San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-13


tell you how Eric spoke of her facc.
He forgot that he had ever seen g
court room or law office, or had
known indifference or ambition. He
said to mel can see him as he rap
ped the table and forgot he was
speaking-'The face Of that giil,
Kent And-can you believe it If
Eric he went on: DO you remaIn-
Der Raphaefs peasant girl? The one
with parted lips and queer, asking
eyes? She was exactly like her. Tie
wind took her sunbOnnet away. She
had two long braids of hair. She
stopped and stared at me, her long.
brown-gray skirt twisting about her
little flat shoes. Then she ran on.
clutching her braids, and near DOR
slammed after her.
"The wind was on then; the few
trees bent before it.
"The rain was close. There was no
protection and, acting on impulse. he
drove the car back of The huge sign.
it was a shield from the wind and
slight protection against the slant
ing rain.
Eric said it had been years since
he had seen Western storm, where
it lets loose and whoops e'r up. He
was half blinded with the lightning I;
he could hear the smash of small
buildings: the rafting scurry of de-
bris blown by the wind. His own
shelter shivercd, creaked. 1t was
braced strongly from the back. but
he thought it more than likely that II
would go. Across the street he heard
one go down with n sDi:: ting thud.
"But as he waited, he was con-
scious, he said, cSly of the girl who
was somewhere in that strange town.
Ia like to have had yOu-you people
who think you know Eric-watch hin
as he told me this. There was not a
drop of blood in his body. to judge
from the color of his face: his fingers
twitched. He talked because he ha !
t, talk to some one. l guess. He
was not self-sufficient just then"
Hmm" said some one. 81 lon:
get him in that role, and still 1 do.
too. in n way: the force in him could
b. applied as well to an-er-infatud-
ton as to anything else. | suppose
i. was an infatuation. eh. Kent?
They are strange things, but they
wear off"
$50 on" said Janet.
"He said that he sat there in the
car while the wind bent his board pro.
lection and the rain came in sheets.
He was wet through from the spray
where it struck the outer edge of the
car He sat and WATCHED pictures of
that girls face; they came through
the rain: came into the lightning ;
came everywhere. He was half con-
scious, he said, absorbed in-the new
thing.
"Out of that state of minG-he told
a lot about that; it seemed TO puzzl,
him as it does us row-he WAS
startled by q new gale OF wind, Il
close splitting of boards, the shrek
of wood parting from wood at his el-
bow; and then the whole great shield
tottered, swaying, resisted. swayed
again. and came down over him. He
ducked his head. A moment later
he discovered that, in falling the sigr
had gone into some trees standing
close and was held there, in half-tel
fashion, so that it protected him from
the rain. Then he saw, too. some enc
clinging to the slantilg edge of the
shield. He leaned from the car ami
caught her as she fell.
Her clothes were Gripping with
water: there was a trickle of blood
down one cheek. But she was not I'M
conscious and she struggled in his
arms. He made her sit down on tue
running board of the car. Then he
asked If she was hurt and she shook
her head. He asked her how she han
pened to be there back of the sign
and she shook her head again. He
sa. down beside her and watched her
III, spoke to me about filling his eyes
with her for the rest of his life'-and
other things that Eric would not have
said normally-or If he had not been
That was the word,
wasn't it?
"They sat there lof.. time with
out speaking, and she kept her eyes
closed. The wind died away. but the
rain persisted-a steady downpour
the green-gray of the storm daylight
changed into. the black-gray. of steady
rein. He waited.
"When she opened her ewes. he
asked again how she :spnaned to D.
there. After much urging she an
swercd him.
They turned me out of the house.
she said.
"'Turned you outr he repeated. IN
credulously. In this storm, From
your home, Why? What had you
dcneT
at had stopped and looked at you
she answered simply.
"'WhatT Eric put force into the
word when he spoke it.
az had looked at you. STONED
and looked. 1t was sin. After
that. I could not be allowed to live
with those who were not sinners she
explained.
"T never heard of such thing =
he told her. Are they crazyg
"'Thc signs tell You. IT is their
belief. 1t was n sin TO have looked
az vou-and remembered
''Eric's blood was rac'ng: she had
remembered, Looked at him. and re
lmembcred.