The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-07-14
HALF AN HOUR.


l tell you that nothing bat the will of an
implaeable enemy stood between me and
a horrible death during that half hour,
you will be prepared for a startling mar,
rative.
My cousin Angelo and myself were
fellow students at Padua. 10 two rela.
tivas could have differed more widely in
character than he and I.
! 'Angelo lived by himself in a close,
+ secret way, and Stunned society as q pes
thence. I, on the contrary, never spent
an hour by myself when I could find any
Of my host 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 Iii Porta.
Unsteady as [ was by nature, that
noble woman found good enough in me
to return my love. The knowledge OF
my undeserved happiness sobered me; l
settled down to work to gain honor for
her sake.
'Those were happy days, signor.
Youth, love and ambition made up fol
me a paradise that I would not have ex-
changed for that Of our traditional first
parents. Like that a serpent was not
long in creeping in to poison its happi-
ness.
pauline Iii 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
to die.
at was easy enough to say, SHE will
die, no human power can save her. but
how was it for me to bear? My own death
warrant would have seemed a mild trial
to comfort besides the certainty that the
woman Of my love was to pass away from
me, with the golden promise of her youth
yet unfulflled.
''In my extremity I thought Of Angelo.
He had been appointed to the professor
ship Of chemistry in the college, and had
already earned a wide reputation for pro-
found knowledge of science. 1t seemed
possible that in the sources of his learn
ing there might be a chance for the dy,
ing girl.
II eat 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. I could not arouse his SYM
pathy, but did arouse his fears for him
self. don't know by what violence Z
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 a flush came into his
salIow cheek. Was ii her wasted beau
tv, or her weakness and suffering that
touched his cold nature2 Whatever it
was it made worker of miracles of him
in her behalf. He watched her as a
mother might child, administered pow
erful remedies known only to himself,
and in week had cured her.
"When she had recovered, I went to
him to humbly beg his pardon for the
violence l had used with him; he looked
at me with a strange smile and said:
81 have saved her life; but for me she
would have died.
81 know it, replied, "and am very
grateful to you, Angelo"
81 did not do it for you," he said. 81
did it for myself. Do you know the old
tradition? He who saves life owns it
forever afterward.
81 looked at him with superstitious
thrill; but he was smiling, and it passed
away. I pressed him to visit Pauline
with me. I desired him to be the friend
Of my future wife and I said so.
"Dont tempt me- he said gloomilv,
"You can't tell what may come Of it.
u laughed at his solemuity which I
supposed to be assumed in Jest, and took
him with me to her house. During the
interval prior to the day set for our mar
riage, he spent part Of nearly every
evening with rs and |, like a blind fool,
was pleased at his interest in Us.
..He rarely spoke when he was with us.
mostly sitting silent in some obscure cor
ner, apparently buried in thought. I
should never have known that he had
/ ever paid any attention to us, but for
what he said to me one night as We were
going home. He paused abruptly in the
road, laid his hand on my shoulder and
said:
's5alyator, do you really love that
girl?"
Il was startled but answered quickly
"Before my own soul, Angelo"
Strange" he muttered, unstable
minds like yours are not prone to such
strong attachments"
"Uustable [ may be, but 1 know her
mind as well as any man can know it. ;"
"les, " he answered, walking on, ''even
a fool must love that woman. 4 wise
man might sacrifice his chance for her. .
The subject was not renewed between
rs; but did not forget the occurrence,
ana shortly after mentioned it to Pauline,
She had never liked my cousin from the
irst, aud she appeared to find something
10 alarm her in what he had said TO ne.
Salvatore. " she said, ''your cousin is
an evil man, he does not love you and
woud not hesitate to do you an injury.
Avoid him. Do not bring him here again.
Trust my woman's instinct. l have seen
the serpent where you have only seen
/ the eccentric friend.
/ i laughed at her fears, but promised
that II L could avoid angelo without Of
lending him would do so. But it ap-
peared that some subtle instinct had re-
yealed our thought to him; for from that