Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-09-04

Il.ff
l.aiiaele Nicola He was indeed greatly
changed, though it was easy to recognize
features as marked as his His voice, too.
was one That stranger would always re-
member though it affected nv ear very
Inherently from the way it did the first
time heard il We know the bell that is
toiilhg at funeral. though we first be-
came accustomed to its tone when it was
ringing on the occasion of a wedding
Ills hand trembled when he took mine
and his dark eyes fell when looked him
IN the face. He was speechless, and | was
so embarrassed that | did not know how
10 commence conversation. | finally
asked him how he was For answer he
stepped before a lighted window, where
might see his haggard face and sunken
eyes. The sight expressed more than all
the words in any language can convey
disappointment, misery, wretchedness,
despair-these as words must be slowly
repeated to the ear before we comprehend
their significance. The eye catches them
in an instant
To say that was Mortified does not ex
composure so as to ask him if he then and
ON other occasions had been trying to seek
or to Gvoid me. He spoke now slowly,
cautiously, solemnly: For more than
year have been trying to find a suit
able opportunity to speak with you. In
my condition | did not like to address YOU
i'll the street in the daytime and to mortify
NV ho
talking with me. A like reason prevented
me from approaching you in the evening
at place where the sidewalk was well
lighted. | have followed you thinking
that you might notice me, recognize me
and stop in some doorway or alley and
speak to me. | have something to tell
you, something not pleasant to hear, not
what you would like to hear of me, but
which must be spoken. A secret of guilt
and shame Furnishes as no executioner
can. 1t allows one to remain alive and
rational that it may torture him the
longer. | must relieve my mind of it
| and see what the effect will be- Tell me
when and where | can meet you alone for
half an hour. 1t had better be in the
| am to speak"
lbelieve | am what professional bruisers,
plug uglies and reckless individuals call
a coward. Indeed, | am quite positive
that am. have periled my life several
times in trying dangerous experiments,
| and once to save a friend. would do the
same thing again, were occasion to re-
hut |
any being would be benefited by my going
out in heavy sea in birch bark canoe,
| serving as a target for people to fire at,
| or shutting myself up in room with a
mailman. However, my curiosity was ex-
cited by the looks, appearance and words
of my old acquaintance, and | desired to
aid him if it was in my power. appointed
the next evening at s o'clock as the time,
and the room where l ordinarily did my
writing as the place of meeting. | slept
little that night, and was very nervous
| during the next day was not as de-
sirous of having the hour of meeting ar
rive as of having the interview over
Punctual to the exact minute he arrived
at my room, and the door being aiar he
entered without saying a word He took
| a roll of papers from his pocket and
placed them on the table. On my point
ing to a chair he took it, at the same time
! tossing his hat into a corner. Evidently
/ he was ready to proceed with his nara
ton, and | asked him to do so. Follow
ing are the details of his story as nearly
as l remember them:
l started for New York about a wear
after you left me. There | bought ticket
on an Italian steamer to Messina, with the
privilege of stopping over at any of the
| leading ports in Spain, France or Italy till
another boat came along belonging to the
same line. The trip across the ocean was
rough and | was sick most of the time till
we got to Gibraltar. Once on the Medi-
terranean and it was pleasant enough so
/ far as good weather was concerned. Still
/ the nearer got to my old home the less
/ seemed to care about going to it. had
j suspicion that something was wrong there,
and it grew On me day by day All the
! crew were from Naples, and they knew
! next to nothing about Sicily. The clerk
/ who kept the accounts Of the freight in
| formed me that Nicolai Pietro had not
been a shipper of fruit for years, and he
was convinced that he was not known in
! business circles at Palermo Then it oc-
CURED to me that he had induced me to go
to America simply to separate me from my
/ wife. Was she in league with him at the
time? Had she during my absence fallen
into his power?
could not eat, sleep, or rest. walked
the deck nearly ell night. The surgeon
| informed the captain that | was threat
ened with brain fever Both of them
| thought that would be better on shore
As we were to put into small port on
| the island of Sardinia, concluded that l
would wait until the next steamer plying
between New York and Messina arrived
| A week passed before it came, and during
this time l had in a measure regained my
health and comPosure. On the new boat
| there were several sailors who lived at
Palermo. One Of them, an intelligent
young fellow said he knew Pietro He
had not been in business for long time
He had lost whatever property he had
ever had aid was leading a hard life
| There were suspicious that he had con-
nections with the bandits in the mountain
parts of the island. His companions in
town belonged to the worst class, thieves
and gamblers. l hesitated about asking
i the young sailor If he knew my wife.
knew that another day would bring me
| wln. | could learn about her for myself
We entered the harbor of Palermo about
sunset and anchored at some little dis
tance from the docks. This was done in
order to allow the custom house officers
to come ga board A boat was run to the
nearest l,;er every half hour for the use
of such passengers and crew as wished to