The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-05-15


a great respect for you, and if any one can
do it you can.''
8 Candidly, smith, said, 90 don't like
interfering, and that for both your sakes.
In one of your drunken fits you might either
Kill her or infiict on her some serious injury.
You must be perfectly we'll aware YOU are
not master of your actions on those occa.
sions, and strong as your determination at
the present time to remain sober may be it
Is no guarantee that you will keep SO, and
would rather not interfere in the matter.''
Do not give me n positive refusal,'' he
said, " but try what you can do. If peaca
is not made between US it will break my
heart, or what is still more probable, induce
me to commit self-destruction, for cannot
live without her"
a. But consider the consequences" I said
There is no fear this time" he replied
81 give you my word of honor that for the
last fortnight / have not touched one drop
of wine OF spirits.''
| "But you have often kept sober for as
long as that before, and had not the courage
to continue it, 1 remarked.
g 1t is different with me in the present in
stance" he said. Nothing shall ever in
| duce me to take to the habit again
Poor Smith pleaded so earnestly with me
to be peacemaker between him and his wife
that at last 1 made conditional promise
told him was about to leave Y, fUr
Switzerland. and should be absent about a
month, and that if on my return l found he
| had kept his promise-and would accept
his word as proof without further inquiry
/ would try to make peace between him and
his wife. He willingly accepted these con-
ditions, and the following day started on
my journey to Switzerland.
On my return to X at the time speci-
fed | called on Smith. He certainly looked
in better health and more cheerful than
when left. He told me he had scrupulously
kept his word, and that it was more than six
weeks since he had tasted either wine or
spirits, and he now called on me to fulfill
my promise.
l unhesitatingly agreed to DO so, but on
inquiry found that his wife would return
to x in about fortnight's time, and
thinking could better intercede with her
by personal interview than by letter, to
which she might reply under control of
her friends, proposed to wait till she ar
rived, and this | did the more readily as it
would give Smith another ten days or so
to practice his sohriety. To this proposition
he agreed, and we said no more on the sub
ject.
And now / want to speak to you he
said, 'on another mItter. You are ac-
quainted with the head of the police, and |
wish you would call on him and implore
him to take away spy he has placed over
me. The fellow almost drives me mad.
Wherever go see him with his eye fixed
on NE, watching my every movement. /
suppose they are afraid | should quit
Y, and crossing the frontiers, visit my
wife in Turin. where should be from under
their control. You may assure them l
have no intention of doing anything of the
sort, and it would be an act of Kindness to
relieve Inc from this intoleraJle surveil-
lance"
promised Smith I would DO aS he wished,
md calling on Count Neletri, the head of
the police told him my mission.
Your friend" said he in reply, Z" i
under some great mistake. No police of
Ger las been set to follow him, nor do | wish
in any way to annoy him. All require i
that he shall not insult OF injure his wife,
and that almost AZ much for his own sake
u hers"
gave this reply to Smith, who said it
was untrue, and that the spy was pcrpetu-
ally following him.
\ few days afterwards he spent the even
ing with me, and I accompanied him home
10 4 large, rambling sort Of lalf palace, halt
lwelling-house, in the outskirts of the town,
in which he occupied apartments on the
ground floor; General R, commandant
Of the troops in the district, having apart
mentS on the first 11or and with the excep-
ton of the ;ergeant's guard always on duty.
whose quarters were in the rear of the
house, there were no other inhabitants
On our way home Smith cOnverSed yoluby.
! sometimes on matters connected with his
wife. Mt others on the infamous behavior Of
the police in setting a spy to watch him
Presently, on entering a broad, straight
street. brilliantly lighted by an italian full
moon, Smith suddenly stopped, and clasp
ing me by the arm, whispered:
There the fellow is Now let's catch
him -
" see no one,' said. "Y You must
make mistake
60 He darted into this passage he said {:
"come here and we shall find him.
We now went into narrow passage
through doorway, and closed at the end so
that no one could have escaped, but he was
not there.
The idea then first crossed my mind that
Smith was laboring under a delusion. /
asked him what sort of a man the spy was.
and he replied that he was tall and thin,
with pale face, and cold, CLASSY eyes; that
he was dressed in black, had three black
studs in his shirt, and always carried a
, black glove in his right hand This ilnme-
) diately tended to convince me that Smith was
laboring under delusion, and L questioned
him further on the subiect endeavoring 10