The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-07
shoulder, he caressing the soft, warm fin


difficulty Of cutting an opal. He knew
the skill and patience it must require to
shape IL like this one. There was probably
not another like 1t in the world; certainly
he had never seen it if there were. IN the
Pickering light it cleaned and sparkled
blue and red and yellow fires, and the jaws
seemed to comfort themselves into a grin.
"How wonderful" he calculated.
"Yes," answered Anita.
He was seized with a wild desire to OBJ
tain it, and he played bobby for it. "Do
you love me, Anita, sweetheart, beauti-
ful2'' he whispered, taking her face in his
hInds and looking into her eyes.
She uttered faint but sincere eyes"
He kissed her again, not once, but many
times. eff you love me, Anita you should
give me the 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.
"Whyp"
"Carlos, he tell me Eat cot ees very
wat you say-note nice lucky"
"Then why did he give it to your"
HE say eet ees for man, note for a
woman, Eat Get ees like zat.
II expect Carlos wanted to keep you
from giving it away"
"No. He say Eat one man wat keep Get
for fife year, he die sure.
II am not afraid. would be g1ad to
die to have your ring for even year."
"No. Geef eet back to me-"
"Then you do not love me-" he said de-
jectedly. "You are like oil women, you
are glad to break mans heart"
"No, no. lofe you. You can keep
eet weel 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 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
Mexicans, ride up to the house. He
guessed that they were the man Manara
and Carlos, and he hitched up the team
quickly and went in a fashion that sug-
gested flight, taking the ring with him.
Now, it happened, as such things will
happen in the new west, that Carlos Va
lera grew very rich within few months
and went to live in San Diego with his
wife, and that they were much courtcd and
sought after, for Valera was generous and
well hammered and not ill looking and Sc
nora Valera was hewitching, u type more
than locally famous for her beauty, and
possessed of u 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 o
day passed that more than one total stran-
ger was not entertained. Thus it came
about that upon a spring evening some
years after her marriage Sonora Valera
greeted with lovely ease and grace guest
whom her husband brought home with
him, 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 a slight lisp: Carlos,
dear, will you see If left my opal and dia-
mond pin on my dressing standp think
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. I'M
afraid they are really unlucky stones.
Don't you 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.
81 have never taken it off, and I'm sor-
ry that l can't do SO now"
"1f Mr.. Valera sees it, he will be as apt
to kill you as not He is very jealous"
II fancy he has good reason"
"kindly keep your opinions where such
unpleasant ones properly belong-in your
own consciousness. Youwill be wise to do
rs L say and to be quick. Do you know
that the five years is up tonight"
II doubt that sort of superstition. ASH
told you before, I'm not afraid. Perhaps
you are thought 1t is natural you shruld
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 flnger-'if you will kiss me
again as 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 be a gentleman.
"Never. Not all those caresses and pro-
testations Come, kiss me again, and I'll
hide the ring"
"No. Mr. Valera will finish hunting
for a pin that isn't there in a moment
more, and II he comes back it may go ill
with you. 1t certainly will if he sees the
ring
"Then kiss me-
II will not. Be quick. I 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 the French window, but he knew that
the woman pulled away from him with
loud "How dare you'll and II scream
Carlos, Carlos, help me!'
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 accept
ed fashion of the conventional faint, and
as she did SO dropped the jewel into the
bosom Of her gown. Then she lost con-
sCiousness
The story she told her husband was one
ofunprovoked impcrtincnce on the part of
an utter stranger, u man she had never
seen before, and the story he told the
world was much the same, but slightly
emDcllishcd. 1t was not plausible, yet it
passed. 1t excused the murder without
any great difficulty, and it was something
of II feather in the cap of the beautiful
Mexican for this was in the early days.
Sonora Valera ground the opal skull to
bits with IA heavy stone and kept the chips
in Il locket, until one day she found an
excuse to drive to the cemetery and scatter
them upon Lovell's grave.-Gwendolen
Ovcrton in Argonaut.
A Character Sketch.
Eyes, remember ole man Billitts," said
the oldest nhabitant. HE was one Of
them fellers that had so much religion on
Sunday that he didn't seem to need none
through the rest of the week. "-Cincln.
natl Enquirer.
A iudicjOus uSe of that suparior aluera-