The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-09-06

But what of thai? Why should it excite h
'ou so p asked, quite mystiGed at my b
vife's words. [
'Ah, don't know cannot tell you my b
hopes, my beliefs, have hardly taken form @
yet only come quickly with me up to the i
house. o, Walter, it is all so wonderful I
Come, let us get on faster want SO to get
back that you and both may listen to Lucia
Vianero's broken words prove their meaning
and so clear up doubt that
What do you mean 7? l cried. What can
she have said to so strangely move you? p
And / inwardly thought, %, that had new.
er consented to her holiday
Il will tell you, if you will only hurry on
as fost as you can. Signs of animation set
in about on hour ago, and the first words
were 'Paolo, Paolino. l held the boy up
to her, but she took no heed of him, and
went on murmurng another name over and
over so often that felt quite mysteriously
affected. 1t was But here, reaching the |
door of the chalet, my wife hurried me to
the bedside.
The old monk held up a warning finger as
we entered; We hardly dared to draw a
breath as we listened to Lucia's low, uncon-
scious tones.
'Giorgio, Giorgio mio,' she was saying, in
Italian, like one Who talks in a dream
never tell of our marriage; they will not
love me; they will neglect me. Hide it,
and the little one too; do not let them see
him they would break his heart with cold.
ness; they would not even own him Yes,
perhaps your sister might, for she loved you,
| Giorgio mio; you have told me so. She
| felt for you and wept for you, and knew why
you went away and came to live in the midst
of sunny skies and beautiful pictures. All,
well, you can tell her if you like; she would
| love Paolino for your sake. Look at him,
Giorgio. Kiss himp
| Here she seemed once more to lapse into
Inconsistencies, aud the good frate said:
| 'Ah, poor Lucia, her mind wanders back
to her marriage, and mingling past and pres
ent, she speaks of what never was the faith
er never saw the child
Did you know her husband, then !? in
quired my wife in Italian.
The frate shook his head. 'Only the cir
cumstances of the marriage.
Tell me what were they? I? she exclaimed
clasping her hands as in agony of excite
ment.
Simple, very simple said the holy man,
quite unmoved, and struggling his ample
shoulders !; "a young Englishman, an artist,
living in Florence, and who had made Italy
the land of his adoption, and who took an
Italian name, fell in love with Lucia, who
was his model, and married her; not an un-
usual occurrence among your countrymen, l
believe he added, turning to me.
/ was bewildered ; did not know in the
least what to make of all this, and have
no doubt looked as stupidity helpless as l
felt
And then {? eagerly inquired my wife
seizing the frate's arm, and looking into hi,
face, after casting glance of unutterable
scorn upon me.
, He made a little home for her, and every
E thing promised we'll for their happiness
+ when he was taken suddenly i'll, broke q
blood vessel, and died in Lucia's arms
+ DO you know what his English nam
wasp here again hurriedly inquired my
, wife.
e What can you possibly want to know
e that for I interposed in English, quite
e in the dark as to what she was driving
!, at.
y %, Walter, Walter how stupid you are
!, she answered, throwing more and more con
= tempt into her words and manner doe
o nothing suggest itself to you? Can't yo
IS guess what am thinking of? Tell me- sh
o said, again repeating her question in Italian
and turning to the monk, tell me the Eng
e lish name of Lucia's husband do you kno'
/ what it was"
e Isl, Signora, 81 ; but l cannot reveal it
!. it was made known to me under the seal o
u confession
Seeing that she was again about to urg
- the frate to grant her request, l entreate
her to be silent, and to look after little Pao
10, who was climbing up to his mother an
trying to make her play with him.
'Ah ? she then exclaimed, dear little fe
low do look at him, Walter, and the
think of his fathers assumed Italian nam
- -Vianero, think what its English equivaler
g means
% More bewildered than ever, obeyed ht
command, and began to think, while sh'
= once more in Italian earnestly entreated tn
frate to tell her the name.
7 For mercy sake, let me know she saiC
n Il am not asking out of idle curiosity, br
q. only that love and service may be rendere
to the memory of the dead. feel that | al
on the point of discovery tell me, am
= ;, not right in believing that his name wa
{; George Blackaway|
:. The monk started at these words, and :
n did | for this was the name Of my wife
n only brother, whose death was the piece
70 family sorrow referred to at the starting.
" A bit of scapegrace with a strong tur
" for art, and never understood by his fathe
he had gone to Rome years ago-had exp
ar triated himself, and, with the little comp
NJ tence he possessed, had entirely withdraw
eY himself from all his early associations. II
7 sister alone at long intervals had tidings
at him, and at length we heard, but not Ii
7 long after the event, that he had died
y. Florence suddenly.
s, There was rumor that he had marri,
f. under an assumed name, had been natural
zed as an Italian, but nothing very de6ni
T.. came to light.
le And now, what was happening VIII
id that we had come upon trace of his latt
Is days, and had found in this obscure corner
h. the world the pretty Italian woman he hi
er married.
I'd Yes exclaimed my wife, turning wi