St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-01-18

OF few words. l want you to own
them, too. l want you to marry me.
I must, 1 must have you"
His eye was now sinister, burning,
compelling. He sat with his powerful
hands gripping his knees, and his gaze
consuming her. She blushed clear
down to the low neck of the dress.
"Oh, mol" she murmured, turning
round to the gods feet, all confused.
"Love mel" burst out he, stern and
fierce.
81 can't!" She shrank, but was
tingling.
''Tll kiss you!" swore he.
He did it-and the truth OF the
thing is that she let him. She had no
of being kissed, either. But this was
such a. powerful, big, medieval ami
NAL, who bloodily beat Indians|it
was sweet to win him. In permitting
this second kiss she did that which,
though highly reprehensible, woman
may just possibly do and yet be good.
81 have won her!" said Roberto.
''No convent for her!"
Three days afterward, at dusk,
Federico came over from his hacien-
da, so miles away. On the morrow
there would be ball and an enter
tainment, and all the people for 100
| miles were coming. Federico lived
with his parents on that distant
| neighboring domain. There is free
dom here among neighbors. 10
come day too soon, to make himself
at home, to spend two nights instead
| of one-this is all natural enough.
But not the entertainment of to-
morrow drew here the high-spirited
young Mexican so early.
She thought Roberto was ten
leagues distant. She believed Benja-
min, who had been inspecting some
poor land away off somewhere, would
not be home till ten o'clock. She just
CHANGED to be walking between two
mighty rows of that austere heni-
quen when Federico appeared. She
blushed to begin with; and just sat
down right away, not feeling like do
ing anything. He was handsome and
slender. He dismounted and sat
down, too, beside the stiff arsenal of
the heniquen plant. The evening
breeze blew her hair, and she was
white. She was not now coquettish;
she was not roguish. She did not
say anything at all, but just sat there
and trembled.
He was not medieval. He had been
to the United States and spoke Eng
lish. Leland Stanford university had
been a grand field to win continuous
victory in, and he had come back full
OF life and happiness-and then Sole
dad had walked smiling into his exist
ence.
sit is-it is cooler" said he, with
consummate awkwardncss! for to say
it was a great task; to open his lips
and not let his heart flow out was a
great task.
She could not reply at all; she did
not know it was cooler. Indeed, it
was not. She was hardly breathing,
and shrank under the spear of the
heniauen plant. There was one min
ute of frozen silence. And then he,
able to wait no more, took her in his
arms, murmuring that which was not
words at all, but love inarticulate and
sweet. And she, with her gold hair
hanging over his arm, and her face
pale and beautiful, let him kiss her
not once but a hundred times. In
giving her love to him so fully and
so richly, she did that which no wo-
man can do and not be good.
"You will marry me-" he said, at
last. "There shall be no convent any
more for you"
"Your heart, Federico" she replied
-"your heart is my convent now"
But the unhappy thing is this:
BENJAMIN and Roberto had met, some
leagues away, and, talking about ma
chinery and the entertainment OF the
morrow. had ridden. back together
They had examined certain heniquen
plants behind the ruins, and then had
climbed to the summit of the highest
ruined temple, that Benjamin might
point out some spots in his fields
which were growing poorly. Wide was
that mighty view-an empire OF great
wealth-and the tropic evening cast
across it's limitless expanse of green
ish bayonets hue of pink. Down
there, just visible, was Soledad, and
Federico's kisses were being pressed
upon her cheek.
| Benjamin turned his eye OF fire Oh
Roberto. Roberto's cruel gaze came
round and rested on Benjamin.
"Curse her! Curse her!" grated the
latter, his fists clenched.
i "You fool!" ragged Benjamin, "what
is it to you-you! The shame il mine
Had she not given her love to me?"
"You lie in your throat" said Rob
erto, his eye colder and crueler.
"Dog-do you call me liar in the
very moment of my disonor? I'll kill
you, you dog-and her. too! She
gave her love to me four days ago
yonder, do you heartily the foun-
tain, under that internal god!"
/ He flew at Roberto, in his rage, to
knock him down. Roberto fought
him. but in defensive manner; and
presently held him off. 'You mad
mani" sneered he, his face vicious and
white. "You are duped, then, as
am duped. Let us not fight each 9th.
er. Three days ago, beneath this
other god, she was in my arms at
sunset, and kissed her"
i Benjamin, stunned, sat slowly
down, answering the others sneel
with look of hate. "Then," said
he, at length, 1--WE should be revenged