The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-03-05

Miss Margaret Willis slapped her
maid III the face one morning as the girl
was dressing her hair "How often
must l tell you not To draw the hair So
tightly back from my forehead :" she
exclaimed. 1T must be quite loose.
though firmly held. Y"u make me Il
fright !"
Ii was IA soft hand, vet it could give 4
ringing blow, az Agnesina had learned
during the last few weeks; for such blows
were new III her experience with Miss
Willis, who till lately had been the
sweetest of mistrcsses. She said moth
ing, however. but made haste Ia loosen
the brown hair over that snowy forehead
till Margarct's sharp " CDsi!" todd her
that the right point had hecu reached.
One can take blows from "a hand that
scatters gold, thought Agnesiua. Be
sides, WAS not the signurina abuut 10 D,-
come II marclnoncss? Much may b" iur-
given a warehouses, and still more may
be forgiven ~ beautiful lady vii" Is
about to marry Il rich elderly nohlrmnI.
when she very much prefers Il certain
more youthful hut poorer sutton.
For the servants unders' God the affair
perfectly, and talked il over quite freely
iilltt Will 'llN'lE lIltDttb
Miss Willis was certainly in love with
Professor Marinelh, but. very properly,
was going to marry the Marc his Of San
Giorgio; and although, according 10 som"
of them, i really mattered very little
whom one married, vet it was natural
that, for time, the young lady should
he rather irritable. Professor Mariuelli
was 80 handsome and had such ii fasciu-
ating way Of using those large black eyes
of his,
Thus the servants hall, which is
Oftener than not the source of society
gossip.
Miss Willis was already dressed, FOR
she had adopted the custom of tn. Fan
press Eugene of having her hair ar
ragged last When it was finished she
rose, letting slip the large cambria
mantle that covered her, and went to
take a careful survey Of herself in Il long
mirror that stood between the two win
lows. The result could not have been
Otherwis" hut pleasing. She wore II
long tunir Of lace and muslin i'll stripes
over lavender silk, and rose-colorcd
bows Oh the half open sleeves ana under
her lovely chm.
" .NDH ." ntuh -" she owned: and,
drawing toward her Il great vas" Of large
pink and white iIIchsIas, sIc fastened one
Of them IN the braid that surrounded her
head Tx" Il cOrOnet, und, taking the
pearl rings from her ears, hung iuchsias
in their p!uce.
:" J. Am going for n walk below the
bclyederr," she sad then 10 her maid.
"Say nothing about it Ia any one and
keep people away if you can. If any Of
those dreadful tourists come fcrr To see
the ground, tell the gardener 40 come to
the terrace and whistle. Or''-shc turn
cal abruptly and looked 1t the girl" can
you whistle"
A2nesina laughed, puckered up her
rosy mouth and emitted low, clear
whistle, small and silvery imitation Of
n locomotive alarm. ~ can make it far
louder" She sad, her eyes sparkling.
81 know how Ia whistle just loud
enough to be heard 10y the person wish
to reach"
"Where did you learn ths?" her
mistress asked in astOnislunent, and with
out smile, rather displeased than other
wise.
The girl laughed again, shrugged her
shoulders and affected reserve. "Oh,
have sometimes found it useful, she
said, looking away from the
lady's stcadfast gaze, There are other
ways, too. That one meant that there
will be danger il You don't make haste
This one whistling in another manner
-" means that you must turn back from
the direction in which you are going,
and go in the opposite direction. This
one still another whistle" calls q
person To watch. Oh, there are many
ways of giving sign" she said, with
another laugh. "Yuu can say almost
anything you wan: to with a whistle"
Agnesina would probably not have ex-
yr,sed so much of the science of intrigue,
learned with quite different mistresses,
If she had not been sure Miss Willis had
u rendezvous with the professor. For
what else, pray, could lady wish to
take solitary walk when no one was
about. and TO receive warning if any one
should approach? That she might wish
to be alone, with that sense of freedom
which the open air gives, and TO COM
,pune with her own thoughts with n
beautiful and living nature all about
her, not only the servants, but many Of
their superiors, we're incapable of under
standing or Of relieving.
Miss Willis went down the grand
stairs. Not soul was in sight. At this
hour-it had Just struck eleven from the
clock in the grand fountain-all the
ladies and gentlemen in the villa, except,
perhaps the master Of it. the marquis OF
San Giorgio, were in their own rooms,
and would leave them only at the sound
"a the breakfast bell, which rang pre-
cisesY at noon. II the marquis were ont
he would he at the potteries in the
very furthest corner Of the villa. He
almost invariably devoted the hour oi
two before breakfast to his correspon
dence.
just outside the door 10y which Mar
aaret left the house there was flower
garden, which she had to pass on heI
way TO the green below the grand ter
race, or belyedere,
NJ all the paratlIses which sit upoi
h;Ils;,,es and look toward Rome across
the Can, cagna, none was more beautiful
than this villa Of San Giorgio.
Following q little path that woun'
oround the shrubs and trees, Margare
Iescended to the level, where, from tn
windows above she might have showe
l;ke a large flower in the midst Of tn