Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-01-24

though the moon was we'll up in the
sky, and the losers We're cursing in good
set terms. But the prisoners were sleep
ing-that is to say, Gerald Gildea was
sleeping as soundly as a child, with Il
heap of grass for pillow, but though
the shadow of great rock was over the
princess also, she was wide awake, and
not word of their captors' talk had she
lost as she sat crouched in the shadows
looking up at the slender sickle of the
moon with wide, intent eyes. Presently
she put her fingers into her ears to shut
out the loud laughter and louder oaths
but the thoughts would not fall into CO.
herent shape even then Something thus
they ran:
"They will kill us tonight. | heard
them say So wonder if Gerald knows
How can he sleep like that? | am not Il
coward, yet could not sleep. Or am l
coward, after all? l hardly know
Oh, me- know nothing have wasted
my life. What will Ivan say, Won
der? He can install La Mascotte in my
rooms now. And how i'll the blue satin
will go with her red hair! Perhaps
Ivan will be sorry for little. He was
fond of me once. Poor Ivan dare say
it was more than half my fault that we
were SO unhappy. wonder what they
will do with us when we are dead. Will
they bury us or throw us into the sea?
They'll bury us, perhaps, because Of the
hue and cry. Are they moving over
there? I think they are. l wonder I am
not more frightened if am coward -
She closed her eyes for a moment, muir
muring an incoherent little prayer.
Forgive me-and him-and make
us happy somewhere, dear heaven. And
make Ivan happy, too, and comfort
those two women, Honor and Alice
And because he staid for my sake, do
thou lay his death at my door. Amen,
amenn'
Then she opened her eyes and took
her fingers from her ears, for, as she
said to herself, it did not become Ka-
roly to die huddled up like a rabbit in
a burrow. They were whispering to-
gether again, and she listened eagerly.
"They have been drinking" she said
to herself, patting her hand to the
friend that lay snugly in the bosom Of
her gown. "What is it they say? Whose
beauty do they want to spoil? Please
God, mine. -
Then wavering footstep came to-
ward her, and cold fear suddenly
smote the princess, holding her fast so
that she could not speak or shrek,
though in some occult way she knew
that her companion in danger was
awake. Gildea rose up on his elbow
and waited quietly. In her corner the
princess crouched, listening intently.
She could hear steps and whispers, and
though not sound came from Gildea
she knew that they were about their
DEVILS work. There was dull silence,
and then very faint moan scarcely
more than sigh, but Princess Karoly
heard it and leaped to her feet, thrust
ing her hand into her bosom. She went
straight to the place where he lay, gave
one steady look into the blinded eyes,
and then, with something like smile
on her lips, drew her hand from her
bosom and sent a merciful bullet straight
into his heart Then she dropped on her
knees and caught the brown head to her
bosom, kissing the marred face with
heartbroken kisses and whispering ten
der words into the ears that could not
hear her-tender words that now her
husband hears her murmuring i'll her
sleep O. nights For, five minutes after
her bullet had found its billet in Gerald
Gildea s heart, mule came down the
road from Ajaccio, laden with her ran
som money. Again fate had been un-
kind to Princess Karoly. Nora Hopper
in Sketch.