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She raised sos, but she loved me and I was able to reason away the one and kiss away the other, and with our souls upon our lips we parted for the night The last thing I had said to her,--I remember it as if it all happened yesterday,--was: "Think of it, dear heart, there will be no ht!" and she had replied by silently nestling closer toher arotten night o
The twenty-four hours intervening between this parting and our nextoccurred during that time at all essential to the purpose this narrative subserves The longed-for time came at last and, with a depth of happiness I had never known before--a peace passing all understanding--I set out for Malabar Hill The night was perfect and the ht I could distinctly see the air-roots of our trysting tree when ht at the tie and its writhing roots, antic Medusa-head with its strea serpent-hair As I neared the tree Lona stepped from behind it and awaited ht, and my heart beat ?" I asked, as I caainst the tree and apparently did not hear me I waited till I ithin ten feet of her and repeated the question, but, although she fixed her unfathoave no evidence of having hearduponforward at sight oflittle pirouette into my arms, now she stood coldly aloof, silent and ht! I waited for some word of explanation, but none caer!
"For God's sake, what has happened?" I cried, rushing forward to seize her in ht hand above her head and, as I had al full in -stick, and it fell in the grass atIndian cobra--Naja tripudians--a serpent of the deadliest sort I did not pause to reason how this sweet angel had been so quickly changed into a venoht that somehow she had been led to think eance of her hot Eastern blood, flashed h my mind,--all that could be explained as soon as I had her nestling in my arms I reached forward to embrace her, but she struck me in the face and fled! For an instant my heart stood still It seeain like a thing of lead, and the blood it pumped was cold, for the winter had closed in upon it The elasticity of my life, that ineffable resiliency of the soul which one forever An automaton, informed only with thefigure down the hill More than twenty years have passed and still the unrewarded chase continues!