The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-12-17

IT'S Nina. Are YOU there7'
.tNerlna wrenched the heavy door open:
khe mother pressed forward and te- In
her sons arms.
At the same moment three Communal
guards seized him. leapinC from Tho shell
,er or the laurel thickcf on the ramuart.
arms and struck her servant Co the
N,erina gathered herself up. blind. sick.
Beasts, How I'D you know
ne guards laughed brutally and drag
go i'oinaHlno away IN the gloom OF the
'ei,upieS, thelr handouts ON his wrists
Mad4ma Tina had dropped ~ the
Ground IN syncOpe. She was carried
i AVA H i, mouse and into her chamber. She
The doctor stood by her bed. having
Spt1t az MS science IN vain. lie seemed
KIM, plying, wise.
My poor soul YOU should co ~ vogr
room and rest after such a shock" rs
sald 10 Nerina, where she sat mute by
tho corpse.
She had never spoken a word since the
StIute or komdninO. IL was now late
IN the forenoon She stared AZ him COM
S.a, my WIN her dry. fierce eyes and the
baIe Hade MIN uneasy and troubled
can DO mo- more good here" be- 47ff
WIN regret, little later and rose ma
p Is me .c cnamber Of death. The parish
! All the last services Of life were rem
dered that night by the servant 10 her
mn mistress. No other hand but her serv-
any touched the body Of Madama Tina
Al the thirty hours which followed 80
fiha watched By the bed. watched bv tho
biItgr; seemed dumb, seemed deaf. seemed
When all was over and she alone had
utth inc mnuruCr az the tomb her ro1I
UoNyred ana her face muflied iu "a black.
MVulcu shawl. she skunk like lost
wounded animal under the shadow ~ fhs
chNrch, where her lady had been faff f,r
Jrett lSlI ln her lcaden coffin beside the
r. cal Nrs.r.
instinct; 10 the bcwidered torment ~
Htr thoughts. one supreme idea stood one
IIST written IN fire. How had they known
turn? lc-
As she went slowly across the fevr s~o-s
OF Yards which separated the church f-1r
~ mouse which had sheltered ror
through so many years. She erv +, fs,r
mack tt+t form passing 5r--=r-== no r77rf
wy. ~ was the figure ot the grothcrarv.
n sudden light Ike that OF an electric
nash through % murkv uicrf pierrr9 No
stGpor OF her dull brain. There v1s tha
trIitOr-thcrcf 0
With a bound she was upon him her
hands clutchCd his shoulders. her fssr-
less. hollow eyes blazod into his.
You sold their sccrctt''
startled and thrown of hfs r,,,-4 81.
tne sudden charge he stammersd der.9f
grew vivid, shook in all his limbs.
You sold their secrct.'
NO, no he muttorod .'No NOT v-.,.
i did ! did from duty. The law must be-
lou Suiu their EeCrrff''
IL was all clear To- her as thort~b g., ,.-i.,
from heaven or hell spoke in her oar 3D.
mao lld MS trap for her % learn fra
truth ior the lawmakers and had t..r
pdld by the law Ike Judas ne I4d mod.
htt nctIay the dead. He had made n-r
bctray the living
You sold their secret she e,f4 e.-
the FOURTH time. and she read tho crl1r
upon his face where the yellow fi~kSr ~
inc lamp before the shrine fen or IN
All. wretch, Al beast An. JuII1ts
she screamed iu his ear. and with aU rar
might she clutChed him iu her strong
arms and swept him on h.s foot ms
though he were a broken. r11fIcss tra.
WIN whirling force us though noun
tain storm had entered her and lent Der
an It's power. she propelled him across
inc roadway, still lftiuC him of his faet.
ard bearing him toward ttc river wall
lie Struggled tn vain 90 free himself and
shake o. her hold lie was weakly ana
aged man. coward always and more
IMAM ever coward now. through CULVER
ing consciOusucSs OF guilt As "a hurri-
cane sweeps dead wood before 40 he
drove him across the width of the ram
part road. and wiz. the natural strength
which was iu her Intensified "a hundred
fold by agony. rcmOrsc and hate. she
lifted his fraii body over the low VOL
above the river and plunged with MN
into the river below.
The water was deep with the first min
falls Of autumn. They sank together like
stones. In the morning their bodies were
found half a mile lower down the torrent:
the hands Of Neriua were close locked
round the old mans shoulders her teeth
were fastened IN his throat.