The San Francisco call., 1910-10-02


as with the heat of life were now
deathIy cold, as If they had been closed
for long time. The sweet. thick per-
fume which had pervaded them had
failed, leaving only dank smel Oh
old .weighty hangings: the very myster
sfousness seemed to have disappeared
out of the passageways and doors.
every turn and unexpected opening and
winding OF s. which | remembered
through sheer terror.
At the door OF the private sala there
was no pause: the maid did not knoch
No need. was there. at the door or an
empty room? She led me straight across
the anteroom and there in front OF the
curtain stood the impassive matordomo,
the man who had led me there the hrst
time. He was as stf1l as bronze
He did not even seem to see me. but
stretching out his hand gathered up
the velvet folds and drew the curtain
a little to one side.
There breathed upon me across the
threshold. wonderfully fresh and living,
like human presence, that strong
perfume of the Spanish Woman's flow
er. I stood fixed in astonishment. There
at the far end of the room she. was. the
Spanish Woman herself.
She was seated yet not as she had
been the first time I had seen her, IN
her low combing chair; but full facing
throne, her feet on a footstool. a table
. at her right on which her hand rested
over some white thing, like a folded
paper. Her gown too dull for gold, too
shining for anything else, streamed
down on each side. to the floor. Her
whole look was as if she had dressed
and seated herself and made ready for
some great thing. Her head was flung
back. resting against the cushion and
she was looking straight at me. She
did not speak. I felt she was waiting,
and that 1 must begin
/ walked slowly across the room, not
knowing what to say to her. but when
had covered half the distance some shaft
of sunrise slanting into the room lighted
her face with its pale reflection and
saw her eyes. They were half closed
and behind her thick, long lashes they
cleaned mistily like silver. My knees
doubled up under me and went down
on them in sheer weakness, for knew
that she was dead.
For moment I could think of moth
ing and the room like a wheel went
around me, but 1 kept saying. mo. no!
+ will not, / must not faint and
after a few moments I moved forward.
still think, on my knees. and looked
at the paper under her hand. I was
up and took it. I looked at the Span
ish Woman. looked at the fine, firm,
foreign handwriting.
"On the day of May the seventh.
1855, in the presence of John Mont
gomery and my peon. Victor Perez. 7.
Carlotta Valencia, shot and killed
Martin Rood in his gambling house in
Dupont and Washington streets.
Signed. Car1otta Valencia. Victor
Perez"
On the table. almost hidden by her
hand, 1 saw the thing which I had
seen once before lying in the gutter
In Dupont street.-the pearl handled
revolver
sat there at her feet. and. looking
up at her, L felt as If she had won.
though now I knew it, was quite the
other way. But she looked so calm,
so mighty so Indifferent, sitting up
there above me- that she made death
seem a little thing. and she herself not
even wicked Then the room swan
away from me as in a dream.
The next thing I was conscious of
was a broken foreign voice speaking
and 1 found myself covered UP with
great coat lying on a sofa in the
downstairs sala, and there, strangely
seen among its velvet and gliding. was
father with his hair tossed on end and
his clothes huddled upon him. and Mr.
Dfngley, very white and drawn, and
the peon Perez, who was talking. I
listened to his voice going on as if it
were part of a dream.
Yes, ne said. it was true
there had been bad blood be-
tween the two men. First il had been
the young mans debts, and then 1t
had been the sonora. The sonora had
told the young man she would give
up Rood; but of course that was i'm
possible, Perez said with a shrug. as
where was the money to come from he
should like to know? But she was con-
stantly afraid lest young Montgomery
might find it out. Therefore, Perez
said, when he had seen Mont gomery
going into Rood's place at o'clock
on the morning of the shooting he
went at once to his mistress and told
her. Taking Perez with her, she had
hurried to the gambling house with
the purpose of somehow separating the
two. and there in the bar the quarrel
had taken place.
1t seemed that the truth OF Rood's
position as protector" to the sonora
had reached Montgomery and he had
come to tax Rood with IT, and Rood
had told him.. He told him even be-
fore the senora's face, and Montgom-
:ery had said he was done with the
whole crew of them. He was going
to get out of 1T, he was going away.
Then the sonora had clung to Mont
gomery. telling him she. would DO any
thing to keep. him with her; and Rood
had turned upon him. 1t was then
that the sonora. had sshot Rood He
had been.standfng so near the swinging
door that at the. shot, to their horror,
he had fallen backward through it,
Before any one could think. the
peon went on, Montgomery had
snatched the revolver from her. say
ing: Il shot him., and rushed out
into. the street and after a moments
waiting the sonora had run out, and
seeing the revolver picked it up. Yes.
he said, she had worn white dress