Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-08-15

ner arm. She paused, and they gaZed
at one another.
"Otilia, some dread thing haunts
you"
"Yes, senor." Her eyes were down.
"Otilia, a great weight is on you. I
am n used to speaking out. When
o puts fire into a mans heart, the
man should never hide it, lest it burn
him. Otilia, l seem to see myself in
your eyes. Heart of my heart, l love
you"
She, exceedingly white, raised her
eyes just enough to see his chin; and
with a startling mixture of mischief
and emotional ~upheaving, she remem
bered her words: Hang him by his
sweet, soft beard, Pope"
He kissed her as the dusk Games. She
went home, bewildered to find that
her eyes seemed blind. When she put
her rebozo to them it came away wet.
h walked statelily, looking at all the
low, barred windows. She entered
her brothers patio and sat down I'M
der the great cups-of-gold. At supper
she could not eat. In bed she could
not sleep. In the night her little bare
feet vent softly up and down the
room. In the morning she was afraid
of herself, something within her heart
scared her so.
The love passage thus began, and
Otilia, in winning him, had lost her
self. All, his god-like form, his for
eign strength, his Wilderness! She
loved him The same old difference
between so many loves characterized
these. The mans vast schemes were
mightier than his love. The woman's
love was mightier than all else.
At the edge of the town was a de
serted alameda full of mango-trees.
Here were aged stone benches seldom
uesd- Here the shade was like dusk
at noon, like midnight at dusk. Here
they met. evening after evening, she
falling painting into his arms, he gaz-
ing at her scarcely seen face with
hungry eyes.
You are incarnate TRUTH" he said.
Blood few to her face; her brain
seemed drown. yeti was false"
what bad jest is this?"
She lay trembling. Somehow a fear
entered him.
Speak" he cried, almost letting
her from him.
II plotted against you"
"How-it is a lie!"
~Oh, my souls soul! I set about to
win you, instigated by my brother,
that l might learn your plan of rev
~olution, and conquer you and bring
you to death. Crush me if you must
thus have I lost m~yself-thus have
you overthrown mel"
He let her fall on the old stone
bench. The shade of the mango trees
was deep. He stood a little way off
tall n still, and looked at her. Just
here the revulsion came; for gold had
made him insane with dreams. His
love was second to his plot. Distrust
sank deep in him. He felt himself be-
trayed. Cold drops were on his fore
head. He had walked as in a deer
gold mist. He gazed on this girl
She was incarnate treason; his love
for her had turned to fear.
Wounded, ignoble, but grand with
rage, he turned, inc she was left
alone. After that he smiled at her nc
more, nor looked at her. He dared not
fee; that were confession and meant
death. He dared not prolong delay.
She had CROPPED her way home from
the mango-grove. Though she was
sweet and 1eisurly and shrevd, she had
in her that fuel which, touched with
fire, burns on to vengeance. But she
was sad; and it seemed some second
self mercilessly drove her on to the
revenge which her better nature die
not want. She wept, and grew thin in
three days miraculously. Sometimes
she joked with herself even vet, in
manner CHASTITY. Hang him by his
sweet, soft beard" murmered she in
bad night dreams; and she saw hi!
head, in visions, hung thus, horrible.
The first night of their estrange
ment, the fat, pulque-drinking chic
found letters at the home of one OF
his subordinates. They incriminatec
the subordinate, who was arrested anC
put in the little adobe Jail across the
plaza. The chief strove in vain to fine
one word of those epistles which
might give ground for the arrest OF
Stirge. But the Americans tracks
were yet covered. The chief shei
maudlin tears of evaporation.
The third night Otilia came knock
ing at his door at ten o'clock. She wa:
!. admitted; the chief sitting in a gow1
on his beds edge.
""This subordinate, the arrested
one" said she, steady-voiced, when il
he to be skot?"
"At sunrise. I am writing the or
!, der for the soldiers who will arrive
tonight. Oh, you f%ailure!7
"Come, keep these ratings for an
other. Give me the order but leav'
the name a blank"
: Her was cold, Stern, ana
she was pale and sick.
"Why?" he growled.
She put one hand on the foot-boart
and leaned close to him. "I may de
that which your secret soul longs
for" whispered she. ID I no
know that it is his gold that 20,
want? Think. They say it il
stacked to the roof"
5 "But I should be called to account
for a baseless execution, you fool!'
ST have a fading ink. 1 write thu
name and show it to the captain. HI
executes the order. The ink fades
t You substitute the rightful name
and on the captain lies the blame"
. He fell back in bed with a choking
noise.
"It's on the table," he said, weakly
She brought him the blank. He hllec