San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-15

noyed, though sorry for the
girl. of course. But it was novel
TO ride with a woman in his arms.
She was small and young-inno-
cent. doubtless. A gradual inner
warmth overspread him. The girl
between his arms was silent. He
himself co Id not speak.
The curdled darkness of the Au-
tumn night ,nveloped them. There
was nothing but the thud of the
hoof strokes and the pounding
forward motion of the horse. This
mutual silence seemed to merge
and blend. 1t became. in the con-
seriousness of the young man, an
intimacy almost like that of mar
riage.
Hc sat rigid in the saddle, glow
ing inwardly with an irrational
rose-red flame that increased in
heat. The yale bosom of the girl,
as he had seen it, came again and
again before the eyes of his mind.
She was pure as a candle of white
wax.
Perturbed at his own thoughts,
he felt unworthy to sustain her
between his arms.
Eyes, this is certainly an angel"
said Sidonia's inner self. "He says
nothing. he does nothing, and he is
taking me home"
1t was very wonderful. But did
angels never love? She knew
scarcely anything about them.
There was something lacking in
the adventure-thefi flesh and blood
ardor that delights and terrifies.
Subconsciously she experienced a
twinge of envy, visioning the girls
who had been the half-willing prey
Of strange lords in inlaid armor
mounted upon tall stations. Yet
heaven had provided her with a
rescuer steadfast as pillar of
steel.
They were leaving the forest.
for the unseen road had begun.
gently, to slope upward. The
horse slackened to a trot. Out of
the cauldron of the mists the full
moon rising-very large and of
rose-gold hue. The witchery of
the night became tinged with opa-
lescence. Tenuous sylph-shapes
thronged and fioated-alluring,
carrying the promise of nameless
delights, like nectar in dim vase
of pearl. Menace had been re-
placed by the glamor of magic.
Very soon they would be at the
omen door in the walls of the town.
and then the knight would set her
upon the ground and he and his
horse would instantly vanish. Sid
onia was saddened by this thought.
Slowly the moon rose. The
horse had fallen into a walk. Ger
ais was on fire, despite the outer
cold. Through a long silence the
girl had been in his arms-where,
as yet, no woman had rested. He
wanted to disarm. to press her
strongly against him, to hold her
70 him with all the strength that
he had.
Out of the mist. with which was
mingled the strengthening aureate
luminance of the moon. the walls
of the town took shape-high and
dark. with upshouldering buttress
towers and broken. battlemented
tops. Here and there. through
some high-placed arrow-slit, hint
of light showed. Slowly the horse
with its double burden drew
nearer.
Very far Off a wolf howled. but
under the glamor Of the moon
there was no terror in the sound.
A rumor Of wood smoke, like the
after-taste of incense, touched the
nostrils lightly-given of by brush
fires kindled by hut-dwelling
herdsmen. But Sidonia had f"r-
gotten the smoke Of the witch-fire
hat had drifted to her through
The forest.
The door Of the walled town 20
which the forest road Jed up Wa
deep archway. fanged above
with the downward pointing iron
spikes of a double portcUllis 4
pair of cressets famed fitfUllv on
either side Of the inner end Of the
'unncl-arch. Right up to the arch
"av came the bUrdened horse.
Now the teeth of the first port
rnll.s Mnre almost overhead TI-.rn