The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-13

the lastr That was the friend of Father
Paul and of the poor dear PrinceSsl And
you may tell the rest, dear Lady Isabel. |
only wanted Signor Zanoni to know that
the Kings messenger was a man whose word
was to be trusted
And thank you kindly for the infor-
nation, good friend, " said the painter, with
a look of praise in his wonderful eyes that
gave the old dame real happiness.
Father Paul was greatly troubled and
perplexed. He was upon the point OF re-
turning to Italy, after an absence of be-
tween ten and eleven years, and he wished
to carry back TO the friends of the Prin-
cess, if she had any left, word of her con-
dition."
"Have you told the Signor," again broke
in the duenna-and this time she certainly
filed up an important gap in the story.
Have YOU told the Signor that all this
time Father Paul thought full sure that
Prince Giovanni had been condemned and
executed and that the poor dear Princess
believed the same thing to the day of her
deathsn
Isabel, at the first breath of Madelon'S
thought had started guilty; and she
looked at Juan as though to ask him if
she could have forgotten 50 important a
fact. He caught her meaning and shook
his head.
AAC" COul1 uiNC ONNIAOOhtu ll9 SIG
exclaimed, in a tone of self-reproof Dear
old mamma, thank you for reminding me
OF it. | should have thought of it before
had done, but should have spoken of it
before. You must have wondered, Signor,
what could have kept the Princess in Spain
so long after her husband had been exon
Grated of all blame at a second trial, and
her own son had assembled the throne of
Parma"
Il certainly did think it very strange; and
now | can only wonder how it happened
that the unfortunate wife could have re-
manned in such profound ignorance of Il
matter so nearly touching her life's chief
source of joy and blessing" "a
"Ah," cried the irrepressible duenna,
self-importance beaming in every shade and
wrinkle, "there it isl The ugly, good-for-
nothing Baron Rizzi-Matteo Rlzzi-the
beStidccidi-he was one of the chief of
those who caused Giovanni's arrest and inn
prisonment. After the poor Prince had
died, at home, and in his bed his heart
broken with the belief that his wife and his
precious little Stetfano had been drowned
in the sea-after that Baron Rizzi went to
Spain and saw Father Paul and swore to
him that Prince Giovanni's head had bee
cut off, and that his son Antonio had died
on the road between Rome and Parma
probably, he said, killed by the deadly enc
mics of his father. This, of course, the
priest told to the poor dear Princess; and
she beloved it; and then it was that she left
Toledo and went Off to Madrid, being
dreadfully afraid that they would be after
her other-her youngest darling, to kill
him And neither Father Paul nor the
Princess ever discovered what wicked lie
had been told them. Now, Signor. do you
wonder that the poor dear mother didn't
come back to Parma"
He told her he could wonder no more,
and after brief pause Isabel spoke again.
''We left Father Paul troubled and per-
picked, she said. FINALLY, he bethought
him of the good priest in Madrid with
whom Corsiglia had been wont to CORES
pond, and he determined to write to him.
He wrote a letter, and the new messenger
took it, promising to deliver it and bring
back an answer if one should be given him.
The answer came. The Princess and her
son were alive and well, and that was ALL
with that Father Paul left Spain and
returned to Italy, going first to Rome and
then coming here On his arrival he was
taken sick, and lay at deaths door for
many days; but he finally recovered and it
was during his convalescence that he
CHANGED to overhear friends speaking of the
Duke Antonio and of the death of his par
ents. Upon making inquiry ne learned that
the Duke still believed that his mother and
his little brother had been lost at sea on their
way to France. As soon as he could do so
he called upon the Duke, and told to him the
whole story, as | have told it to you.
"That was fifteen years ago. AS quickly
as possible Antonio hired a large vessel at
Genoa and fitted her out for Spain, and
sent in her faithful agents to find his
mother and his brother, and bring them
back to his arms and to his hearth Alas
1t would almost seem that dark fate had
set itself against the accomplishment of the
Dukes purpose. He waited and waited /;
and at the expiration Of six months came
word that his vessel had been cast away on
one of the Balearic Islands; but only one
of his friends-of whom there were four
had been lost. However, it was almost a
year before the other three reached Spain,
where, upon arriving at Madrid, they
learned that the Princess had died only a
month before. With regard to her son they
could obtain no information that was salts
flying They were informed that she had had
d son with her few years before, and he
might have been with her later, but he was
gone then-had disappeared, leaving not a
trace behind. They searched through Mad
rid and through the region round about,
and they also searched in Toledo and at
Carthagena, but, alas, without avail And
they came home bootless.
fro M CONTTNTTED