The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-02-24

He struck wax one and held 1t to the
ring. II was an opal set in silver and
carved in the shape of o skull. Lowell
knew enough Of stones 10 understand the
difficulty Of cutting an opal. He knew
the skill and patience 1t must require I'd
shape 1t like this one. There was, probably
not another like 1t In the world; certainly
he had never seen 1t If there were. In the
Pickering light ii CLEANED and sparkled
blue and red and yellow fires, and the jaws
seemed to comfort themselves into grin.
"How wonderful he ejaculated.
eyes," answered Anita.
He was seized with Wild desire to OBJ
tain it, and he played boidiy far it. "DO
you love me, Anita, sweetheart, beauti-
full" he whispered, taking her face in his
bands and looking into her eyes.
She uttered faint but sincere Eyes"
He kissed her again, not once, but many
times. "H you love me, Anita, you should
give me tho ring to remember you by--a
keepsake, as we call it,"
She slipped 1t into his hand
"Ah, no! Geef Get to me" she cried Of
sudden.
"why2"
"Carlos, he tell me zat cot ees very
wat you say-note nice lucky"
"Then why did he give 1t to you?"
E "He say Get ees for man, note for q
woman, Eat eet ees like zat.''
II expect Carlos wanted to keep you
from giving it away
mo. He say Eat one man wat keep Get
for fife year, he die sure"
II am not afraid. would be glad to
die to have your ring for even a year"
HNo Gpef oct hack to mo -
"Then you do not love me, he said de-
jectedly. "You are like all women, you
are glad to break mans heart
"No, no. / lofe you. You can keep
Get weel tell Carlos l loose eet'
At the moment her mother called to her
from the adobe. She threw her plump
arms about the Americans neck and said
a clinging goodby, as If her heart were
sadly wrung And for the time being she
was in desperate earnest.
At daybreak he saw two horsemen, both
fMexicans, ride up to the house He
guessed that they were the man sManara
and Carlos, and he ,hitched up the team
quickly and went In a fashion that sug-
gested fight, taking tho ring with him.
Now, it happened, as such things will
happen in the new west, that Carlos Va
lera grew very rich within a 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 hammered and not i'll looking, and Sc
nora Valera was bcwitching, at more
than locally famous for her beauty, and
possessed of u charm that is peculiar to
women of her race who have learned the
usagcs of the world. They kept open house
in the grand way of the wealthy Spanish
Americans of not SO long ago. Never a
day passed that more than one total stran-
ger WIS not entertained. Thus it came
about that upon spring evening some
years after her marriage Sonora Valera
greeted with lovely case and grace a guest
whom her husband brought home with
him, a Mr.. Richard Lowell of Los Angeles.
But as she greeted him she glanced down
at his hands and saw that he wore the opal
skull She turned to her husband and said
in English that was perfect now, though
made dainty by slight lisp: Carlos,
dear, will you see if left my opal and dia-
mond pin on my dressing standp think
l took it out to wear and forgot it, don't
want it to get lost like that other opal you
gave me before we were married. Pm
afraid they arc really unlucky stones.
Don't you think so, Mr.. LovellP 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 it off, and I'm sor-
ry that can't do SO now"
''If Mr.. Valera sees it, he will be as apt
to kill you as not. He is very jealous. +"
Il 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 I say and TO be quick Do you know
that the five years is up tcnightf"
II doubt that sort of superstition. AsI
told you before, I'm not afraid. Perhaps
you are thought 1t is natural you should
be. l will tell you what will do. III
take the ring and put it In my pocket
he slipped 1t off and held it between his
thumb and inger-"if you will kiss me
again rs you did on that night"
II will not You would have forgotten
that Stiffness of mine by now If you had
been fortunate enough to ben gentleman.
"Nover. Not all those caresscs and pro-
testations. Come, kiss me again, and I'll
hide the ring"
"No. Mr.. Valera-wil finish hunting
for pin that isn't there in moment
more and If he comes back it may go ill |
with you. 1t certainly will if he sees the
ring"
'Thcn kiss me-
II will not. Be quick. ! hear him COM
ing. Quick"
kiss me. You'd better for your own
sake"
NO"
"Then don't"
ooh, hide that ring Do, for me-"
kiss me"
"Well kiss me then"
He put his hands on her shoulders and
bent his head. He did not see Valera step
into tho French window, but he knew that
the woman pulled away from him with a
loud How dare you'll and scream
Carlos, Carlos, help mel'
And then he felt something sharp driven
deep between the shoulders, and as he fell
backward Sonora Valera grasped at the
ring and caught it from his hand She put
her own hand to her throat in the accent
ed fashion of the conventional faint, and
as she did SO dropped the jewel into the
bosom of her gown Then she lost con-
seriousness.
The story she told her husband was one
of unprovoked impertinence on the part of
an utter stranger, a man she had never
seen BEFORE and the story he told the
world was much the same, but slightly
embellshed. 1t was not plausible, yet 1t
passed. 1t excused the murder without
any great difficulty, and it was something
of a feather in the cap of the beautiful
Mexican for this was in the early days.
Sonora Valera ground the opal skull to
bits with heavy stone and kept the chips
in a locket, until one day she found an
excuse to drive to the cemetery and scatter
them upon Loyell's graye.-Gwendolen
Overton in Argonaut
A Character Sketch.
Eyes, remember ole man Billitts," said
the Oldest inhabitant. "He was one Of
them fellers that had so much religion on
Sunday that he didn't seem to need none
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