Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-28

hrst, of latterly she has bsen as sentle az
a larnE and only cared for tue earden.n
Marden,s infatuation sent out u beam
OF hoH. Perhaps her love for him had
tamedher. ~"
suddenly there was an addition to tn a |
Slouls a ~benevolent-l looking priest had |
1oine& them. 1t was Father An selmo.
7as sent for in haste to the convent. |
ana pund them so excited and hysterical |
that came here to see if 1 could not CLEAN |
somahing Ineligible from you," he said
EstSelh presented him to Marsden.
a4 TINS is q sad business" he said,
eentld" Then the sisters poured forth
voiqbf their tale of Lucia's fight.
al Id one would not like to be the one to !
IND htf," whispered Estrella to Marsdene |
"Sae would as soon throttle me as not"
Malsden In his anguish was struck by
the ognity and amiable countenance Of
the priest: So keen was the blow ne had
received that he felt a strange longing for
sympaihy. Almost i%nvoluntarily he felt
compelled to conide in him.
LET us 60" said Mnrsden, "and look
around about the village. She is certainly
The priest seemed to understand that
MM,arsden had something to say to him.
Ihey walked back into the villa, and into
tfe court yard. Marsden held the padre.
apd said tohim, hoarsely: "Tell me about
Father Anselmo did not look surprised.
He knewtoo much of human nature to be
afazedat m of its manifestations.
jhat can say" he said, Struggling
his shoulders, els that 1 think it useless to
search for her. 1 advised her father some
Time ago to let her marry q young man in
Florence, a remote cousin of hers, whom
she mas taken a fancy to marry. But Moth
ing will ever tame her"
Marsden groaned aloud.
NY friend" said the priest, "you know
Marsden could not nave spoken to have
saved his life. The padre gave him a
9nlck ana penetrating glance. He saw
Matsden wa trustworthy.
ri you have any share in the flight of
Tint unhappy girl, be frank with me. 1
h4ve known her from her babyhood. She
ISIS little iend. Her first husband shot
himself; her second ran away"
fShe is but seventeen!" almost shrieked
Mhrsden.
fShe Is certainly not Older" answered
Father Anseltno, sbut she has been twice
married, the second time four weeks after
the death of her first husband. The cousin
whom am convinced she has now run
away to marty was once much in love with
~ " III U4CtiuS u llIJlo Gllulu. Ii, now
ever, Lucia opce puts her eyes on him, he
dare not refuse"
But said poor Marsden, "she was SO
gentle, so doke-like."
The padre had hard work to keep n smile
from coningon his face. "You ought to.
have seen h}r kick the Archbishop /" he
saih. He toPk off his beretta, and showed
Marsden a l}ng red C a on his forehead
just below the hair. "She gave me that
one day whfn she came to me to confess
sioh."
Marsden fit hope depasting from him.
II trust YOU as a man of honor" said he;
and he made a clean breast to Father An
selnlo.
''(iive y{urself no further anxiety,"
said the padre, when he had concluded.
II am convinced she has zone to her cous-
in Antonio. 1 saw him hanging about
here some weeks ago,. n wrote her
father. Lucia protested to have. ceased
to ~carefor him. That was q sign she had
not"
Just hen a flock Of black-robed sisters
~poe'adfinto the courtyard in search of
Fatt Ar Anselmo. They had found a note
from incia. Father Anselmo put on his
specteles, Count Estrella, who had APP
pearedupon the scene, held the lantern,
and tla sisters wept and exclaimed in
choru:
"DEhn FATHER ANsELMO-To. night I pro-
pose 20 take the train for Florence to join
my GEAR Antonio. l have behaved SO we'll
lateit that ] have scarcely n'watched Mt
all. climbed up the iiex.tree and broke
off aIbranch or two so l could make the ac-
quaiitnnce of the Amer ican who lodges at
tire Villa Estrella. He Ia Il good fellow, and
did l rot mean to marry Antonio from spite,
l void thke my American. When this
reaches you I shall be on my way to Flor
ence: If the sisters dare to have me stopped,
] will return to the convent and put out the
eyes of some Of them.
"Luc1A MARIO"
81 told you So" said the padre, folding
up the letter carefully.
in Florence, trying to forget the sweet
madness Of the last three month";. He
went to the opera. Seated in a box, beau
tiful, triumphant, yet modest, was Lucia.
By her side sat a small young man with
delicate features. One of his eyes had a
Marsden. She smiled coquettishly at him,
and waved her fan with languid grace.
Marsden smiled; then, by an irresistible
impulse, laughed. He had not thought he
could ever laugh again. After the opera
he went up to speak to her. His heartache
was almost cured.
"Ah, Signor Marsden," she said, with
her softest smile, "could it have been
otherwise?-Go, Antonio, and get the car
riage, blockhead Those moonlight nights!
1 was sincere, signor; my heart. was yours
what do you stand there for, dolt, listen
ing to every word 1 have to say!-but 1
had promised to marry Antonio; though,
as you see, he is q poor stick"
| Marsden bowed to the ground. eff it
were for your happiness, signora, 1 can
resign you; / shall stihe all vain regrets;
but l shall never again see your peer
newer another Lucia"
Marsden returned to New York, and
married within a year a most satisfactory
girl. But he manages to pique her occa-
sionally by dark illusions to an Italian
romance. And sometimes his wife re-
p Pr 'aGieh MN Mar sdaIhi s;g near nr rs yev N lta ayj
says nothing.-Harper's Weekly.