The Maid of the Mountain — page 39: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A DOUBLE TRAGEDY. 41 With any weapon he might name, but called down the yen- geance of heaven upon him if he.did any wrong to Julia or the child. . ow ‘es You lie when you say I dare not meet you,’ said De Cas- tro. ‘I will fight you now.’ i “* Let it be so, said Gonsalvo; ‘the best man shall win. What shall be the weapons ?* “*Rifles? “* The distance ? “¢ The rules ? er “*To fire between the words three and five? - “*T could not ask any better terms,’ said Gonszlyo. “They set him ‘at liberty and gave him his rifle. He Joad- ed it carefully, like one who was used to the work. They took their places. Atthe word ‘ one’ they raised their pieces, and as ‘two’ passed the lips of the man who was counting, the rifle of De Castro exploded? Gonsalvo, shot through the heart, bounded into the.air, and when the body struck the “Julia threw herself upon the body with a single agonized scream, and clasped him in ber arms, . She kissed the dead lips, and tried to stanch the blood bubbling from the breast. But, she tried inf vain, . Those lips never would speak to her again, Whether the rifle of De Castro exploded by accident or whether he intentionally fired before his time, is not known. .Julia knelt by the side of her husband, unheeding the cries of the child, which had erawled to her side: At Just the infant was silent, and, looking down at it, she saw that its tiny hands were dabbling in the blood of its father, flowing from Lis dreadful wound. A wild light came into her eyes, and she rose to her .feet. De Castro was leaning ou his rifle, very pale, and he turned paler yet as he caught the Mash of her eye. ) “* Are you satisfied, Miguel De Castro? she said. _“*Why not ? he answered. ‘I swore to kill him, and I did it. Now you shall be mine’ oe | “*T have but onédhusband, and he is now in heaven, where ug! r go. Come hither, Gomez,’ she said, addressing of the men. ‘ You once said you loved me, and I did not ’ ~ Commicbooks.comn