Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-03
WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT. MONDAY. JUNE 2 2 1901

it. She only thought of love as she had always seen it-quiclly born, hotly cherished, wholly indulged and without tie or restraint.
 "And came without my vengeancew she unused. To the nature that felt the ferocity of the vendetta a right and due there was wounding humili- ation in her knowledge that she had left her rival unharmed and had come hither, out from his sight and his presence, lest he should see in her ons glimpse of that folly which she would have killed herself under her own steel rather than have betrayed either for his contempt or his compassion.
 The touch of birds wing brushing her hair brought the dreamy compari- son to her wandering thoughts. She started and lifted her head. It was a blue carrier pigeon, one of the many she fed at that easement and the swift est and surest of several she sent with messages for the soldiers between the various stations and corps. She had 1 forgotten she had left the bird at the encampment.
 She caressed it absently, while the tired creature sank down on her bosom. Then only she saw that there was 8 letter beneath one wing.
 She found an old French cobbler sit i ting at stall in easement stitching 1 leather. He was her customary reader and scribe in this quarter. She touch ed him with the paper. Good Ma thieau, wilt thou read this to meT'
 And he read aloud:
 There is i'll news. send the bird on a chance | to find thee. Bel-a-faire-peur struck the Black | Hawk-a light blow, but with threat to kill fol- lowing it. He has been tried and is to be shot. There is appeal. The case is clear The colo l mel could have cut him down, that all. thought you should know We are all sorry. It was done on the night of the great fete. am thy humble lover, and slave.
 So the boy zouave's scrawl, crushed and plotted and written with great diff ficulty, ran in it's DrIeI phrases that the slow muttering of the old shoemaker drew out in tedious length. I Cigarette heard. She never made a movement or gave a sound, but all the blood fled out of her brilliant face, leaving it horribly blanched beneath it's brown sun scorch, and her eyes, distended, senseless, sightless, were fastened on the old mans slowly nov ing mouth.
 "Shotr' she said vacantly. "Shot!"
 Her vengeance had come without her once lifting her hand to summon it.
 'The blow was struck for her," she muttered. Ut was that night, you hear-that night?'
 '.What night? Thou lookest so strangely. Dost thou love this doomed soldier?''
 Cigarette laughed-a laugh whose echo thrilled horribly through the lonely .NIoresco courtway.
 s'Lovei Love! I hated him, look you! So said. And longed for my vengeance. It is come"
 Then she crushed the letter in one hand and flew, fleet as any antelope through the streets of the Moorish quarter and across the city to the quay.
 The people ever gave way before her, but now they scattered like fright ened sheep from her path. There was something thatate terrified them in that Bloodless horror settupon her face and in that fury of resistless speed witl which she rushed upon her way.
 Once only in her headlong career through the throngs she paused. Ii was as one face, on which the strong light of the noontide poured, came be fore her. The senseless look changed in her eyes. She wheeled out of hel route and stopped.
 "You have his facep' she muttered 'What are you to him?''
 ''To whom?'
 gro the man who calls himself Louis Victor, a chasseur of my army?"
 Her eyes were fastened entirely upoI him, keen, ruthless, fierce, in this mo ment, as a hawks. He grew pale ant murmured an incoherent denial. H, sought to shake her off, first gently then more rudely. He called her mat @ and tried to fling her from him, but tn, 1.-the fingers only wound themselvei closer on his arm.
 "Be still, foolr' she muttered. "Yol are of his people. You have his eye aRd his looks and his features. H, disowns you or you him. No matte which, he is of your blood, and he lie under sentence of death. Do you knoy that?''
 With a stifled cry the other recoilet from her. He never doubted that sh, spoke the truth. None could who hat looked upon her face.
 Do not lie to me- she said curtly ;. ''It avails you nothing. Read that"
 She thrust before him the paper tn pigeon had brought. His hand trem bled sorely as he held it. He believed in that moment that this strange crea ture, half soldier, half woman, hal brigand, half child, knew all his stor, and all his shame from his brother. "ShotI' he echoed hoarsely as sh had done when he had read on to tn end. "Shot. Oh, my God, and Fl an his brotherr'
 : She was silent. Looking at him fix edly, it did not seem to her strang that she should thus have met one o his blood in the crowds of Algiers.
 "You are his brother,' she said slow ly. "Ten me his name, his ranks He was silent. Coward and egotis that he was, both cowardice and ego tisin were killed in him under the over whelming horrQr with which he fel himself as truly by moral guilt a fratr eide as though he had stabbed his eide through the heart.