The Monticellonian., 1918-08-23

and green to look at. they carried no 1 fruit and the odor of their blooms was trial and a mockery to the hungry visitor. The evidences of Cuetos van dalism affected O'Reilly deeply: they 1 brought him memories more painful than he had anticipated. Although the | place was well-nigh unrecoguizable, nevertheless it cried aloud of Rosa. and the unhappy lover could barely control the emotions it awakened. .t was indeed a morbid impulse which had brought him thi.her, but now that he was here he could not leave. Un- consciously his feet turned toward the ancient quarry which had formed the sunken garden--his and Rosas tryst- ing place.
 OReilly desired above all things to be alone at this moment. and so he was annoyed to discover that another per son was before him-a woman, evident 1y some miserable paeifieo like himself. She. too, appeared to be looking for roots, and he almost stumbled over her as he brushed through the guava bushes fringing the depression.
 His sudden appearance alarmed the creature and she struggled, panic stricken, out of his path. Her rags could not conceal the fact that she was deformed, that her back was crooked, so he muttered a reassuring word to her.
 This place was more as he had left it-there was the stone bench where he had said good-by to Rosa; wonder was the we'll
 .4Senor!. Johnnie heard himself ad- dressed by the hunchbacked woman. Her voice was thin, tremulous, eager, but his thoughts were busy and he paid no heed. "Senor! Do you look for something-some one"
 ..N-no. Yes-' he answered, abstract edly. ..Yes, I am looking for some thing=some one"
 Something you have lost?"
 "Something I have lost l' The ques- ton came to him faintly, but it was so in tune with his unhappy mood that it affected him strangely. He found that his eyes were blurring and that an aching lump had risen into his throat. This was the breaking point.
 o'Reilly's hearing, too. was going wrong for he imagined that some one whispered his name God This place was not dead-it was aliye-terribly alive with memories, voices. pres ence unseen yet real. He laid hold of the nearest bush to steady himself, he closed his eyes, only to hear his name spoken louder.
 "O'Rail-yei"
 Johnnie brushed the tears from his lashes. He turned, he listened, but there was no one to be seen, no one, that Is, except the dusky cripple, who had strengthened herself and was fac ing him, poised uncertainty. He looked at her second time, then the world began to spin dizzily and he groped his way toward her. He peered again, closer, for everything before his eyes was swimming.
 The woman was thin-little more than skeleton-and so frail that the wind appeared to sway her, but her face. uplifted to the sun. was glorified. O'Reilly stood rooted, staring at her until she opened her eyes, then he voiced q great cry:
 Rosa :" What more he said he never knew.
 He took the misshapen figure into his arms. he rained kisses upon the pinehed. discolored face. But Rosa did not respond; her puny strength had flown and she lay inert in his em- brace. scarcely breathing.
 Dazed. doubting, astounded. it was some time before Johnnie could con- vince himself of the reality of this mo- ment, and even then words did not