Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-05-22
The Ambitious B1igand.
A Story of Naples.

A Story of Naples.
One day what matter about the year?)
a plainly-dressed man, apparently a for
eigner, entered the City of Naples on foot
He proceeded to the poor quarter of the
town, where he hired an old untenanted
house that all the people round believed
to be haunted. He paid half a years
rent in advance, took possession, bought
a few necessary articles of furniture laid
in a heavy stock of provisions and shut
himself up in complete seclusion. All
the gossips, of course, wondered who he
was, where he came from, what he in
tended to do, and so on; but as they did
not like to venture an inquiry of the on
ly person who could give them the de-
sired information, they had nothing left
for it but random guesses and mysteri-
Gus speculations.
Days and weeks passed and nothing
was seen of the strange tenant-neither
coming out nor going in, nor yet at any
of the windows, all of which remained
closed save an upper one that, from its
situation, nobody could see into. Then
some of the neighbors said the man was
no man, but mere apparition; others
that he had gone in as flesh and blood,
but had since been spirited away by the
demons of the place.
At last the police went to investigate
the mystery. Their demand for admit
lance was answered by the man himself
"a tall, dark parsonage, with deep blue
eyes and penetrating look-Who, in the
most polite manner, invited them in,
showed them all over the poorly furn-
ished house and treated them to the best
he had. He told them he was a Span
lard by birth, a student by choice, a re-
cluse by whim and a soothsayer by ma
ture. They babe him predict his own
fate, and then arrested and took him be-
fore a magistrate. AS the latter could
find nothing against him he let him off
with fine and few days imprison-
ment. AS he was being taken away he
cried out, In the hearing of many, "Let
him who has condemned me without
cause beware of the judgment that will
SOON be passed upon him in another
Worldp
Ten days after the fortune-teller's re-
lease the magistrate died, and no one
could tell the reason why. There were
those who remembered the predictions
of the former, and noised the fact about
and then certain persons, who believed
in such things came to see him.
One night lady came to him dis
guised in male attire.
&c want to speak with Senior Valencia"
she said.
az am he" replied the fortune teller.
He knew her as the Countess Cirvanti
for he was not what he seemed, and
had met her under very different circum-
stanccs-but he kept this to himself and
treated her as if she were a gentleman.
When alone with him in his poorly fur
nished study, the lady said, 'Senor Va
lencio, you are reported to know the fu-
ture-to know of things and events
before they happen-can you tell why
am hereP"
"It is, of course, impossible far me to
tell all things" he replied; "only what is
given me to know for a purpose. l will
venture to say, however, in your case,
that you seek to be informed how long
Count Cirvanti will live"
The lady started, and her cheeks grew
pale.
''Are all our secret thoughts, then,
known" she exclaimed.
eyes," returned Valencia, solemnly,
call are known-but all are not known
to mortals, else would some wicked hand
be stayed, some murderous deeds remain
undone."
"Who are your" demanded the other,
turning full upon him, though the dim
light of the apartment did not permit
her a very distinct view of his features.
"Methinks," she said, coming up close to
him and almost thrusting her face into
his, eve have met before"
"Where?" demanded Valencia, sternly.