Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-04-24
CALLED BACK.
A Wen-Told Story of Continuous
and Absorbing Interest.
BY HUGH CONWAY.
CHAPTER XIII.-CoNrINUED.

BY HUGH CONWAY.
CHAPTER XIII.-CoNrINUED.
She had, until she met her future hus-
band, loved her brother above every one
in the world. She had echoed his pa
triotism, sympathized with him in his
schemes, and listened to the wild plots
he was always planning. He was some
years older than she was, and upon her
return to Italy she found him, out
wardly, nothing more than q quiet,
hard-working, ill-paid doctor. She mar
veled at the change from the head
strong, visionary, daring young man
she had left. 1t was not until he was
certain her heart had not forsaken her
country that Ceneri allowed her to see
that under his prosaic exterior lurked
one of the subtlest and ablest minds
of all those engaged in working out the
of Italy. Then all his old sway
came back. She admired, almost wor-
SHIPPED him. She, too, was ready to
make any sacrifice when the time should
came.
What she would have done had she
been called upon, it is impossible to say;
but there is little doubt but her fortune
and her children's fortune would have
been freely spent in the good cause.
As it was she died long before the pear
was ripe, and when she died, such was
her faith in her brother, everything was
left in his hands as sole trustee for her
children. In her last moments the
thought of her husbands decided En-
gliSh proclivities made her exact a
promise that both the boy and the girl
should be given an English education.
Then she closed her eyes, and the Or
phans were left entirely to the trustee
mercy.
He obeyed her spoken commands to
the letter. Anthony and Pauline were
sent to English schools; but having no
friends in their fathers native land, or
all old friends having been lost sight of
during their mothers widowhood, the
holidays We're spent in Italy. They
grew up almost as much Italian as En-
glish. Ceneri husbanded, invested and
their fortune with care and in
a business-like way. l have no doubt,
so far as it went, his honesty was unim-
peachable.
Then the longed-for moment came!
The great blow was to be struck
Ceneri, who had kept himself out of lit
tie abortive plots, felt that now or never
he must do all he could do for his coun-
try. He hailed the coming man. He
knew that Garibaldi was to be the
savior of his oppressed land. The first
rash step had been taken and led to
success. The time and the man were
at hand. Recruits were flocking by
thousands to the scene of war, but the
cry was money, money, money!!
Money for arms and ammunition
for stores, food and clothing
money for bribes-money for every
thing! Those who furnished the sinews
of war would be the real hberators of
the country!
Why should he hesitate? Had his
sister lived she would have given all the
fortune she possessed as freely as she
would have given her life! Were not
her children half Italian? Liberty
laughed at such small thing as breach
of trust.
Except a few thousand pounds, he
realized and sacrificed the
whole of the children's inheritance. He
poured their thousands and thousands
into the hands held out for them. The
large sum was spent where it was most
wanted, and Ceneri averred that he
freed Italy by the opportune aid. Per-
haps he did-who can tell?
Titles and honors were afterward Of
fered him for this great though secret
service. 1t makes me think better of
the man that he refused all reward. His
conscience may have told him he had
not robbed himself. Any way, he re-
manned plain DR.. Ceneri, and broke
with his old leaders and friends when
he found that Italy was to be King
dom, not Republic.
He had kept, | said, few thousand
pounds. The boy and the girl were
growing up, and their uncle thought
that even his patriotism permitted him
to keep back enough to complete their
education and start them in life.
Pauline was promising TO be so beauti-
full that he troubled little about her fut-
ure. A rich husband would set every
thing right for her. But Anthony-who
was becoming wild, headstrong young
fellow-was another affair.
As soon as the youth should reach
mans estate, Ceneri had resolved to
make a clean breast of his defalcations
to tell him how the money had been
spent-to beg his forgiveness, and, il
necessary, bear the penalty of his fraud
ulent act. But so long as any money
remained he delayed doing so. The
young man, if evincing no sympathy
with his uncle's regeneration schemes
and pursuit of liberty, fully believed in
his integrity. Feeling assured that
when he came of age he would succeed
to splendid inheritance, swelled by &C
cumulated savings, he threw away
money in a thousand and one extrava-
giant ways. till Ceneri soon saw that the
end of the reserve fund was drawing
near.
So long as he had money in hand to
meet Anthony demands, he postponed
the evil day of confession. The idea,
which Macari had tried to work out
with my aid, of appealing to the italian
Government for return of some of the
amounts expended. suggested itself to
Hill but III CdIIS lliS Out III NOulu Do
necessary to let his nephew know what
had taken place-tlne appeal must be
made in his name.
As the inevitable exposure drew near
he dreaded it more and more. He had
studied Anthony's character, and felt
sure that when he knew the truth his
one wish would be to take revenge on
the fraudulent trustee. Ceneri could
see nothing before him but well-de-
served term of penal seryitude. If the
English law failed to touch him that of
his own country might be brought
against him.
1t seems to me that until this time he
had committed no crime from which he
could not absolve himself on the
grounds of patriotism; but now the de
sire to save himself from punishment
grew upon him, and he determined to
avoid the consequences of his acts
He had never felt any great affection
for the two children No doubt they
had latterly appeared in the light Of
wronged innocents who would one day
demand reckoning with him. They
were II disposition TOO much like their
father for him to be greatly drawn to-
ward them. He despised Anthony for
his gay. frivolous life-a life without