San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-03-30

| a lar away Nalce.
"Hhe laurel is in bloom in the
valley and on the hills, but the
| perfume is deadly in this close
ROOM"
He turned strangely pale and
| threw up the window. Not until
the freezing breath OF the outside
air chilled him through and,
through did he cOLne to himself
| again"
Cecilia was petritted, she had
read articles about Authorizations
and studied a theory of delusions
in her "Mentat Philosophy" at
school, but she had never met any.
in personal encounter.
When she recovered herself. she
did the thing most in keeping with
her traditIOns-shut the window.
What are YOU talking about the
| laurel for" she said. at does not
bloom till Decoration Day and the
odOr never hurts anybody"
"Shall | tell you what saw in
that brief moment? 1t was the
odor of Mexican laurel that came
to me. The fatal freyoleya."
Cecilia looked at the clock, it
pointed to seventeen minutes past
eleven, and the clock was reliable,
| even if young men were not. 1t
| was hardly "the thing" to sit alone
with caller at that hour of the
night-but she reflected that Hay
nOrd had learned foreign ideas dur
| ing his sOjOurn in distant lands
and besides one could not have a
sensation every day. She decided
| to risk it and pointed to a chair.
"Sit down Robert and tell me-
You have been promising for a
long time and | am interested.
| Are we not the best of friends?"
He walked over to the fire, con-
sciOus of a weakness in brain and
muscle.
81 am not a believer in mesmer-
ism he proceeded" hut when |
opened that window, | was just as
| much in Mexico as | was last
| March a wear ago. | cannot at
| all explain it, see if you can. |
saw in the first place broad eX-
panse of warm blue sky supplyed
| with a golden sun which daZZled
me. Beneath was valley surround
ed with low rolling hills, scattering
grass and cactus covered the ground
and bushes of dark green foliage
about as high as my head were
everywhere present. They were in
flower living wonders of purple
BLOOM, which filled the air with
a subtle poisonous perfume.
In the valley stood the Mission
church built long years before by
the Jesuit fathers sent from an
cient Spain. The material
used in building the sanctuary
| had been originally stone, but it
had fallen into decay and the ma
tive brick has been used as a re-
pairing medium. This gave it every
tint of white, grey, yellow and
brown. y few picturesque jacals
or Mexican hutS, were grouped
near it, and made what we would
call "settlement" in America.
| When | saw it first the VcSper
bell was ringing from the stately
half ruined tower and an old priest
was entering the chapel.
| There were three Of our party
besides myself, and the chief en-
ginper stepped forward to greet
him. lie explained our crrand of
improvement and asked for shelter
and information. The idea of Il
railroad seemed to fill the priest
with dread, yet he looked like a
man of education and refinement.
We found out afterward why the
IaDprOach of modern civilization
was such a horror to him.
1t was just that scene which
passed before me, Cecilia, when
| raised the window, and the OdOr
of the laurel came to me over the
| snow"
The woman looked at the clock.
| 1t was thirteen minutes to twelve.
In spite of her limited experience
she had not lived twenty-five years
for nothing. She turned deaf ear
to the warning tick of the time
piece and asked question:
"But that is not all. You have
some other association with the
valley"
"You are right dear FRIEND" he
answered, "and this is the only
memento ! have brought away"
He handed her a curious silver rO-
sary which she touched as if it had
been some balcful and enchanted
thing. The introduction of RO-
man Catholic relic was the one