The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-10-31
CHAPTER XXXV.

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I turned my steps homeward, or rather to-
ward the ruined city which could see be-
meath me, for had no home left.
1t was near sunset when came thither,
for the road was long, and I grew weak.
BY the palace I met the Captain Diaz and
some of his company, and they lifted their
bonnets to me as went by, for they had
respect for my sorrows. Only Diaz spoke,
saying:
ssIs the.murderer dead?"
nodded and went on. went on to
our chamber, for there thought that I
should find Otomie.
She sat in it alone, cold and beautiful,
as though she had been fashioned in mar
| BILE.
81 have buried him with the bones Of
his brethren and his forefathers," she said,
answering the question that my eyes asked.
''It seemed best that you should see him
no more, lest your heart should break.
ssIt iawe1, - answered, .sbut my heart
! is broken already"
"Is the murderer dead?' she said pres
emily in the very words Of Diaz.
The is dead.''
"How?''
I told her in few words.
"You should have slain him yourself.
Our sons blood is not avenged
81 should have slain him, but in that
hour did not seek vengeance watched
it fall from heaven and was content. Per
chance it is best so. The seeking of venge-
ance has brought all my sorrows upon me.
Vengeance belongs to God and not to man,
as have learned too late.''
81 do not think so, said Otomie, and
the look upon her face was that look which
I had seen when she smote the Tlascalan,
when she taurted Marina and when she
danced upon the pyramid, the leader Of the
sacrifice. Had I been in your place 1
would have killed him by inches. When
had done with him, then the devils might
begin, not before But it is of no account
| Everything is done with, all arc dead, and
my heart with them. Now eat, for you
are weary"
So I ate, and afterward ] cast myself
upon the bed and slept.
In the darkness heard the voice Of Oto-
mie that said, Awake, would speak
| with you,' and there was that about her
voice which stirred me from my heavy
sleep.
'.Speak on," said. where are you,
Otomie?''
''Seated at your side. I cannot rest, so
am seated here Listen. Many, many
years ago we met, when you were brought
by Guatemoc from Tabasco. All, well do
I remember my first sight Of you, the
Teule, in the court of my father, Monte
yuma, at Chapoltepec. loved you then
as have loved you ever since. At least I
have never gone astray after strange gods, !"
and she laughed bitterly.
'.Why do you talk Of these things, Otto.
| mie?'' asked
Because it is my fancy to do SO. Cam
not you spare me one hour from your sleep,
who have spared you so many9 You re-
member how you scorned me-oh! l
thought should have died Of shame when
after had caused myself to be given to
you as wife, the wife Of Tezcat, you told
me of the maid across the seas, that Lily
maid whose token is still set upon your fin
ger. But lived through it and loved you
the better for your honesty, and then you
know the rest. Iwon you because I was
brave and lay at your side upon the stone
Of sacrifice, where you kissed me and told
me that you loved me. But you never
loved me-not truly. All the while you
were thinking of the lily maid. knew
it then, as I know it now, though tried
to deceive myself. was beautiful In
those days, and this is something with a
man. I was faithful, and that is more,
and once or twice you thought that you
loved me. Now I wish that those Teules
had come an hour later and we had died
together there upon the stone-that IS, l
wish it for my own sake, not for yours.
Then we escaped, and the great struggle
came. I told you then that I understood
it all You had kissed me on the stone OF
sacrifice, but in that moment you were as
one dead When you came back to life,
it was otherwise. But fortune took the
game out of your hands, and you married
me and swore an oath to me, and this
oath you have kept faithfully. You mar
ried me, but you did not know whom you
married You thought me beautiful and
sweet and true, and all these things 1 was,
! but you did not understand that I was far
| apart from you-that was still a savage
as my forefathers had been. You thought
that had learned your ways; perchanoe
even you thought that reyerenced your
God, as for your sake have striven to do,
but oil the while have followed the ways
Of my own people, and I could not quite
forget my own gods, OF at least they would
not suffer me, their servant, to escape
them. For years and years I put them
from me, but at last they were avenged,
and my heart mastered me, or rather they
mastered me, for knew nothing Of what
I did some few nights since, when ccle-
brated the sacrifice of Huitzcl and you saw
me at the ancient rites.
.'All these years you had been true to
me, and had borne you children, whom
you loved, but you loved them for their
own sake, not for mine Indeed at heart
you hated the Indian blood that was mix
ed in their veins with yours Nc also you
loved in q certain fashion, and this half
love of yours drove me well nigh mad.
Such as it was, it died when you saw me
distraught and celebrating the rites of my
] forefathers on the teocalli yonder, and you