The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-07-22
EALF AN HOUR.

"Your curiosity is natural" said the
connt smiling. 1T is true that I am
under Thirty; yet, as you see. my hair is
whittier than snow. The change took
Mace in the space of half an hour.
When tell you that nothing but the
will of an imrlacable enemy stood be-
tween me and horrible death during
that half-hour, you will be prepared for
startling "arra,ive.
:, My cousin Angelo and myself were
tellow-students at Padua. No two
widely in character than he and I.
angelo lived by himself In a close,
secret way, and Stunned society IS n
pestience. J., on the contrary, never
spent an hour by myself when | could
find any ofmy most of friends at leisure
to receive me. The consequence was
that Angelo graduated with high
honors, while l fell in love with the
beautiful daughter of Leonardo di
Porta.
Unsteady rs was by nature, that
noble won au found good enough in me
to return my love. The knowledge OF
my undeserved happiness sobered Inc /;
| settled down to hard work to gain
honor for her sake.
"Those were happy days, signor.
Youth. love and ambition made up for
me paradise that l would not have
exchanged for that of our traditional
first parents. Like that, a serpent was
not long in creeping in to poison its
happiness.
pauline di Porta was seized with a
disease that threatened her life. The
solemn quacks who attended her looked
wise, gave her drugs, and finally left her
ode.
l." 1t was easy enough for them to say,
She will die, no human power can save
her, but how was it for me to bearf
My own death.warrant would have
seemed mild trial to confront beside
the certainty that the woman of my love
was to pass away from me, with the
golden promise of her youth yet unful-
filled.
sin my extremity I thought of An
gelo. He had been appointed to the
prOfessorship of chemistry in the col
lege, and had already earned a wide
reputation for profound knowledge OF
the science. L. seemed possible that in
the resources of his learning there might
be chance for the dying girl.
81 went to him and asked his aid.
At first he refused. What were human
life and human suffering to him, who
lived apart from his kind in gloomy
egotism of his own? / could not arouse
his sympathies, but [ old arouse his
fears for himself. Idon't know by what
violence brought him to her bedside at
last.
"a curious change passed over his
face as he gazed upon the sick girl. His
dull eye lighted up, and n flush came
into his sallow cheek. Was it her
wasted beauty, or her weakness and
suffering, that touched his cold nature
Whatever it was, it made a worker oi
miracles of him in her behalf. He
watched her as q mother might child
administered powerful remedies known
only to himself, and in a week had cured
her.
"When she had recovered. / went to
him and humbl!y begged his pardon for
the violence | had used with him; he
looked at me with strange smile.
"'I have saved her life,' he said
but for me she would have died.
"'I know it, / responded; Il am
very grateful to you, Angelo
80 l did not do it for you,' he said
l did it for myself. Do you know the
old traditionp he added, with sudden
change of manner. He who saves a
life owns it forever afterward,'
Il looked at him with a superstitious
brill; but he was smiling, and il
passed away. / pressed him to visit
Pauline with me. desired him to be
the friend OF my future wife, and I said
q" pon't tempt me, he said. sloomils