The Opelousas courier., 1896-06-13

in the room where they had parted
he was stunned by the greatness Of his
awful ~grief-raihly trying to realize
that 1t WAS really true that Rosaiie d.
dead,
SO the morning fo.,hi him. and when
the Gay hsh we'll begun it seemed to
h:ii that the silver snake, lying where
Resale had thrown it, stirred strange
ly, for surely its head was raised and y
SILVER ran through all the glistehing
coils. Gle stared at the thing, wonder
ing If 1t had power to move while the
hand that had lately fling it down lay
cold and dead. Then, as il stirred by
some weird fascinatioRs lie turned his
head slowly towards the long French
windows that still stood op n. Pres!
emily he knew why his eyes had been
drawn ,hither; he was no longer alone.
for a woman stood upon the threshold.
framed, as it we're, in the greenery of
the creeping plants that clustered
round the opening. and as he lool ed
upon her face he sprang to his feet with
n word upon his lips. ard that was
her name.
"Lachme!"
She came towards him, seeming to
float rather than walk, her every move
mant full Of sinuous grace and her s'oot-
fall making no sound upon the sof', pile
of the carpet.
Eyes, it is l." she answered, as she fell
at his feet, and her voice WIS low and
e,-o,4 +b~,,~, p4r, - nro11- r,onnfroNJtS
like the cooling Of a dove. "my love.
\ NM din Sou think \ SHOULD ttvget?
And I told YOU" she answered. laying
a soft brown hand upon his wrist, that
we should meet again in another land
when the fair face that was thr Est be
tween us then should be but dust. Say,
did I not speak the truth"
Great heavens, yes!" St. Lawrence
cried, and, as in horror. Dragged his
hand from her hold. Was it true, as
the natives had said. that this WINS some
witchwoman. and had her charms had
power to rob him of his love?
Lacb,ne laughed, low and mo, kingly,
ard began to sway softly to and fir,
as she crouched upon the floor. an odd
looking figure in that stately English
home, with the morning sunshine gilt
tering or the strange gold ornaments
thrust into her blue-black hair.
yes, l spoke the truth" she cried,
after a pause, during which John ST.
| Lawrence strobe up and down The room.
and her black eyes followed his un-
ceasingly. You told me you must re-
turn to your w country, tn we'd the
| wife that had been chosen for You by
| your people, for you were poor and she
| was rich. But it was me, and me alone.
you really loved
Il was mad, but I had ntt14et her
them" st. Lawrence mutterAd, and he
hated himself for ever having uttered
such wild, foolish words that to her
had seemed true.
Lachme heard the words, low as they
were spoken, and a sudden flush, half
incredulous, half scornful and wholly
angry. lit up her dusky eyes. On the
table between them the silver coils Of
the snake CLEANED and %glimmered in
the morning light, and more than once
her brown hands stole cautiously
towards it as towards an instrument Of
| vengeance, only to pause half way.
81 asked if rothing could make your
cousins riches yours except by marry
ing her." Lachmc wen on land you re-
piled that nothing could ut her death.
All, you start, now; you had forgotten
those words, but you remember them
we'll enough now. Then, J told you We
should meet again when she was dead,
ond you, having all her wealth, would
he free to claim me from all the world,
free to marry me. my icve-my love-
She rose to her knee as she spoke
the words, both arms outstretched to
him in an oriental attitude that at an
other time would have charmed him by
its quaiF't grace. But now he was filled
with aagry pain against her; he hated
her for reminding him Of that past
folly, and could have laughed at the
thought of ever having preferred this
barbarian beauty-he who had learnt
to love Rosalie truly and well.
"You are mad to speak like that to
me, Lachme," he said, and his tone,
more than any words, told her of the
gulf that yawned between them.
when l left India 1 told you that the
parting was for ever. You can be moth
ing to me now"
but she is ~dead-dead, as l foretold,"
Lachme said, and he recalled with a
thrill of remorse how he had made his
engagement to his English cousin an
excuse for leaving this woman.
you need not speak of her." he an
swered, hi~voice, in spite of his self
control, broken by rising sob. at
is enough that all between us is over
long ago, and can never be revived"
With a curious gesture. whose sinu-
u grace was strangely like the uncoil-
ing of a serpent, Lachme rose to her
feet and seized the silver snake in her
hands.
"You scorn me now" she said, and
her voice was a hiss. "You no longer
love me yet it was l that gave you the
means to free yourself from this girl
whom you were forced to marry. AS
| came through the village I heard them
say Resale Beaumont lay dead, and
you, her lover, were half-mad with
grief. l laughed as I heard them, and
| laugh again now. You play your part
well, Capt. st. Lawrence, and it is wise,
for your English law is strict, and you
must allay suspicion-so you-you pre-
tend to be bowed with grief-you who
were her murderer"
sWhat madness is this!n ST. Lawrence