Evening star., 1918-01-27
XIII.
CAPITULATION.

Late on the second day after the bat
tie Asensio returned to his bohio. Rosa
and Evangelina. already frantic at the
delay. heard him crying to them while
he was still hidden in the woods, and
knew that the worst had happened.
There was little need for him to tell
his story, for he was weaponless, STAIN
ed and bloody. He had crossed the
hills on foot after a miraculous escape
from that ravine of death. OF his
companions he knew nothing whatever:
the mention of Esteban's name caused
him to beat his breast and cry aloud.
He was weak and feverish. and his in
coherent story OF the midnight en-
counter was so highly colored that Rosa
nearly swooned with horror.
The girl stood swaying while he told
how the night had betrayed them. how
he had wrought incredible feats of valor
before the shifting tide Of battle had
spewed him out the end Of the sunken
road and left him half dead in the
finding himself growing stronger, he
had burrowed into a tangle Of vines at
the foot OF wall where he had re-
mained until the fighting ceased. When
the Spaniards had finally discovered
their mistake and had ceased riding
one another down, when lights came
and he heard Col Cobo cursing them
like one insane. he had wriggled away,
crossed the calzada, and hidden in the
woods until dawn. He had been walk
ing ever since: he had come home to die
Rosa heard only parts Of the story,
for her mind was numbed, her heart
frozen. Her emotion was too deep for
tears. 1t paralyzed her for the time
being: she merely stood staring. her
dark eyes glazed. her ashen lips apart.
Finally something snapped, and she
knew nothing more until hours after
ward. when she found herself upon her
comfortless bed with Evangelina bend
ing over her All night she had lain
inert, In merctful stupor; 1t was not
until the next morning that she grad
ually came out of her coma.
really alarmed. fearing that IL the girl
did rally her mind would be affected.
But Rosa was young and, despite her
fragility of form. she was stronR-too
strong, 1t seemed to her. and possessed
Of too deep capacity for suffering.
How she ever survived those next few
days. days when she prayed hourly to
die, was a mystery. And when she
found that she could at last shed tears,
what agony! The bond between her
and Esteban had been stronger than
usually exists between sister and
brother; he had been her other self: in
him she had centered her love, her
pride. her ambition. The two had neser
passed between them: their mutual an
derstanding: moreover. had been ain ost
more than human, and where the one
was concerned the other had been ut
terly unselfsh. To lose Esteban, thvre-
fore. split the girls soul and heart
asunder; she felt that she could not
stand without him. Born into the
world at the same hour welded into
unity by their mothers supreme pain.
the boy and girl were Of the same flesi,
and spirit: they were animated by the
same life current. Never had the one
been Ill but that the other had suffered
corresponding symptoms; never had the
one been sad or gay but that the other
had felt like reaction. Personalities
30 closely knit together are not un-
common. and to sever them is often
dangerous.
Into Rosa's life, however. there had
come one interest which she could not