e of them was detected in beating his
sweetheart or mistress for the crime, as was alleged, of dallying too
long in the company of a Tejano. The Tejano, in this case, took the law
into his own hands, and severely chastised the jealous _pelado_.

Even in the hurried glance which I gave to these scenes of leave-taking,
I could not help noticing an expression on the faces of some of the
young girls that had in it a strange significance. It was something
more than sadness: it was more like the uneasy look that betokens
apprehension.

Perhaps the state of mind I was in magnified my perceptions. At that
moment, a struggle was passing in my own breast, and a feeling of
irresolution lay heavy upon me. All night long had my mind dwelt upon
the same thought--the danger that menaced my betrothed--all night long I
had been occupied with plans to avert it; but no reasonable scheme had I
succeeded in devising.

It is true the danger was only hypothetical and undefined; but it was
just this supposititious indefiniteness that caused the difficulty in
providing against it. Had it assumed a tangible shape, I might more
easily have adopted some means of avoiding it: but no--it remained a
shadow, and against a shadow I knew not what precautions to take. When
morning broke, I was still struggling under the same nervous indecision.

Problematical as was the peril my fancy had formed, there were moments
when it appalled me--moments when my mind laboured under a painful
presentiment, and I could not cast the load by any act of volition.
With all my philosophy, I could not fortify myself against the belief
that "coming events cast their shadows before;" and, spite of myself, I
kept repeating in thought the weird prophetic words. Upon my soul,
certainly, there were shadows, and dark ones; if the events should have
any correspondence with them, then there was misery before me.

I have termed the danger in which Isolina was placed indefinite: it was
not so indefinite, after a fair analysis; it was directly traceable to
the presence of Rafael Ijurra.

True, there were other sources of apprehension; other perils surrounded
her, arising from the disturbed state of the country--but these did not
point at her in particular. That frontier province had been for years
in a distracted condition--by revolution or Indian invasion--and war was
no new thing to its people. In the midst of strife had this fair flower
grown to perfect blooming, wit