The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-11-26

'AAtIiA lAON ilhSluS ZIG i1iAhu aoloO
he threw himself down beside the body |
on the floor The revolver as it |
dropped, was caught in the nimble |
hand of the Hindu, who took two long
swift strides toward the woman who
now faced him instead of her husband |
There was a great light in his eyes as
he stood over her and she saw death
staring out upon her
But she did not quail She was past
all that She looked straight into his
eyes for an instant and then, as if
putting him out of her thoughts entire
ly, turned slowly toward the two men
on the floor The man half raised the
pistol, but something stayed his hand
something stronger than any mere
physical opposition could have done,
He glared at the half-averted face,
COMPOUNDED by the most extraordinary
impression that ever had entered his
incOmprehensible brain. Something
strange and wonderful was tranSpir-
ing before his very eyes-sOmething
SO marvellous that even he. mysteri-
GUS seer Of the Gauges, was stunned
into complete amazement and unbellef.
That strange, unCanny intelligence OF
his, born Of a thousand mysteries, was
being tried beyond all previous eXac-
tons. 1t was as if he now saw this
woman for the first time-as if he had
never looked upon her face before. A
mist appeared to envelop her and
through this veil he saw a face that
was new to him-the face of YVOnne
and yet not hers at all. Absolute won
der crept into his eyes.
AS if impelled by the power Of his
gaze, she faced him once more. For
what seemed hours to him, but in
reality only seconds. his searching
eyes looked deep into hers He saw
at last the soul of this woman ard it
was not the soul he had known as hers
up to that tremendous moment And
he came to know that she was no
longer afraid of him or his powers.
His hand was lowered, his eyes fell
and his lips moved but there were no
words, for he addressed a spirit. All
the venom, all the hatred fed from his
soul. His knee bent in sudden submis-
sion, and his eyes were raised to hers
once more, but now in their somber
depths was the fidelity of the dog
Go at once" she said, and her voice
was as clear as a bell.
He shot a swift glance at the pros
trate Frederic and Strengthened his
tall figure as would a soldier under
orders. His understanding gaze
sought hers again. There was another
command in her eyes. He placed the
weapon on the table. 1t had been dis
tinct command to him.
One of us will use it." she sale
monotonously. Col"
With incredible swiftness he was
gone. The curtains barely moved a.
he passed between them and the heav!
door made no sound in opening an(
closing. There was no one in the hall
The sound of the shot had not gone
beyond the thick walls of that Pre-
sCribed room on the top floor. Some
where at the rear of the house an in
distinct voice was uttering a jumble'
stream of French.
Many minutes passed. There wa
not movement in the room. Brood
beside the outstretched figure of hi
unattended victim, was staring at tn
graying face with wide, unblinkin
eyes. He looked at last upon the fea
! lures that he had searched for il
' vain through all the sullen years
There was blood on his hands and O
I his cheek, for he had listened at first 70
the beat of the heart Afterward hi
agonized gaze had gone to the blood
less face There 1t was arrested.
, dumb wonder possessed his soul H
knelt there petrified by the shock {
discovery. In the dim light he n
J longer saw the features Of Matilde, BIT
his own, and his heart was still. |
that revealing moment he realized tia
he had never seen anything in Free
! cries countenance save the darl
r-to-be-forgotten eyes-and the
we're his Matilde's. Now those eye
| were closed He could not see then
! and the blindness was struck from b
own. He had always looked into tE
! boys eyes-he had never been able
| seek farther than those haunting, i
! curing eyes-but now he saw tt
| lean, strong jaw, and the firm chi
the straight nose and the broad for
head-and none of these were NJ
tides! These were the features OF
| man-and of but one man. He was Sc
ing himself as he was when he locke
into his mirror at twenty-one!
All these years he had been bin
all these years he had gone on cur
ing his own image In that overpowe
ing thought came the realization tn
! it was too late for him to atone. II
! mind slowly struggled out Of thrs
. that held it stupefied He was lookil
at his own face-deadi He would lot
like that. Matilde was gone forever
the eyes were closed-but he WI