Part 25 (2/2)
”Your horses do not suit me,” I said, ”so I cannot buy one I will, however, purchase this old cow; for it is the only animal here I could trust my wife on You can have seven dollars for it--not one copper more, for, like the Emperor of China, I speak once only”
He plucked off his purple headgear and scratched his raven head, then led me back to the kitchen to consult his wife, ”For, senor,” he said, ”you have, by some fatality, selected her horse” When Cleta heard that seven dollars had been offered for the roan, she laughed with joy ”Oh, Antonio, he is only worth six dollars! Yes, senor, you shall have him, and pay the seven dollars to me Not to my husband Who will say now that I cannot make ive ine such a thing!” exclai _ which would coht of Peralta's trees I unsaddled and picketed s After the excitements and pleasures of that day, which had robbed me of my siesta, I quickly fell into a very sound sleep
CHAPTER XXVII
When I woke I did not re about rass ith dew It was very dark, only lon in the sky a pale glea day Then recollection flashed uponup alarmed to my feet, only to discover with inexpressible relief that the light I had remarked was in the west, not the east, and proceeded fro my two animals expeditiously, I rode to Peralta's _estancia_, and on arriving there carefully drew the horses into the shadow of a cluh obliterated foss or ditch I then dropped on to the ground so as to listen better for approaching footsteps, and began waiting for Deht: not a sound reached me except at intervals the mournful, far-away, reedy note of the little nocturnal cicada that always see the lost fortunes of the house of Peralta For upwards of half an hour I reto failintently, I found that it pronounced my name and proceeded from a clump of tall thorn-apples some yards froaunt form of Ramona drew itself up out of the weeds and cautiously approachedwith nervous excite for fear of being mistaken for an enemy and fired at
”Mother of Heaven!” she exclai teeth would allow her to speak ”I have been so agitated all the evening! Oh, senor, what are we to do now? Your plan was such a good one; when I heard it I knew an angel had flon and whispered it in your ear And now s are ready--clothes,her to co will serve She will not see you, senor”
”Is Don Hilario in the house?”
”No, he is out--could anything have been better? But it is useless, she has lost heart and will not co that she cannot look on your face again”
”Go and tell her that I a for her,” I said
”Senor, she knows you are here Santos watched for you and hastened in to inform her of your arrival Now she has sent me out only to say that she cannot s you to go away and leave her”
I was not greatly surprised at Demetria's reluctance to meet me at the lasther and trying to change herthe horses to a tree, I ith Ra in on tiptoe, we found De before in her quaint finery, lying on the sofa, while old Santos stood by her the picture of distress The moment she saw me enter she covered her face with her hands and turned frolance was sufficient to show that with or without her consent everything had been got ready for her flight On a chair near her lay a pair of saddle-bags in which her few belongings had been stowed; a mantilla was drawn half over her head, and by her side was a large woollen shawl, evidently intended to protect her against the night air
”Santos,” I said, ”go out to the horses under the trees and wait there for us; and you, Raether; for by and by she will recover courage and go with rateful, though a little surprised atout when I pointed to the saddle-bags He nodded, grinned, and, snatching them up, left the room
Poor old Ra out farewell blessings on herher hands and hair with sorrowful devotion
When she left us I sat down by Demetria's side, but she would not takeher hands from her face or speak to me, and only wept hysterically when I addressed her I succeeded at last in getting one of her hands in ently down till it rested on an to subside I said:
”Tell me, dear Demetria, have you lost faith in me that you fear to trust yourself with me now?”
”No, no, Richard, it is not that,” she faltered ”But I can never look into your face again If you have any compassion for me you will leave me now”
”What, leave you, Deine such a thing? Tell ht?”
”I know nothing He may come back at any moment Leave er” Then she attempted to draay from me, but I would not release her
”If you fear his returning to-night, then it is time for you to come with ed now It would kill ain”
”You shall look on it againhere to rescue you out of the coils of that serpent I a to leave you because you are a little tiht, even if I have to carry you out in my arms Afterwards we can consider all there is to be done about your father and your property Perhaps when the poor Colonel is taken out of this sad atmosphere, his health, his reason even,full intoyou And now you will lose all fear, Deain and have not been changed to stone”