e to-day? This is a strange day
on which to kill the old plant!"

The Madre had some chips of pine in her basket; these she placed above
the plant and pouring a flask of turpentine over them, set it all afire;
then piling up chunks of hard wood, she stood back to watch the blaze.

"It is needed no more," she said, "so we will leave no vestige of it,
for it must never spring up again." We looked at the witch in silence
and wonder.

"Art thou happy, Carlos Sotos, with thy love? Thank old Madre Moreno for
it." She laughed aloud, and the wall echoed back the laugh mockingly.

VIII.

When I parted from Ysidria at Madre Moreno's that evening, after the
destruction of the plant, I looked into her blue eyes, and suddenly the
pupil spread over the entire iris.

"Oh! Ysidria, your eyes are beautiful," and I pressed a kiss upon them,
"good-bye, till we meet to-morrow. I am happy."

"Good night," she answered, "I shall see you in the morning. I will rise
as the first rays of the sun, come through my window, and my first
thought will be of you."

We parted, and I watched her graceful form as she walked up the path to
the door; she turned and waved her hand to me as she passed from sight.

"Her eyes, alas, are all the light I know!" I said aloud, and, with an
indefinable feeling of sadness, walked briskly home.

I told Catalina all, that evening, but the good woman said nothing to
sadden me, but I could see sorrow in her face.

There were clouds in the sky at sunset, and every prospect of a storm;
the wind howled through the trees and rattled the doors of the old
house. I sat till late watching the collecting clouds which were rolling
on in turbulent masses, and very low, till all was dark, as the last
rent was filled, through which the moon had been shining. It was a
terrible storm, the worst I had ever known, and Catalina came to my door
at about two o'clock, in great fright, saying that she had seen a figure
like Madre Mareno, going by the house as if floating in the air, and had
heard a loud report as if there had been thunder in the distance, coming
from Tamalpais. I could hear the rumbling and could not tell what it
was; but I laughed at her fears and told her that it must have been a
shadow, for no human being even a witch, would be out in such a night,
if they could help it.

Catalina went back to her room, but was far from reassured, and sat the
rest of the night with her beads in her hand, praying by c