Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-13

souvenir.
at seems a strange thing to say" he
said, but I cannot help thinking we
must have met before. l am sure | rec
Ognize your voice."
Eyes, " she said, "we have met. You
would have recognized my face, too,
even in this mist, if / were not yelled.
/ knew you at once You are Charles
Marone."
"Will you not" he went on, "at
least put back your veil: | am sure I
should recognize you then and know
your name. Wherever we met before
it is strange enough that we should
meet again like this, at night on the
moor-I lost in the mist and you my
guide"
Eyes" she said, sit is strange. You
shall see my face, but lot yet. Perhaps
you will remember without that. Tell
me. can you remember 20 years ago."
Vaguely" he said. II was a young
man then-a wild ass of the desert.
But what have 20 years to do with it,
for unless my judgment is very wrong
you cannot remember 20 years ago:"
"Why not?' she said.
Because, " he said, laughing, "you
cannot possibly be 20 years of age"
"Never mind" she said. "Twenty
years ago you did precisely what you
are doing now. You went away to a
village to get some work DONE"
every likely" he said. "That was
when ! was up at Oxford. 1t is not i'm
possible, but I have no clear recollec-
ton Of it,"
She began to hum a tune. The tune,
like the voice, came back to him.
~ remember now-an old mill, an
orchard behind it. was in the or
| chard."
She raised a gloved hand, in which
she carried some fast fading flowers.
.'Smell these" she said, land they
also will help your memory"
Their scent was curious, harsh and
heavy; not sweet and refreshing.
~ know" he cried. "They grew
there all among the grass, those great
red peoples. Now | recall everything
and could even have sworn that you
were''-
"Who?" she asked softly.
"One who 20 years ago had the grace
and the voice and the figure that you
have now
Out Of the gray mist came a row Of
low, white painted ratings.
"Let me rest a little, she said.
She leaned against them. A stone,
dislodged by her foot, fell far down and
splashed in the water below.
"What was her name?" she asked.
"a strange name for an English
girl" he said sadly. "She was called
Antoinette."
II am Antoinette," said the woman
before him.
"But not the same," he said. "That
would be impossible"
She laughed.
"If," she said, "you had been a wo-
man instead Of a man, you would have
noticed. even in this light, that I wear
the fashions Of 20 years ago. Won't
you believe? Look at my face them"
It was the face of the woman whom
he had more or less loved 20 years be-
fore. He shrank back a few steps from
her.
"What does it mean?' he asked.
"How is it that you have not changed?"
He was frightened.
81 came here" she said, latter you
had gone. 1t was just at this spot that
I read your last letter. Listen"
He heard the water murmuring be-
low him.
sit was 20 years ago" she went on.
II died-down there-because you had
left me. Come back to me now"
Slowly and mechanically he stepped
forward again toward her.
The lamentable death of Charles Ma
rome while still comparatively young
and at the height Of his reputation was,
the newspapers said, the result of acct
dent. He had, in spite of warning,
gone out OH the moor in q thick mist
and lost his way. The local paper re.
called with some jubilation that it had
directed public attention to the disgrace
full state Of the ratings Oh the bank of
the river some time before and added in
a fine vein of sarcasm that the door
would probably be shut nov that the
steed was stolen. Barry Pain in Black
and White.