Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

has THE HAMMER. 505 near you, and a madness grows into my She only knew that he had dropped far blood.” away from her in a single instant, and she She watched him with great eyes. connected the change with the leaf-crowned “ Beatrice, you tremble!” face of the singing girl who had paused “And you also, Pietro!” beneath the window. “You are dearer to me—dearer, than the- ‘“‘ Pietro!”” she pleaded, and drew him « marble Venus!” \ closer. He pushed himself gently away, and The singing girl was drawing closer. She still his eyes stared past’her. She was sang in a strange language. The white desperate now. “ Pietro! Turn back to arms of Beatrice rose. Her hands rested me! What has happened?” on the shoulders of Peter. ‘‘ Sonia!” he said, and rushed from the “Tell me more, Peter. Tell me more.” room. “Beatrice, when your lips are so close, ——— and your arms, I forget all other things. poe Let Salviati be damned! I shall not strive irae es ce to worship aught but this marvelous white THE WILL OF THE HAMMER. body!” The voice of the singing girl rose clearly HEN he reached the street Sonia and from the street and thrilled about them. her following group had disappeared, The arms which locked her to him but he thought that he heard the singing to loosened. “ Listen!’ he whispered. the north. He ran a little distance in that “IT can hear nothing but your voice!” direction up an alley and then came to a “No, no! Listen again! The singing sudden halt, for now the song came faintly from the street!” from the west. Even as he turned it died “T care not!” out. “You shall care, for it is love! Come!” He ran on at full speed, his coat flapping “What is it, Pietro? I hear only acom-_ wildly about his shoulders until at the turn- mon ballad!” ing of a corner he ran into the midst of a “Ah, it is the song of songs!”’ group of the night watch. They stopped He led her quickly to the window, and him and asked if he were pursued, but he they looked down. The singing girl, dressed wrenched himself away and fled on down brightly in short skirts and with a wreath _ the street. of leaves about her head, walked slowly Sometimes he thought he heard the music down the street, strumming a lute, and her again, but always fainter. Perhaps it was head tilted as she sang. The moonlight —in his own thoughts, for the phrases of the fell on her red-gold hair. lyric ran in his brain. For an hour he “What is it, Pietro? You tremble searched here and there. again! Dear Pietro!” At last he came to a halt, panting and “Listen! Ah, God! Beatrice, can you hati exhausted, and realizing that he could not understand?” never hope to find her in this wilderness of Under the casement she came, paused, crcolked streets. Nevertheless, if he could her head raised with the ecstasy of a high, not find her, Sonia would find him, even as sweet note. A little crowd followed her, Salv'ati had done. Any beggar in the paused with her,-and went on with her streets could direct her. Perhaps even down the street. while he talked with Beatrice she had been Beatrice caught Peter by the arms as he to his house and asked for him. He struck turned from the window; but the passion his hands together at the thought. was dead in his face, and his eyes stared Then a great and unreasoning elation past her an infinite distance into space. She swept over him, and he walked on singing. could not tell how far, she could not follow It was the ballad he had heard on the lips his thought, as it fled many a hundred of Sonia, but he did not know that. In leagues past river and mountain and the fact, she had dropped from his mind; all blue sea. thought of her and even Beatrice vanished commiclooolkks.conn