The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-03

By ANTHONY RoPR

.tnansr,sht slegS ,i n . .n q EssSS6t 7adgn-
ing, and presently Signor Giraldo look
ed up, and when he had listened and
looked for few moments his wild
mood caught the infection from her, SO
that, springing to his feet, he also be-
gan to laugh loudly, like man who
cannot restrain bis amusement, but is
carried away by it beyond all bounds
and restraint. Thus Giraldo laughed
loudly, long and fiercely, for there was
madness In his laugh And the princess
heard the madness, and even while she
still laughed her eyes opened in won
der; alarm came on her face, her merry
laugh quivered, trembled. choked in
her throat, and at last died away into
dumbness, yet her lips hung apart,
frozen in the shape of laughter while
no laughter came. And as her laugh
thus ended in mute horror his grew
louder yet and wilder, and its peal rang
through the room as he gasped between
his spasms of horrid mirth, "You, you,
yodl" and pointed at the picture which
he had touched into devilishness. But
she shrank away and stood croucbed
against the wall, for she knew now that
he was mad, but did not know to what
his fury might next lead him. Then he
caught up knife that lay on the sill
of the window, and, now smiling as
though in grim, quiet amusement,
strobe across to the row Of pictures and
reached up to them, knife in hand.
But osra suddenly sprang forward,
crying, "Do not hurt them"
"These2" he asked, turning to her,
with sneer. "Thess? I'll destroy them
all, for they are no longer beautiful to
me, but that one only is beautiful, be-
cause it 10 true" And he wrenched his
arm away from the OBTAINING hand that
she had laid upon II. Failing back in
terror. she watched him cutting and
slashing each Of the pictures until the
face was utterly destroyed. And she
feared that when hs had finished with
the pictures he would turn upon her.
Therefore she flung herself on the couch,
hiding her face for fear Of some horri-
bic fata, and she rnurmured low to her
self, mot my face, O God, not my
facs!' And she pressed her face down
into the cushions of the couch, while
he, muttering and grumbling to him
self, cut the pictures into strips and rib.
hons and strswed the fragments at his
feet on tho floor. And, this done, he
turned to tho face that he now Low
and poured out to it, as though 1t +
been nm idol he worshiped. food
wild, passionate, Ieproachful words ;
Osra shiversd to hear, and the purport
of which she dared tell none, though
for all her prayers she could not herself
forget one Of them.
At last he came to her again and
plucked her roughly and rudely from
the couch where she lay and dragged
her behind him back to the door again
and through 1t, and they stood together
in front 0f the last picturs, whose paint
was still wet from his hand. The paint
ed face smiled down on the trembling,
pale girl, with its smile Of careless, &C.
rene dignity, 60 that now even to her
BsE it seemed hardly to be her picture,
for it was the true prescntment Of a
kings daughter, and she no better than
2 helpless, frightened girl. 1t seemed to
her, and suddenly she drew
herself to her full height and turned to
Giraldo, Saying, "You shall not touch
It," And she stepped forward 60 that
,he stood betweep him and the picturs,
raising her hand and forli6ding him to
1t with his knife. And now
The picture seemed more to be hers, al
though where it smiled she frownsd.
But at this moment there came
through the window that opened ON the
'treet the chatter of horses hoofs. At ,
he sound Giraldo arrested the motion
hat he had already made to fling him .
elf at the princess, whether to kill her
II only to thrust her away from the ,,
ront of the picture she did not know. !.
Running to the window, he looked out :
md called in seeming glee, ut is the .
ing come to see my picturesi'' And he I
ooked proud and happy. Going to the I
oor of the room, he flung it open and '
TODD there waiting for the king and /
he gentlemen who attended the king. =
hey were not long in coming, for Ru- 4
off was full of anger, impatienoe and y
nxiety, and ran swiftly up the stair +
ase. His gentlemen pressed into the h
DOM behind him, and Girnldo drew /
ack, keeping his face to the king and g
owing again and again. But the king :,
nd the rest saw the knife in his hand, h
nd ragged strips of painted canvas
ung here and there on his clothes u
lille the princess, pale and proud, O
sood guarding the picture on the easel. r.
he king, in spite Of his wonder, was a
OF turned from the purpose which had q
rought him to the painters house, but r,
18th quick step darted up to Giraldo nj
nd thrust the letter Of the Marquis de =,
[erosailles into his hand, bidding him Il
sharp, peremptory tone to read it W
I'D give what explanation be could of W
10 contents. r.
Giraldo fell to reading Of it, while =,
10 king turned to his sister in order to b
TX her why she seemed agitated and n
God SO obstinately in front of her own e
oture, but at that instant one of the II
'ntiemen, whose name was Ladislas, T.