Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-29

| side, fell back IN his chair, ana, Win open
mouth and staring eyes, seemed to nave
lost all power of utterance.
sit is true, uncle Baldelli; and you
are glad of my fortune, are you not !!
"Twelve thousand Why, we shall be
rich. my little Teresina. But where is the
money Let me look at it, let me feel it; )"
and his lean fingers trembled with excite
ment.
II have not yet received it. They said
you must apply for it. But here is the
ticket"
Old Baldelli seemed lost in thought.
s'Yes, yes will apply for it, )" he said ];
/" and then what gay doings shall we have
And you shall have the brightest silk scarf
IN Naples, and silver neckIet worth forty
francs, if l can't get it cheaper. And
when you marry Luigi"
But | am not going to marry Luigi"
All, but that will all come in time.
And we will buy the little orchard on the
hlll above, and your old uncle-your loving,
kind old uncle-shall do all the work, and
Luigi shall play at moro and go to the the
alter, and the little Teresina shall look after
the house and be as extEavagant as she
pleases." And the old man chuekled over
his pleasant arrangement. But Teresinas
spirit rose at this.
g l will never marry Luigi, uncle Bal
deli, for | have !plighted myself to Frank
Lloyd"
Her uncle looked black at this. But any
care about his niece's marriage was at pres.
ent absorbed in thoughts about the money.
He saw no connection between the two at
the time. He took it for granted that
what was hers was his, and if she would
not have Luigi-well, it was very desira-
Bile, certainly, but Luigi must look to him.
self.
"And you will take FIVE thousand francs
for yourself, uncle for although my father,
believe, left you sufficient for my sup
port, l would not appear ungrateful. For
the rest | wish it to be given to my future
husband
Baldelli stopped in the middle of some
calculations he was making, looked fxedly
for few moments at his niece, and over
his face came "a look that frightened her.
"Bah, little fool, you know not what
you say VIII you sacrifice your family
to this accursed fair-faced foreigner ,"
"The foreigner loves me. My family's
kindness is but small p"
AT this moment servant from the Villa
Santangelo appeared to request Teresina's
presence at the house.
"Say no word of this to the English
people, was her uneles injunction as she
left.
81 will say no word, but l will do as l
have said :" and there was determine
tion In her voice and look that there was
no mistaking.
Baldelli sat for long time, never NOV
ing but to make a gesture of anger, or to
utter an oath. Presently he went to a
cupboard, took from it bottle of wine
that had laid there many month, and
drank it at draught. And then, as the
unaccustomed fumes mounted to his brain
for he rarely took stimulants-he paced
the chamber to and fro, excited and rest
less.
1t was late when Teresina returned, and
it was with surprise she found herself
accosted by her uncle in amiable tones.
" You have said nothing at the villa of
your fortune, child %
6 Nothing, my father"
&c And you will not marry that poor
Luigi, and you will give all this money to
the Englishman %
" 1t is only just uncle Baldelli."
"And your poor uncle will remain in
Pausilipo, and work, work for his little
plate of maearoni, and his dear little Tere-
sina will be quite proud, and ashamed of
him!" and there was a sneer in the old
mans tones, and dark look in his eyes,
that belied the softness of his speech.
"No, no." replied his niece, "never
that, L hope. But you will go about this
for me tomorrow, will you not %
" Yes, will see to it. And now we will
take cup OF wine in honor of my Tere-
sina's good fortune. See here, it is ready )"
and he took from a side table two tumblers
already poured out.
''Ah, this is very kind of you, my father.
But how bitter it is r'
Finish it, finish it, he said fercely !;
a bumper to the lucky number p and
she, not caring to irritate him, complied.
She shortly after retired to rest, drowsy
and tired.
Half an hour afterward the old man
crept toward her room, muttering:
La Sonnambula, La Sonnambula
Luigi said that the opera at San Carlo was
like real life. Somnambulists do strange
things"
And he passed into her room.
Frank Lloyd was sitting in boat wait
ing for his employer at the steps of the
Villa Santangelo. He was surprised to see
light burning in the gardeners house at
so late an hour; bat he knew that Teresina
often sat up late after her uncle had re-
tired indeed, he had had many sweet
stolen interview with her at the window,
when waiting as he waited now. At this
moment he heard the voice of Lord Ardley,
joining in duet with his fdRcee at the
villa. He won't come away just yet, /"
said the sailor to himself so, taking
clean jump over strip of water that sepa-
rated the two Easements, he clambered up
to the gardeners window. He had placed
his hands on the window-sill, and was
drawing himself up, and about to give the
usual signal, when, to his intense astonish-
ment, he saw old Baldelli staggering from
the opposite room, half-dragging, half-car-
rying his niece What could it mean
Was she i'll ? Was it fresh air she required?
He had not much time for thought, for the
window, opened suddenly outward by
Baldelli, struck his hands from
their hold. and he had only time
to drop lightly into the water be-
meath. As he came to the surface-great
heaven he could neither shout nor pre-
vent 1.-THE slight form of his sweetheart
was hurled from the window into the black
water below and the old man, not daring
to look upon his handiwork, closed the
window abruptly and disappeared. 1t was
the work of moment for the young sailor
to reach the body of his sweetheart, and to
place her in his boat under cover of sail.
But what was be now to do with his pre-
cious burden, which lay, safe but still un-
conscious, near him? He might, indeed,
place here under the care of the ladies at
the villa but then he feared the chatter
of servants, nor did he know what power
her uncle might have to claim her from
them, for italian Courts are slow to recog-
nize the interference of foreigners in domes-
tic difficulties. While he was still in doubt
he was joined by Lord Ardley, to whom he