Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-08-03

ISIS.
But what has that to do with your
coming to American"
ITO meet one in the flesh whom Won
have supposed to be dead you must
admit is liable TO cause a shock" she
replied without noticing my question.
But
Come; let us walk together"
BY slow degrees she brought out that
she had come to America because there
are fields open TO women in which they
may make their living. She had no
dowry, and in Spain a dowry was nee
essary to marriage; therefore she pre-
fcrred to be occupied among those Of
her own sex who were used to work
and where there was work to do.
There Is no work to do up in these
mountains" | sai1.
The question took her unawares.
That her presence in America was not
explained by anything she had told me
did not doubt. But what was her
object in coming? As we walked on
| probed the matter. wondering all the
while at the strange occurrence Then
suddenly a theory suggested itself to
me Might she not have come to pro
tect me? And would she have come
all the way across an ocean on my ac-
count except for one reason-that she
loved me?
But such suspicion | was not in
cllned to make known to Dolores
Nevertheless 1t caught my fancy ana
brought wild JOY to my heart. Set
apart from those with whom | had
been reared. dead to every living be
ing had known. the bare suspicion
that this girl loved me and loved me
so well that she had come all the way
from my beloved Spain for me was
like a new birth to me. With this girl
for a companion | would be willing to
live on in my changed existence.
| said no more to her as to the rea-
son for her coming In any event 1t
was her secret. provided she chose TO
keep II secret, and not mine. | found
that she was stopping at house no
far from mine and there later on
left her, having arranged to cali ard
walk with her the next morning.
And so | did. In that mountain air
we strolled, | invigorated not only by
its purity but by the companionship
of Dolores But while l grew strong
she seemed to be wasting away
Something was distressing her. | ask
ed her to confess it TO me, and she
declined. ] pressed her to do so, and
In a spasm of feeling she cried:
IF you don't leave shall go mad"
To express my sympathy ! took he'
hand In mine, but she snatched 1t
away.
zone would suppose" said. wound
ed, that a viper had touched you.
"Or that you had touched viper
she replied
I was looking her in the face at the
time she said this and saw her bite her
lip. Perhaps the words and the ac-
ton should have given me clew to
her secret. but they did not was as
much puzzled as ever
One day when we We're walking to-
gether we met woman with dark
hair and eyes.
THAT woman" | said. came either
from Spain or Mexico. AT any rate.
she's Spanish.
| turned to look at Dolores and saw
that she was struggling with some
emotion But by this time | had Civ
en- over questioning her upon these
strange matters and said nothing. To
attempt to extract from her their
cause seemed Dniy to madden her
We met the same woman again the
next day, and saw on her face
look that assured me that there was
some understanding between them:
but, as before. refrained from speak
ing of It,
One night awoSe with a start
The moon. shining in at the window
showed woman's figure standing
near. She held something In one
hand, while with the forednger of the
other she was smearlng what she held
Then suddenly she flung the article
out Of the window \ ray of moon
light struck 1t and revealed what |
took to be n knife
rose, supporting myself on my ell
bow. and asked:
"Who's thereF'
A hand grasped mine-a hand cold
rs ice,
Hush! am Dolores"
what are YOU doilg hereT
"Don't interrupt me while tell you
and what to do Our lives depend
upon II. came TO America ordered
.y the circle to kill you. \ woman
was sent with me to see that ! did the
work She is the Spanish woman we
met Tonight ] told her that ! would
come 10 your room, plunge a dagger
into your heart and throw the dagger
out Of the window TO prove 10 her
that have done the deed have
smeared Il with hcef's blood. She Is
to leave by one route. by another;
she by the stony Glove and | by the
Glove leading down eastward Good
by"
, "Doloresr I cried, q will so with
your
"Where-ro deathg"
1--WE win hide ourselves from the
world"