San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-10

must keep IeT lips ClOseu.
Hugh raised his eyes to the
stake, against which the chained
girl now leaned her head as if she
were Just little weary. He spoke
quickly to her two jailers, and to
others who were with them, and
then stood aside, watching. He was
convinced that Gervais' soul was
about to be delivered from eternal
perdition. And, also, he had never
seen a woman burned before.
The faggots were piled about
the heap of wood billets in such
a manner as to secure an upward
draught, and shavings soaked with
oil were strewn between them. No
time was lost now. Four torches
wrapped in pitch-dipped tow were
thrust simultaneously into the
iron fire-basket, and burst into
flame. Immediately they were APP
piled to the faggot., and four
blurred fingers of pitch-smeiling
smoke went up from them, and
the Trailer twigs cracked.
"She burnsr'
One would have thought that
the whole crowd spoke from a
single hoarse throat.
Sabine, unknowing, had caught
her lower lip between her teeth.
She leaned far forward. Gervais
was inextricably mingled in the
inarticulate triumph of her heart.
Margaret uttered a quick moan
that might have been either of
pain or excitement. She wished
that Hugh were beside her; she
would like to have clutched his
arm and felt it go round her
body, bracing her up to- him. A
feverish ripple passed over the
crowd. Every face strained to see.
Mothers forgot the children, sweet
hearts were hand-parted, neighbors
trod and elbowed each other.
"She burnsn'
On the raised, step-like base of
the market cross young girl sank
to her Knees with a smothered
scream. When her relatives drew
her to her feet there was froth at
her lips.
"Violaine! Violainew they
said.
"She has Visions" whimpered
her mother. "Only the day before
yesterday she was visited by a
virgin from Paradise, and gave my
new cloak to her. The sight of
the witch has thrown her into a
fit"
"Oh-h! The fire, the fire."
gasped the goldsmith's daughter.
whose nerve had given way, and
who had the hysterical conviction
that it was she herself whom the
town was burning for her traffic
with devils and with the strange
congregation of the black mass.
The cracking about the faggot-
hidden foot of the stake had be-
come louder, and thickening smoke
streamed upward.
Sidonia lifted her head from
where she had rested it. She
heard the fire, she smelt the fire;
she saw the smoke that rose about
her. Her spirit, half folding its
wings, dropped towards her body,
which was still numb. 1t was like
the descent of bird that has been
fluttering among high sprays of
blossom.
The first leaping flicker of
flame thrust upward its cleft
tongue. She saw it. The fire-the
red fire towards which her naked
feet had travelled since her birth.
A strange elation was upon her,
catchins her between its pinions as
the black horse of her desire had
done. 1t seemed to her that a
glorious sanguine flower, long
folded in the bud, was breaking
open now at last.
And its petals We're uncurling
flames. Through the rising smoke
she looked at the pallid Christ-like
figure. with its outspread arms,
whose many wounds were painted
red. She had pitied it as it hung
upon the forest Calvary, she had
put her arms about it in her des-
pair beneath the penthouse roof
of the towns miraculous shrine,
and now it faced her in its chang
ing abandonment of pain, hidden
and revealed alternately by the
thick, brownish breath of her
burning.
Oh, but the pale body shone
from head to feet like living silver,
and the wounds glowed as the
small red lamp in the church had
done. 1t moved; the limbs
Strengthened, and the head lifted.
The outspread arms We're opened
after the manner of triumph. There
was no pain here-only consum-
nation like her own. Her bosom
heaved, her face tilted more rigid
ly upward, the eyes deer-wide and
wonderful.
There was a confused, hoarse
murmur, "The fire has her" why
doesn't she scream?" "They
should have tortured her first
she's in witchs trance! why
don't they pour pitch on the fag-
gots?" "She'll scream when it
lays hold on her feet-she must
The low sky had taken on a
slaty tinge, and the air had dark
ened until all the upturned faces
appeared livid as those of drowned
persons. Brief sparkles of red
gold were mingled with the smoke
of the burning faggots, that thick
ened moment by moment. Those