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A Legend of Sonora.
Two persons, a man and a woman, faced» each
other under a clump of live oaks. Hard by were
visible the walls of an adobe house crumbling with
age. The man was sitting ; a Blight breeze stirred
in the dark branches of the trees, which all through
the hot Mexican day had been motionless. The
woman was dark and small, with large eyes and a
graceful body; the man, a swarthy vaquero, in
serape and sombrero.
" And you heard him say-that ?" said she.
"Tes, señorita. He said, 'I love you, I love
you 1' twice, like that. And then he kissed her."
" Ah, he kissed her ! Anything else ?"
" This !" He handed her a slip of folded paper.
It contained a woman's name, a few words of passion
and a signature. As the senorita's eyes perused it
they contracted, and she drew in a long breath.
The vaquero watched her keenly. " I found it in
the arbour after they had gone," said he.
She looked away dreamily. "Thank you, thank
you, Mazeppa," she murmured. "It is late. I
must go in now. Adios, Mazeppa !" She turned,
and moving slowly, vanished behind a corner of
the adobe house.
The vaquero remained motionless until she was
out of sight. Then he pressed his handB to his lips
and flung them out towards her with a passionate
gesture. The next moment he had mounted his
horse and was gone.
An hour passed. Again the sound of hoofs. A
handsome young senor, jauntily attired, galloped
up to the door of the house and, springing from the
saddle, hitched his rein overa large hook projecting
from the wall. " Hola ! Maria, little one !" he
called out in a rich, joyous voice, " Where is my
little Maria ?"
The señorita appeared, smiling. She was in
white, with a reboso drawn around her delicate face.
She bore a two-handled silver cup, curiously chased.
" See," she said, " I have brought you some wine.
Such a long ride, just to see me !" She was holding
out the cup toward him, but as he was about to
receive it she drew it back suddenly. She was
pale j her eyes glittered. " I too am thirsty," she
said. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a deep
draught. " Now you shall finish it," she added,
handing it to him.
I He nodded to her laughingly. " To our love !" I
he said, and drained it. " But how strangely you
look at me, little one !" he exclaimed, as he set the
cup down and caught his breath, "Is anything
wrong ?"
" All is well," she answered. " I am happy. Are
you happy ?"
"I ? I am with you, am I not ?"
She put her hand in his. "Lot us never be
parted any more," Bhe said. " Come ; we'll walk to
the hill top and see the moon rise."
Hand m hand, thoy sauntered along the path up
the bare hillside. On and on they walked, slowly,
slowly. Maria gave a little gasp and glanced with
dilated eyes at her lover. He smiled faintly and
tried to dra>7 her toward him, but somehow did
not; and still they moved slowly on their way.
The hilltop seemed Btraugely far off. Maria
pressed forward, grasping her lover's hand. What
made the distance seem so long P Surely it was but
a stroll of ton minutes, yet it was as though they
had been walking an hour-a year-many years !
Doivn the hillside path came a horseman, riding
quietly, and humming a love song. Ho was close
upon the two figures before he appeared to be
aware of them. They half stopped, as if to speak
to him. The horse shivered and plunged. The
rider stared at the couple but an instant, then,
driving home his spurs, sprang past them.
" Mother of God !" ho faltered, crossing himself
as he threw a backward glance np the path, on
which nothing was now visible, " the ghosts ! The
little girl who, they Bay down below, gpisoned her-
self and her lover fifty years ago 1"
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