The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-04-11


"Yes, seornful girl Death for ynu
lie has asked for mercy for you-he
has come 81 ask me- to place you again
in his arms but will give Yen "a the
executiouer, and your lover shall wit
ness 49,
The Marquis dung open the door with
violence. had quite forgotten that hc
WAS there, and he had heard every word
Ispoke. Al his appearance Mllanetta
uttered one despairing shrek, while l
looked at them both viudictNely. lie
heckoued mo aside. and said with low
voice My Lord Count You are II
gentleman by birth, but You have DIS
gncel Vour name aud rank. Among
people uf our station the sword Is the
only arb!ter, and the injuries Of jealousy
and love are settled by that appeal. Ii
is not by hanging Nllanetta that you
should revenge Yourself when You have
the opportunity 81 a gentleman OF fight
ing me.
What Mould you aocept chal-
lenge ?"
This very instant
"Rut YOU know the strict laws against
duening, and the rigorous suiemess
with which both kings exact the pen
atty ?"
Il know very we'll that both in France
and Spain the duellist is punished hy
the rfeiture II ms estates that hls
shield is drfaced ami his coat If arms
burned, and that if his enemy Is killed
he is bcheaded hut hate you now as
strongly as YOU can hate me, and a. hold
nv swords point a. your heart | would
face every peril and every disgrace
Tomorrow, then, AZ daynrcak, l
will be at NenasQue with second.
BE it SO. Aud now sign Mlanetia's
pardon"
" Her pardon 70
LIT is the first and only condition Of
our meeting.
/ signed il, and handed It 20 Milan
Z etta, who refused TO take II.
What viii il avail me, said she.
"when my father knows the secret of
my nocturnal journeys? ? When he ques-
tions NE, what answer can give him
II l tell him the truth he viii kill me ON
the spot,
XIII Won. M.lanetta 20
He is only "A smugglrro or a bandit in
your eyes but tins bandit Is as Jealous
AS any peer OF France or graudee OF
Spain. He will XIII me tell you, and l
would prefer dying by the cxccuuoner's
hand 70 his.
Next morning. before the sun rose
was Al the very extremity OF the Spanish
frontier. and the Marquis made his ap
pearance almost as soon. He brought
his second but had forgotten 70 bring
one. A man ON horseback WAS passing
within few PAGES Of Us. called 10
him and asked him II he would become
my second IN a duel.
He Immediately dismounted, meas
ured our swords like a man accustomed
10 the business, and offered me his own
as better tempered than mine. We had
scarcely crossed our blades when the
French ana Spanish guards came run
ming no, separated us, enIoined rs 30
tiesist, and threatened 20 arrest MS II we
renewed the combat. Milanetta had IN
formed them OF our intentions. | per
ceived the rage and modification Of the
Marquis at this interruption, but / told
him that we conld laugh at their inter
ference, and fight before their faces
without their having the power 10 inter
fere.
"The frontier of France and Spain is
marked by that cross. You, who are a
Frenchman, cross into Spain, while |
step into France. We can then cross
our blades, with our feet touching the .
frontier line, which we can keep between
our bodies and our swords. The Span
lard who fights Frenchman on French /.
ground. aud the Frenchman who meets .
n SpaniArd on the Spanish soil, cannot .
be reached by the law. for the King OF .
Spain has no more power over you than
The King Of France has over me, aud
neither would violate the laws Of nations /
by arrestiug their subjects on a foreign /.
territory"
With one bound / stood upon the ter I.
ritory OF France, while the Marquis re- I
nained in Spain, and we both called 20 f.
the guards: /" Back, mArshalmen Of /
France, you have no authority over
noble of Spain. Away, holy broth
erhood Of Spain; keep your hands of a
gentleman Of France
The soldiers fell back amazed and /
irresolute, while we stood and fought in
the narrow pass, where there was not
room for more than a man 30 stand. Our
swords had scarcely recrossed when the
Marquis fell, pierced to the heart. |
rushed forward 10 support him, when
my second, holding me in his iron grasp,
shouted: "Stop where you are One
foot forward and death stares you in the
face, aud that upon the scaifold |" His
words were interrupted by n shrek, and
we saw Milanetta fling herself upon the
dead body, uttering the most passionate
ordinations of agony and tenderness.
Ny second gnashed his teeth, when he
saw and heard her. He rushed 10 her
and tore her roughly from the body
which she embraced. She uttered "a
heart piercing shrek, and, falling ON her
knees and clasping her hands, she eX-
claimed:
Forgive me, father, forgive me T.
Dishonored T. answered he, with n
gloomy voice. Then die with himl
and with one blow OF his knife he laid
her lifeless at his feet. Then lifting up
her body he flung il 10 me. saying "She
who loved a hated Frenchman is not
worthy Of finding a grave in her country;
the soil of Spain rejects the body of
Milanetta.
"The guards Of the holy brotherhood
surrounded the smuggler, who threw his
knife away and held out his hands TO
them.
"Bind me, said he, ." am the leader
Of the smugglers-you can hang me at
once for smuggling, but not for killing
my daughter. You have outlawed the
smuggler, and therefore he takes justice
into his own hands"
Ny estate was conhscated, my es-
cutcheon disfgured, my castle burned
and price set upon my head; but hea-
ven has punished me in lengthening my
existence and protracting my sorrows.
have survived this event fifty years. but
my heart is still young in recollections
and sufferings, and from that time have
never trod upon the soil OF my country!
A Dangerous Position.
On the coast OF Normandy the women