The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-03-13

left me. followed his advice at once
and locked myself in. Then / stepped
steadily to the mirror hanging on the
wall, and looked at my own reflection.
A bitter pang shot through me. The
dealers sight was good, he had said truly.
was old! II twenty years of suffering
had passed over my head they could
hardly have changed me more terribly.
My illness had thinned my face and
marked it with deep lines Of pain; my
eyes had retreated far back into my
head, while a certain wildnesS of eX-
preston in them bore witness to the ter
rors had suffered in the vault, and to
crown all, my hair was indeed perfectly
white. / understood now the alarm OF
the man who had sold me grapes on the
highway that mOrning-my appearance
was strange enough to startle any one,
Indeed, / scarcely recognized myself.
Would my wife-would Guido recognize
me? Almost l doubted it. This thought
was SO painful to me that the tears
sprang to my eyes. l brushed them away
in haste.
s'Fie on thee, Fabio, Be a man,
said, addressing myself angrily. ''Of
what matter after all whether hairs are
black or white? What matter how the
face changes, so long as the heart is
! true? For a moment, perhaps, thy love
may grow pale at sight of thee; but
when she knows of thy sufferingS, wilt
thou not be dearer to her than ever?
Will not one of her soft embraces recon-
pense thee for all thy past anguish, and
suffice to make thee young again?"
And thus encouraging my sinking
spirits, 1 quickly arrayed myself in the
Neopoitan coral-fisher's garb. The
trousers were very loose, and were pro-
vided with two long, deep pockets-con-
venient receptacles which easily con-
tanned the leathern bags of gold and
jewels had taken from the brigand's
coffin. When my hasty toilet was COM
pleted took another glance at the mir
ror-this time with half smile. True,
/ was greatly altered; but after all did
not look so bad. The tisherman's pic
tureSQue costume became me well; the
scarlet cap sat iauntily on the snow
white curls that clustered so thickly
over my forehead, and the consciousness
had of approaching happiness sent a
little of the old fearless luStre back into
my Sunken eyes. Besides. L knew l
should not always have this careworn
and wasted appearance; rest. and per-
hapS a change of air, would infallibly re-
store the roundness to my face and the
freshness to my complexion; even my
white locks might return to their pris-
tine colour-such things had been-and
suppoSing they remained white-well!
90. there were many who would admire
the peculiar contrast between young
mans face and an old mans hair.
Having finished dressing / unlocked
the door of the stuffy cabin and called
the old rag-picker. He came shutting
along with his head bent, but raising
his eyes as he approached me, he threw
up his hands in establishment, exclaim-
ing:
"Santissima Madonna! But you are a
fine mana fine man! Eth, Ell! Holy
Joseph! What height and breadth! A
pity-a pity you are old; you must have
been strong when you were youngn'
Half in a joke, and half to humour
him in his fancy for mere muscular force,
/ rolled up the sleeve of my jacket to the
shoulder, saying lightly:
''Oh, as for being strong! There IL
plenty Of strength in me still, you see."
He stared; laid his yellow fingers on
my barred arm with kind of ghoul-like
interest and wonder, and felt the muscles
Of it WITH childish, almost maudlin ad.
miration.
Beautiful, beautiful he mumbled.
Like iron-just think Of It'll Yes, yes.
You could kill anything easily. All! /
used TO be like that once. was clever
at sword-play. could, with well-tem-
pered steel, cut asunder a seven-times-
folded piece Of silk at one blow without
fraying out o thread. Yes, as neatly as
one cuts butter! You could do tbst too