Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-12-14

and lashed the bayou mad7 .
She had not heard a sound, but look
ing hy chance, she saw brace coming
through the cane, and she sprang up
to meet him, the play-book pressed
against her bosom.
"Nadlne."
"8IOnsieurl'
Don't call me Monsieur Call me
Virgil"
She dropped her book, He bent TO
pick it up, but she snatched it from
beneath his reaching hand and stood
back from. him.
"Oh, it was You, thenl It was YOU
the so strong man that would break
my fathers wrist. It was your
"Nadine, it was not to hurt him.
With a knife he would have killed an
old man; and then they would have
hanged him. Nadine, my other hand
held yours, to protect you"
ut must be true. l will believe you
Virgil. l know you brave and not
wish to hurt an old man. No, you
could not do that. You will forgive
me, yesT"
She held forth her hand and taking
1t ~tenderly, he touched 1t with his lips;
and like a princess she accepted the
homage due her rank and her beauty.
"Come, now, we play" she said,
sweetly laughing. sand it must be
free, like the boy and the girl. But
first you sit down here and tell me-"
She led him to her sofa" and they
sat down, leaning back against the
tree.
"TelI you what, Nadine?"
"About the great big world you
know so WELL"
81 don't know the big world, as you
think it. But I know the universe as
I feel it. 1t is here" T..
About her finger she sat wrapping
the lily-stem that had marked her
favorite play. Was 1t that she did not
understand his reference to his uni
verse? No, for she shook her head,
and with a sigh that did not mean
WEAKNESS.
1.-THE universe could not be on this
little island"
at could be held in your dimpled
hand"
"Oh, my hand dimpled!" She held 1t
in front of him. touched his brew
with the palm.
SIT is not soft enough to be dimpled,
Virgil"
81 would kiss 1t soft"
He caught her wrist, touched the
tip Of each fugar with his lips and
then kissed the palm. She laughed,
drawing back her hand,
"Yo6 must not do that. We must
talk of other things"
ayes, but first let me tell you of
my dream"
81 do not like to hear dreams. We
always forget them and make up some
thing we did not dream. But
did you not tell me onceY
"No, !, don't think so. In my dream
you touched my heart with q torch
and set it atre."
'But l would not do that. / would
save you from the fire. All, and Tony
he has gone to the city, but when he
comes back, we must watch close.
One time he tried to take my
hand, and he said he would kiss me.
And | say: That may be, Tony. You
can kiss me because you stronger. But
when you have, then you be dead
And he knew that I speak what was
to come"
"We care nothing for him. Let him
keep out Of my way. . And
when I saw you at the ball, I knew
that you were the girl with the torch.
And do you know what I said to my
self2 Let me whisper it to you"
"There Is no one to hear"
~ said: You are to be my wife,
And just then you turned about and
looked at me-" =
"But l did not see you"
"Come, now, you must have seer
me-"
"Well, perhaps. But I did not say:
I am to be his Wife No, I did not
say that. And it cannot be, Virgil"
"But it is going to be, all the same,
and you know it. Why, what is all
this universe for if that is not to bef
Why was this little island cast up
here? Why did the word ring forth:
Let there be light? 1t is part of the
plan of creation, and nothing can pre-
vent 1t. I shall have to wait, but
T."
"Will wait a long time, Virgil. But
we must not talk like that. Come
let us forget such things"
She put her spell on him, and he was
q boy again. Hand in hand they
walked about, pretending that the acre
island was miles and miles in extent.
Time was a day-star shooting unseen
across the sky, and then a heavy SEN
tence fell upon him. It was time for
him to go. In the cane she stood with
him where his canoe was moored. He
held her hand, drawing her toward
him, but she took it away.
"No-no, you must not . Quick
VIRGIL unu muct or nou Tho c,Yn 10