St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-16
two years. He was seeking out sin,

h1e are too dread to picture. Vic
was his first field of self degradation
But into whatever abyss he flung him
:. self, he yet loved, yet longed an
! knew that he was not, therefore. al
!, evil. And to be all evil was his wish
that Aquiles might, perchance, be al
, good. He then sought out blasphemy
dissertation of the sacred. Again, hi
! heart rotted yonder in the western
tropics amid q savage tribe.
Meanwhile Aquiles was his old sell
again. He progressed; he was thu
pride, the hope Of Guadalajara. His
wealth was called benefit to man
kind. He was striding on to high
honors; and, most significant, he
turned again to Adelaide. She, who
had bled at the tearing away of Bias
became now confused, soothed, as
though an opiate lent her quietude
brought up the past in the form OF
affection rejuvenescent. For she be.
gan to love Aquiles. She knew NOT
what sorcery it was that cast its
charm on her, but sometimes in day.
dreams she seemed to see that Aqui.
les was Blas-that out of those eyes
looked the beloved soul of Bias.
Two years went by. The bodily
Bias was a faded memory; she mar.
ried Aquiles. They lived in that house
Of the tiled walls; and there it was
that the monstrous selishness which
began to disfgure the life of Aquiles
first showed itself. 1t grew, ate into
his being; it consumed her tears.
He had once progressed for the great
principle of his country's progress
the principle that created Diaz, and
was re-created hundred times by
him, but now he progressed for him
self. That change at last scorched
down her love. Aquiles Pagaza had
become wonder of selfshness.
Bias, in his black depths, heard that
they were honored. He strove to
drown or drug that love Of his which
rose up, triumphant forever. Raging
he tore his breast. How, o God, may
man destroy his soul! Little did
he dream that he had stolen the
! -unselishness-and left his
brother its most damning opposite.
In that alone was the mighty fail
| ure.
At last, in the hot and reeking city
of Vera Cruz, he saw a little lame
girl with panied face. She was
standing against an old red wall, in
rags, just looking At the gutter. Pity
for her suddenly broke him. He
wept, and that weeping caused him
to awake. For he knew he had pity,
charity, love, in him still. He had
failed. He had sunk as low as he
could sink; and yet, here were those
accursed virtues. How could his
brother accomplish the great, be the
great, if he gave him not all? He
felt strangled; the mystery like a
snake was coiled loathsomely around
him. We're the two souls dangling
at the end of some internal cord
passed over some Internal wheel of
fate? Did they shift up and down
in hideous alteration. hideous de-
formity? He knew of those twins
whom birth had left bound by flesh.
Could it be so with souls?
He knew that, the bottom once
reached, he would rebound. Fearing
the reaction, which he felt already
in him (his love was the power that
would cause it) he resolved, panic
stricken, on the last step. He must
die-that, at least, would free them
both. Die to what? To eternal tor
ment! For he was STEPPED in sin.
Grinding his heart, accepting that
fate, he made his plans. No shriv-
ing for him. No repentance. A
death blasphemous. This would be
to leave all to Aquiles and the wo-
man. He came back to San Pedro, a |
wreck. She had once written him a
letter, saying that they kept room
for him, ready-wouid he never re-
turn? She had sent him key. One
midnight he crept into the room,
and stood staring about. Here would
he die.
But Adelaide did not sleep. Her
life was become a barren, hungry
thing. She had looked on her hus-
bands face, grown sordid, self-sure,
and known that she did not love him
scarce dared to whisper to herself
that she had never loved him. This
night she heard Bias enter-had lis
tened for him for year. She dressed
in a dark blue robe and came to offer
him conventional welcome. He was
staring at the light. It was not the
life she saw-the sick and
haggard embodiment of unbeliev-
able abuse. In spite of that, she
knew that before her was the most
beautiful human face that she had
ever seen. She knew that she loved
him; that this, this was the soul to
which her own had chung, helpless,
through months.
He saw her, and could withstand NO
more, but took her and kissed her.
That, too, was sin; with that would
he die. He broke away and fed. She
saw him go, and the night became
very still; minutes passed, minutes
ifeless to her. She heard at length
/ CRY from her husbands chamber,
md, terrified, ran thither. She threw
open the door, hearing strange
sounds within. A light was turned :
nigh, smoking, flaming. She caught
vt the wall and stood. There by the F.,
oed, torn with torture, was Aquiles. ,
lie had arisen from his sleep. She
Gould not move, But watched him as
le writhed. Some monstrous fit OF
dissolution was on him. Soul-sicken. !
ng groans were wrenched from him.
spasm hurled him forward and he
ell