The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-11

My Clementia, our happiness Is too great; too good to last I am afraid" l heard hinlasay one evening as they passed close to my office window.
 "Oh, no. my dear Manuel don't say that Why should we not be always happy?" his bride replied, looking up Into his face with q trustfulness that E was expressed in her words.
 l fervently gave silent voice to the hope that such love as existed between these two might never be broken It was not long after this scrap of conversation had reached my ears that the foreman of the night shift resigned his position and l employed a young man named Jose Lara who had held responsible position in an adjacent mine, to fill the vacancy There was some dissatisfaction expressed by the laborers because one of their own humber had not been promoted to the place but thls slight feeling of unrest soon wore away, and the new night fore man became popular with his men. He was, like Manuel, strongly built, hand some man. He, too lived down in the lttle town, and l was told that he was popular at the balls, winch he was able to attend occasionally He had not been working in the Porvenor long before observed that he and Clementia came to the mine together of an evening, he to go down to his nightly work and she to well scome Manuel when he emerged from the depths of the mine.
 My interest in Manuel and his pretty bride, Clementia, led me to sincerely hope that her daily association with Jose boded no evil for the future happiness of all concerned. Clementia seemed as loving and devoted to Manuel as ever. Could he know of the attachment that was evil dently springing up for her in the breast of Jose? l once thought of telling Man uel about it, and suggesting that he warn Clementia that she should exercise more Wifely discretion, but resolved to keep my hands out of the affair." She had doubtless told Manuel all about Jose &C., companing her to the mine, l reasoned Anyway, it was an affair which did not in any way concern me Tn the proper op- eration of the mine, l contemplated, and | would have nothing to do with it. Jose soon showed that he fairly wor- shiped Clementia. l could discern that fact easily. Not an evening passed that lie did not accompany her up the noun tain to the mouth of the mine. There he would finger for minute while he feast ed his eyes upon h er and then with soft "adois'' and a wave of his hand he would descend into the workings below i few minutes later the big form Of Mall 3lal would emerge from the shaft and ne and Clementia would walk off to their home.
 
 I had often wondered how it was all going to end 14e answer came in a tragic and unexpected way. One morn ing the dead body of Manuel was found lying on the floor of the room where he slept in his little home It was covered with knife wounds, several of which had reac ached the heart. In that remote region little effort was made to enforce the law and ferret out crime. A detachment Of rurales came up from the valley settle ment several miles below and made no tpretence of Investigating the murder, but they made no arrest. Clementia was pros itrated with grief. She told the rurales that she was in bed in the other room of the casa when the crime was committed; hat she heard no outcry and was unable to give any information as to the guilty person. Of course. there were many per- sons who Knew of Jose's infatuation for the beautiful Clementia These persons sBhook their heads in a knowing way, but fsaid nothing. was among the number As flor Jose, he seemed to be wholly ignorant sof the suspicion under which he rested usual. But no Clementia accompanied him tc the shafts opening. The days passed, and strange tales of Clementia were brought from the little town below. She had forsaken her home and was living In the mountains which clambered up on all sides of the village as though In an effort to smother out It's very existence One might I went down to the mill and was Rstartled by a white object which I saw saitting upon a rock far above me. stood Ind watched her. The silence of the Mountains was only broken by the drop