Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-07-04


trust toward the good dame. 1t made him
still more careful, and he resolved to spare
no pains in taking every precantion possible
to ensure success.
The Princess Natalie was putting the
finishing touches upon her picture. On the
morrow she expected to leave her beloved
village and summer homo for Lake Mag
giore where her chief companion,
brother, scarcely more than one year older
than herself, had been accustomed to spend
with her his summers.
A little more than two years previous to
the time when this narrative opens, on the
morning of her birthday, he had, among
other gifts, presented his sister with love-
ly palette-knife, just as he was departing on
a short hunting expedition into the valley.
But before gong he took his seat at the
piano and began playing the ''Addio." (This
song was great favorite with both Natalie
and himself.l
Aroused by the many evidences of her
brothers love and the fact that it was her
birthday she scarcely knew by what, it
seemed almost prescience-she went over
to his side and sang as she rarely had sung
before. Otto was so much moved when the
song was ended that he put his arms about
her. and kissed her Goodbye" As the
words of the song have it, it proved Good
bye for ever
Two hours later. in headlong chase after
stag. he gailoped his horse down a ravine.
The exhausted beast lost his footing and
stumbled, throwing its master headlong
against a rock The unfortunate youth
lived but a few moments.
The shock to the Princess was even
greater than might have been anticipated.
Returning from a horseback ride, while gal
loping at full speed, as was her won't, and
laughing gaily at some remark of her old
governess. whom her affection still retained
more as companion and chaperon than in
structress, she suddenly turned a curve in
the road and saw before her a rude, i'm
provised litter, borne on the shoulders OF
four men. A fifth was leading two saddle
horses. A figure covered with mantle
lay upon the litter.
The impetuous speed of Medji carried his
| rider nearly up to the party, ere she could
| check him. As he came to a standstill,
| Natalie recognized the men and also her
| brothers horse. For moment she doubted
| the evidence of her senses, and looked
| again.
With overwhelming force the horrible
| truth burst upon her. She leaped to the
| ground, rushed up to the litter, tore the
| mantle from the face, and saw her only
| brother lying pale and cold in the sleep of
| death
40 Otto, my brother dead.' she cried, and
| swooned away
| For weeks afterward she lay, lowering
oetwixt life and death. in a wild delirum of
| fever. All her physicians looked for death.
| But one sunny afternoon strolhng harper
! CHANGED to play under her window a
| peculiarly sweet air. In the midst of her
| rawlings she stopped, and seemed to be
| listening to the ''Addio," and lay quiet a
long time after the melody had died away,
falling finally into refreshing slumber,
from which she awoke in her right mind.
| As the Princess grew stronger, the old
| scenes proving painful to her, she asked TO
| be removed to others; and when she once
| more looked upon the fair waters of Mag
| giore, it was at the request of her parents.