The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-19

':And he is goingsto paint your por.
trait, and you. will have togo and see
hima dozen times before that is fin
ished: You have asked him to visit
you, and allowed him to kiss your
handl You will love that young Am
erican in less than aweek.''
You have been acting the :spy. Wit.
torio !! Begone 5If love the young
american APP ;,i already and-and: hate
@"You promised to marry me long
ago, and you shall keep your word At:
least you shall not marry him. i
81 do not know that he wishes me
to marry him-perhaps, even, he is.
married already. Yet love him and:
will marry him if he should ask me-
IF you persist in visiting him, you
had both better beware, -.
With these words the young Corsi.;
can strobe away toward the sea, while
Vannina entered the dwelling.
In the meantime Nolan Gordon re.
opened-Ms sketch-book and attempted
to resume the work which had been
interrupted by the entrance of the
Corsican beauty, but he found it very
difficult to confine his mind to his sub.
Ject, and at last closed his book in dis.
gust
~''Such faces as that of Vannina Pi.
t'nelh@ would soon deprive me st my IA:
miration of landscape beauties,' he
muttered. 'How passionate and i'm.
pulsive these C0rsicans are. If I read
her countenance Alright she is in love
with me now. It would not be such
an unpleasant fate to be the husband
! of this fair Vannina, and-but I must
see more of her before I indulge in
school-boy love-dreams.'
| He seized the sketch-book, donned
his hat, and descended from the tower,
and made his way to Benito, where at
that time he made his stopping place.
The following day found him at the
ruined tower, which he had converted
into an embryo studio.a To his surprise,
he found Vannina Pinelli already pres
ent, her mantle thrown back, her
round, white arms bare, and her face
brilliant in its rich beauty.
"You were not so impatient as /,
soire,'' she said.
| 'The later I begin my work the
| later it will be before I can complete
| it. You see am in no haste to fend
the pleasure of your society," he re.
| spOnded.
The girls face grew bright with i'm
pulsive happiness.
''He will love me,'' was what she
| kept repeating to herself, while he
displayed the canvas which he had
prepared especially for her portrait.
He instructed her as to the position
she was to assume, and arranged her
meanwhile with his own hands. His
back was toward the entrance of the
apartment, and he did not see the
dark, menacing face which peered in
upon the scene. The face was that of
Vittorio Paoli, the Corsican lover of
Vannina.
For a moment he glared upon the
unconscious objects of his rage, and
then with an oath, he sprang forward
and dealt the young American a blow
upon the head with his clinched fist,
Telling him to the floor insensible.
| With a scream of terror, Vannina at
tempted to escape from the apartment,
but before she could do so the Corsi-
can seized her light form in his giant
grasp, and bore her down from the
tower and toward the wave-washed
beach. He placed his hand upon her
mouth to prevent her uttering any
cutlery, and bore her along the beach
until he reached point hidden from
the land by high, precipitous bluffs.
Here he placed her upon her feet and
released his hold upon her mouth.
| ''You did not heed the warning
which | gave you yesterday, and now
you shall suffer the consequences - he
Kissed, fixing his snaky orbs upon
those of this captive.
"You are a spy-a contemplate
coward - Vannina reiterated, meet
ing his gaze unflinchingly.
''Be sparing of your epithets, fair
one have borne you hither to force
you to promise-nay. you have prom.
ised already-swear to wed me and no
other! You have confessed that you
loved the young American, and know
by his every action that he loves you
in return. Marry him you never shall.
Now swear, by all your hopes of saliva.
ton to become my bride, or you shall
suffer the most horrible of DEATHS
| Vannina's dark face blanched, but
the resolute look did not leave her
face.
81 base you, Vittorio Paoli, and
will die thousand deaths rather than
wed you - she cried, her clear tones
rising above the swash of the waves at
| their feet.
|