Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-07-21
hat il was a faroriia of mine.

opera was tu6u sluBluH.
One night l saw her weeping at
the close of the last act Of the opera,
which was particularly tragic and
narrowing; she had entered the box
at the last moment, and finding the
occupants gone had seated herself
and watched the scene; the intensity
of her gaze had attracted my atten-
tion, and even in my simulated bYing
agonies l could still see her face with
tears coursing down her cheeks. "She
must be very impressionable, ,"was my
thought.
The next day she came to my apart
ment with some flowers; her person
ality was so strong that | seemed for
a moment taken possession OF by her,
and 1 was not surprised when, unin'
vited, she entered my SOON, declin-
ing, however, with an inpatient ges-
ture, my request to her to be seated.
"Signora, you saw me weep last
night?"
al did, Rosina. Are you in troub-
le?' l am burning up here" She
struck her hand heavily upon her
heart. "You sing the story of my
life when l see you in the last act
there. 1 know l shall do the same
as you do in the end
"No, nc, Rosina; she dies you will
not, and vengeance is poor thing
1t is not" she said fiercely. at is
blessed 1t is beautiful! 1t is the only
thing that will stop the ache here, "
again striking her heart. "Why do
l come and tell you this? Because l
feel when you move me so that we
share for the time the one heart. Ah,
Signora, you sympethise with me?'
ayes, Rosinia, but not in that way;
not in the way you think. l do be-
cause you were good loving daught.
er and sister, they tell me, and now
you are alone and unhappy for those
lost tles."
"Oh," she gave suppress scream.
"Leave that alone, they rest. l shall
soon" Choking sob, she abruptly
and hurrid!y left the room, and l saw
her only in the theater from the stage
after that. Then came the moose of
her murder, followed soon after by
that of an arrest of some men at the
brick kilns who were suspected of the
crime. After examination all but three
we're discharged, these to be tried for
murder, the penelty being imprlson-
ment for life, as there is no capital
punishment in Italy. The fiery,
impetuous Italians convicted of mur.
der are known to plead hard for death
as the ball and chain for life are par
ticularly dreaded.
AS these men stood in the prisnors S
dock the day of trial they presented
truly terrible aspect, unshaven, hag.
gard, fierce or lowering faces and
curative glances, with gestures of i'm
patience and rage they looked indee d
capable of any sinister undertaking
and public sentiment was strongly
against them. The argument on both
sides were brilliant and eloquent
now she was dead many felt sympa-
thy and some sorrow for poor Rosina,
who had certainly been ineffensive
enough, and interest and sympathy
are always manifested for those we
are accustomed to see daily; besides
her graceful calling her generosity
with her fragrant wares had ,contrl-
buted tolsnake her a favorite, end thus
said the lawyer as he pictured her
graceful, handsome, generous, kindly
and indeed endowed with those num-
berless pleasant traits people are wont
to discover in US after death.
The crowd in the hall of justsce,
as the imposing and pillared court,
room was called, hung breathless on
the eloquent lips of the lawyer; even
the prisoners manifested an interest
and listened, doggedly to be sure, and
seemingly in spite of themselves, as
the waves of the flowing and poetical
language poured from the impasslon-
ed lips, aSuch was Bosnia es she
walked out Of our quiet city that
night, little suspecting her fate, on
her way to visit poor relative in a
nelghboring city. Born peasant,
she scorned aught but a peasant s
methods of travelling, and alone and
on foot she pursued her way. Bent
on her kind and charitable errand,
she approaches the waste, lonely fields
where are the brick kilns; her coming
is marked by these black hearted viii
lains; she never passes the brick kilns,
Is never seen more after the light
from the blazing furnaces flashes on
her beautiful face. Ask those men, :"
the lawyer saad, pointing to the
prisoners. "where Rosina is" Then
in a deep and thrilling voice he
reapeated, his long forefnger point
ing at the sullen men, where is
Rosina2" "Here!" cried a ringing
voice, and in the midst of wild
tumult Rosina herself walked with
massive dignity down the great hall
between the crowded benches to the
Judge, who looked appalled, at what
seemed the substantial ghost of a
murdered woman.
She turned and looked at the pris.
oners; babel of noise prevented her
speaking; the crowd at length realiz.
ing that she must have story to tell
became silent.
E'Those men there? I never saw
them before, they never saw me, for
Inever went to the brick kiins. I