinary self
possession. 1t was done. At least she
now knew the truth, and he need no
longer strive to tutor himself to play the
part of a friend while the passion Of q
lover burned within him.
81 know that it is useless for me to
tell you this" he went on, after minute
that seemed strangely long to both-a
minute in which he heard the murmur
of voices, Sibyls laugh, his mothers
tones, and that would always be asso-
ciated to the end of his life with the
vision of lovely downbent head and
the haunting fragrance Of heliotrope.
~ know that | may even forfeit the
privilege of seeing and being with you in
the intimacy which has taught me to
know you. cannot help it If this is SO.
Separation from you will be like death,
but it is better than the effort to restrain
my lips and eyes from telling you that
love you with an alteration which over
| 4 "A l. lie