San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-11-17

two Moors, who had at first screened
her from my sight.
Come away" continues he. "She
left us to go back and speak to them
and would not have us know"
Why should she be secret about this
trifing matter? 1 asked myself. twas
quite natural that if she recognized in
these Moors some old acquaintance of
Elche she should desire to speak them.
We stole away to the port, and seat
ing ourselves upon some timber there
we looked upon the sea nigh upon half
an hour without saying word. Then,
turning to me, Dawson says: "Unless
she speak to rs upon this matter, Kit,
we will say naught to her. But if she
say nothing 1 shall take it for sign
her heart is set upon going back to
Elche, and she would have it secret
that we may not be disheartened in our
other project. 4"
'That is likely enough" says I, not
a little surprised by his reasoning. But
love sharpens mans wit, be it never
so dull
About 6 the next morning I was
awoke by the door bursting suddenly
open, and starting up in my bed I see
Dawson at my side, shaking in every
limb and his eyes wide with terror.
"Moll's gonep' cries he and falls
a-blubbering.
"Goner' says /, springing out of bed.
IT'S not possible. +"
"She has not lain in her bed, and one
saw her go forth last night as the doors
We're closing, knowing her for a foreign
er by her hood. "Come with me-" adds
he, laying his hand ON a chair for sup
port. 81 dare not go alone"
"Aye, I'll go with We, Jack, but
whither?"
"Down to the sea, ;" says he hoarsely.
stopped in the midst of dressing,
overcome by this fearful hint, for,
knowing Moll's strong nature, the
thought had never occurred to me that
she might do away with herself Yet
now rejecting on her strange manner of
late, especially her parting with us
overnight, it seemed not so impossible
neither. For here, seeing the folly of
our coming hither, Responding of any
happiness in the future, was the speed
lest way of ending life that was bur-
densome to herself and constant sor-
row to us. Nay, with her notions of
poetic justice drawn from plays, she
may have regarded this as the only
atonement she could make her husband,
the only means of giving him back free
dom to make happier choice in mar
riage. With these conclusions taking
shape 1 shuffied ON my clothes, and
then, with shaking fear, we two, hang
ing to each others arms for strength,
made our way through the crooked
streets to the sea, and then, seeing
group of men and women gathered at
the waters edge some little distance
from us, we dared not go farther, con-
ceiving twas dead body they were re-
garding. But twas only company of
fishers examining their haul of fishes,
as we presently perceived So, some
what cheered, we cast our eyes to the
right and left, and, seeing nothing to
Justify our fears, advanced along the
coast to the very end, where it juts out
into the sea, with great stones around
to break the surf.
Here, then, with deadly apprehen-
sions, we peered among the rocks, hold
ing our breath, clutching tight hold of
one another by the hand, in terror Of
finding that Ne SO eagerly searched-a
hood, woman's skirt clinging to the
stones, q stiffened hand thrust up from
the tapping waters. Never may forget
the sickening horror of the moment
when, creeping out amid the rocks, Daw-
son twitches my hand and points down
through the clear water to something
lying white at the bottom. 1t looked for
all the world like a dead face, colored q
greenish white by the water, but pres
emily we saw, by one end curling over
in the swell of wave, that twas only
a rag of paper.
Then / persuaded Dawson to give up
this horrid search and return to our po-
sada, when, if we found not Moll, we
might more justly conclude she had gone
to Elche than put an end to her life,
and though we could learn nothing of
her at our inn more than Dawson had
already told me, yet our hopes were
strengthened in the probability of find
ing her at Elche by recollecting her
earnest, secret conversation with the
Moors, who might certainly have re-
turned to Elche in the night, they pre-
ferring that time for their journey, as
we knew So, having hastily snatched
repast, while our landlord was pro-
curing mules for our use, we set off
across the plain, doing our best to cheer
each other ON the way. But confess
one thing damped my spirits exceeding
ly, and that was, having no hint from
Moll the night before of this project,
which then must have been fully ma
tured in her mind, nor any written