Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-03-12
II expect Carlos wanted to keep you
from giving IL away,"

= 49, o''%%o - @''@Js
mo. He say Eat one man wat keep
eet for fife years, he die sure"
II am not afraid. Iwould be glad 10
die to have your ring for even year."
mo. Geef eet back to me-"
"Then you do not love me-" he said
dejectedly. "You are like all women,
you are glad to break mans heart"
'No, no. lofe you. You can keep
Get. lweel tell Carlos loose eet."
AT the moment her mother called to
her from the adobe. She threw her
plump arms about the Americans neck
and said clinging good-by, as If her
heart were sadly wrung, And for the
time being she was in desperate earn
est.
At daybreals he saw two borsemen,
both Mexicans, ride up to the house.
He guessed that they were the men
Manara and Carlos; and he hitched up
the team quickly and went, in fash
ion that suggested flight, taking the ring
with him.
Now it happened-as such things will
happen in the new west-that Carlos
Valera grew very rich within few
months and went to live in San Diego
with his wife, and that they were much
courted and sought after, for Valera was
generous and well-mannered and not
Unlocking, and Sonora Valera was be-
witching, a type, more than locally IA
nous for her beauty, and possessed OF
charm that is peculiar to women OF her
race who have learned the usages OF
the world. They kept open house, in
the grand way of the wealthy Spanish
Americans Of not so long ago. Never
day passed that more than one total
stranger was not entertained. Thus it
came about that, upon spring evening
some years after her marriage,
Sonora Valera greeted with lovely ease
and grace a guest whom her husband
brought home with him, a Mr.. Richard
Lowell, of Los Angeles. Butas she greet
ed him she glanced down at his hands
and saw that he wore the opal skull.
Dut ltu W ntl uuobuho anu opib -
English that was perfect now, though
made dainty by slight lisp: "Carlos,
dear, will you see If left my opal-and-
diamond pin on my dressing standP
l think l took it out to wear, and for
got it. / don't want it to get lost like
that other opal you gave me before we
were married. I'm afraid they are really
unluclSy stones; don'tyou think so, Mr..
Lowell? Would you mind going for
it, Carlos?"
Valera left the room.
"Mr. Lowell, take off that ring while
you are here" she said, calmly.
II have never taken ID off. And I'm
sorry that can't do so now"
IF Mr.. Valera sees it, he will be apt
to kill you as not He is very jealous"
81 fancy he has good reason"
Kindly keep your opinions where
such unpleasant ones properly belong
in your own consciousness. You
will be wise to do as l say, and to be
quick. Do you know that the five years
is up tonight"
"Idoubt that sort of superstition. As
I told you before, Pm not afraid. Per-
haps you are, though? 1t is natural
you should be. will tell you what ]
will do. I'll take the ring and put it in
my pocket"-he slipped it off and held
it between his thumb and finger-"ii
you will kiss me again as you did on
that night"
IL will not. You would have forgot,
ten that Stiffness of mine by now, il
you had been fortunate enough to be
gentleman"
"Never!--not all those caresses and
protestations. Come, kiss me again
and I'll hide the ring"
mo. Mr.. Valera will finish hunting
for a pin that isn't there in a moment
more, and IL he comes back it may &c
i'll with you-it certainly will If he sees
the ring"
"Then kiss me-"
II will not. Be quick. hear hin
coming. Quick!"
kiss me. You'd better, for your OWL
sake"
mo"
"Then DON'T"
"Ohl hide that ring-do, for me-"
kiss me-"
"Well, kiss me, then"
He put his hands on her shoulder
and bent his head He did not SCI
Valera step into the French window
but he knew that the woman pullet
away from him with a loud "How dar,
you'll" and scream: "Carlos, Carlos
help mel"
| And then he felt something shar]
driven deep between the shoulders, ant
as he fell backward Sonora Valer;
grasped at the ring and caught 1t from
his hand. She put her own hand t.
her throat in the accepted fashion o
the conventional faint, and as she dir
so, dropped the jewel into the bosom o
her gown. Then she lost conscious
| ness.
The story she told her husband wa
one of unprovoked impertinence on tn
part of an utter stranger, man sh
had never seen before, and the story h
told the world was much the same, blu
slightly cmbellished. 1t was not plaus
ible, yet it passed. Itexcused the muir
der without any great difficulty, and i
was something Of feather in the ca
Of the beautiful Mexican-for this wa
in the early days.
+, Sonora Valera ground the opal skull
to bits with heavy stone, and kept tn
chips in loclset, until one day sh
found an excuse to drive to the CEN
etery and scatter them upon Lowell
grave.-Gwendolen Overton, in Sa
Francisco Argonaut.
How It Happened.
"And so you are engaged to Choll
Chubbins," said one girl.
Eyes" was the reply.
"How did he ever persuade You b