The sun., 1893-03-02

ter, full of facts without comment or
opinion, and In three weeks time was
summoned to return. ] had done little
or nothing that could help me, and in
a disappointed state of mind ! packed
mp and went to the railway station at
st. Dominica. A little row with q
peasant as to his demand for carrying
my baggage caused me to lose the last
train that night, and so the steamer
at Leghorn. The station master, see
ing my vexation, endeavored to con-
sole me:
There will be special through
train to Leghorn at nine O'clock, or
dered for Count SpeZzato; he is good
natured, and will possibly let you go
in that"
1t was worth the chance, and I hung
about the station till | was tired, and
then walked back toward the village
Passing small wine shop, / entered,
and asked for wine in English. 1 don't
know what whim possessed me when
| did 1T, for they were unable to un-
derstand me without dumb motions. I
at length got wine by these .means,
and sat down to while away the time
over railway volume.
l had been seated about half an
hour, when a courier entered, accom-
panied by a railway guard. Two
more different examples of the human
race it would be difficult to describe.
The guard was dark, sayage-look-
ing italian, with rascal" and ''bully"
written all over him; big, black, burly,
with bloodshot eyes, and thick heavy
sensual lips, the man was utterly re-
pulsive.
The courier was a little, neatly
dressed man, of no age in particular;
pale, blue-eyed, straight-lipped, his
face was a compound of fox and rab-
bit that only fool or patriot would
have trusted out of arms length.
This Unmatched pair called for BRAN
dy, and the hostess set it before them.
| then heard them ask who and what
l was. She replied, I must be an
Englishman, and did not understand
the Italian for wine. She then left.
They evidently wanted to be alone,
and my presence was decidedly dis
agreeable to them; and muttering that
L was an Englishman, they proceeded
to try my powers as a linguist.
The courier commenced i'll Italian,
with remark on the weather. / i'm
mediately handed him the newspaper
I didn't speak italian, that was clear
to them.
The guard now struck in with re-
mark in French as to the fineness of
the neighboring country. l shrugged
my shoulders, and produced my cigar
case. French was not very familiar
to me evidently.
Those beasts of English think their
own tongue so fine they are too proud
to learn another" said the guard.
sat quietly, slipping my wine, and
reading
"Well, my dear Michael Pultuslki,"
began the guard
For the love of God, call me not
by that name. My name is Alexis
Alexis Dzentzol, now
"Oh! Oh!' laughed the guard; you've
changed your name, you fox; it's like
you. Now I am the same that you
knew fifteen years ago, Conrad Fer
rate-to-day, yesterday, and for life,
Conrad Ferrate. Come, lad, tell us
your story. How did you get out of
that little affair at Warsaw? How
they could have trusted you, with your
face, with their secrets, I can't for
the life of me tell; you look so like a
sly knave, don't you, lad?"
The courier, so far from resenting
this familiarity, smiled, as if he had
been praised.
"My story is soon said. I found,
after my betrayal to the police of the
secrets of that little conspiracy which
you and I joined, that Poland was too
hot for me, and my name too well
known. / went to France, who values
her police, and for few years was
useful to them. But it was dull work;
very dull; native talent was more es-
teemed. I was to be sent on a secret
service to Warsaw; declined for OBJ
vious reasons"
"Good! Michael-Alexis; good, Alexis
This fox is not to be trapped" And
he slapped the courier on the shoul-
der heartily.
"And," resumed the other, "I re-
signed. Since then I have travelled
as courier with noble families, and I
trust I give satisfaction
Good; Alexis; good Mich-good
Alexis! To yourself you give salts
faction. You are a fine rascal!-the
prince of rascals! So decent; so quiet;
so like the cure of a convent. Who
would believe that you had sold the
lives of thirty men for few hundred
roublesT
'And WhO," interrupted the courier,
"woa 'lieve that you, bluff, honest
Conrad Ferrate, had run away with
all the money those thirty men had col
lected during ten years of labor for
rescuing their country from Russian"
'That was good, Alexis, was it not ?
I never was so rich in my life as then;
/ loved-I gamed-I drank-on the pa
triots' money
For how long? Three years?"
"More-and now have none left All!
Times change, Alexis; behold me-
And the guard touched his buttons
and belt, the badges of his office. "Nev.
er mind-here's my good friend, the
bottle-let us embrace-the only friend
that is always true-if he does not
gladden., he makes us to forget"
'"Tell me, my good Alexis, whom do
you rob now? Who pays for the best
and gets the second best? Whose
money do you invest eh! my little
fox? Why are you here? Come, tel
me, while drink to your success"
II have the honor to serve his Elk.
cellency the Count Spezzato."
Ten thousand devils! My accursed
cousin!' broke in the guard. :He who
has robbed me from his birth; whose
birth itself was a vile robbery of me
me, his cousin, child of his fathers
brother. May he be accursed fol
ever!
/ took most particular pains to ap
pear only amused at this genuine out
burst of passion, for saw the watch
full eye Of the courier was on me al
the time they were talking.
The guard drank off a tumbler Of
brandy.
"That master of yours Is the man oi
whom spoke to you years ago, as the
one who had ruined me; and you serve
him! May he be stransled on his wed
| ding night, and cursed for ever"
"Bc calm, my dearest Conrad, calm
yourself: that beast of an Englishnar
will think you are drunk, like one O.
his own swinish people, il you talk 81
| loud as this"
How can / help it? I must talk
| What he Is, that | ought to be; wa
brought up to it till / was eighteen
was the heir to all his vast estate
there was but one life between me ant
| nOyyaI--n1y 1lppIn'S--and ha at f1ftv