The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-09-25

JErred. turned tnem over ana ever;
I the edges of the note paper were stained
with blood-Guido's blood-ss though In
its last sluggish flowing it had endeay.
cred to obliterats all traces OF the
daintily- penned lies that now awaited
my perusal, Slowly united the ribbon.
With methodical deliberation ] read one
letter after the other. They were al
from Nina-all written to Guido while
he was in Rome, some Of them bearing
dates of the very days when she had
feigned to levs meme, her newly &C
cepted husband One very amorous
epistle had been written on the self same
evening she had plighted her troth &c
mel-Letters burning and tender, full OF
the most passionate protestatlons OF
fidelity, overlooking with the sweetest
terms of endearment, with such
a ring of truth and love throughout
them that surely II was no wonder that
| Guido's suspicious were all unwakened,
and that he had reason TO believe him
self safe In his fools paradise. One
massage In this poetical and romantic
correspondence fixed my attention. Ii
ran thus
"Why do you write so much OF mar
rage to me. Guido milo? Ii seems TO
nv mind that all the joy of loving will
be taken from US when once the hard
world knows of our passion. 1t you be-
come my husband you will assuredly
cease to be nv lover, and that would
break my heart All, my best beloved!
| desire you to be my lover always as
you were when Fabio lived,-why bring
commonplace matrimony into the heaven
Of such passion as ours?"
studied these words attentively. OF
course understood their drift She had
tried to feel her way with the dead man.
She had wanted to marry me, and yet
retain Guido for her lonely hours. as
''her lover a1waysw Such pretty, IL
eenious plan it was! No thief,
no murderer ever laid more cunning
schemes than she; but the law
looks after thieves and murderers. For
such a woman as this Law says, "Di-
vorce her-that is your best remedy.
Divorce herl Let the criminal 60 scot
freel Others may do it that choose
have different ideas of justice!
Tying up the packet of letters again,
with their sickening perfume and their
blood stained edges, l drew out the last
graciously worded missive l had re.
ceived from Nina. or course l heard
from her every day,-she was most
faithful correspondent The same af.
fectionate expressions characterized he.
letters to me as those that had deluded
her dead lover,-with this difference,
that whereas she lnveighed very much
against the prosiness of marriage to
Guido, to me she drew the most touch
ing picture of her desolation. how
lonely she had felt since her dear hus-
bands" death, how rejoiced she was to
think she was soon again to be happy
wife-the wife of one SO noble, so true,
so devoted as / was! She had left the
convent and was now at home-when
should she have the happiness of well
coming me, her best beloved Cesare back
| to Naples! She certainly deserved some
credit for artistic lying; l could not
understand how she managed 1t so well
Almost admired her skill, as one some
times admires q cool-headed burglar
who has more skill, cunning and pluck
than his comrades. / thought with
| triumph that though the wording o1
Ferrari's will enabled her to secure all
other letters she might have written tC
him, this one little packet Of documen
tary evidence was more than sufficient
for my purposes. And 1 resolved to re
tain it in my own keeping till the time
came for me to use it against her.
And how about D'Avencourt's friendly
advice concerning the matrimonial knot
"a man should not walk on the edge Of
precipice with his eyes shut" Yer!
true But il his eyes are open and HI
has his enemy by the throat, the edge Of
precipice is convenient position TO
hurting that enemy down to death in
quiet way, that the world need know
nothing of! 80 for the present pre-
ferred the precipice to walking on leve
ground.
l rose from my seat near the PuntC
d'Angelo. 1t was growing late in tn
afternoon. From the little church be
low me soft bells rang out the Angelus
and with them chimed in a solemn ant
harsher sound from the turret Of tn
Mount Vergine. / lifted my hat wit
the customary reverence and stoo
listening, with my feet deep in the gras
and scented thyme, and more than onc'
glanced up at the height wherein tn
venerable sanctuary held its post, lik
some lonely old god of memory broodin
over vanished years There. accordin,
to tradition, was once celebrated the wor
ship of the many-breasted Cybele; dow
that very slope of grass dotted with vic
let's had rushed the bowling, nake'
priests beating their discordant drum
and shrieking their lsments for the los
Of Atys, the beautiful youth, their god
dess's paramount, Intidelity again!-eve
in this ancient legend, what did Cybel
care for old Saturn, whose wife sh
WASP Nothing, less than nottingham
her adorers worshipped not her chastity
but her fsithlessness; it is the way G
the world to this day!
The bells ceased ringing; descende
the hill and returned homeward throug
shady valley, full Of th
odour of pines and bog myl
tie. On reaching the gate Of tn
Signora Months humble yet picturesqu
dwelling / heard the sound of laughte
and elapping Of hands, and looking !
the direction of the orchard, i saw Viz