The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-05
News Novelettes No. ~.
COURAGE!. J.
By EDMONDO DE AMICIS.
By EDMONDO DE AMICIS.

tnOuBn no were speaking OF SOME Cne
else. He spoke Of the woman and Of
her life.
1--WE have lived together for 10
years" he said as he concluded. II
am patient, she, too, and we liye-as
God wills il. My two greatest consola-
tions are the esteem Of mankind and the
devotion Of this unhappy woman"
went home. / wrote all that even
ing and all the following morning. The
next day went to see my friend with
the manuscript.
1t was the hour when the merchant"
was enjoying the breeze on the balcony.
After little alluded TO the aversion
which my friend had felt for him.
"Yoc must get over that, l said,
"for you have made mistake"
"It can't bep' he exclaimed, with his
usual self confidence.
Lay all joking aside" replied,
"and read these pages 1t is a bistor-
ical narrative that / have written since
/ last saw you. The principal actor is
your despised merchant. i give you
my word of honor that, save few nec.
essary explanations, have not altered
the story in any way"
Ny friend took the manuscript and
began to read. After little he raised
his eyes, looked at the man on the bal
cony, then looked at me and continued
to read. As he progressed he looked Of
tener at me and at the man, at the man
and at me, and he became graver and
graver. When he had reached the last
lines, cry of admiration escaped him,
and he jumped up, took my hand and
asked in moved voice, ''Will you give
me your word of honor that it is all
true?"
every word, +" answered.
"And that he is the man!" he pur-
sued.
"And that he is the man, "Irepeated.
Without another word he took his hat
and with quick steps walked OF. Iwent
TO the window, saw him cross the
square and enter the door of the oppo-
site house. After a few minutes re-
marked that the man on the balcony
had disappeared. Shortly afterward he
came out again, and few moments lat
CT my friend recrossed the square.
II know you," said TO myself, run
ming to open the door for him. II know
what you went to do" My friend ap-
peared at tho door. You" continued
aloud, "you went to kiss that mans
forehead"
He looked at me, smiled, and then,
throwing his arms around my neck, he
answered, with cry of joy: "No; Twas
not worthy of that went to kiss his
hands.
1t was the summer of the year 1861,
at the time when rumors of the deeds Of
the brigands were flying all over Europe,
those historic days when Pietropaolo
carried in his pocket the chin of ''lib-
eral" with its beard in Napoleonic
style; when in Montenuleto those who
cried, viva pItaliaw Were buried
alive under a pile of corpses; when in
Viesti they ate the flesh of the peasants
who dared TO disobey the orders Of their
robbers: when Colonel Negri, near Pom
telandolfo, saw the bloody members of
the soldiers disposed rs trophies and
hanging from the windows; when the
poor Lieutenant Baci, wounded and cap
tured in fight, was killed after eight
hours of horrible tortures; when parties
of maddened people left their village in
the night TO go and welcome trium-
phantly the brigands; when stacks Of
grain were fired, houses demolished,
whole families captured; when people
were hung and scalped and butchered,
and when, to stimulate and increase
tho general slaughter, from the left side
Of the Tiber came arms, money and
benedictions.
On one of the last days Of July, lit.
tie after sunrise, in deserted valley of
the province of Cagritanata, soldier
on horseback moved forward toward
San Severe. He had started on the pre-
vious night to carry an order from the
colonel TO the commander of ''oolonna
mobile" He carried under his coat an
answer to that order, in which tho com
mander said that he would go at
o'clock the next morning to hiding
place in neighboring mountain where
he knew there was a band Of brigands
which Of late had been terrorizing the
neighborhood. The bearer Of the letter
was man of 30, tall, spare, with very
bright eyes, a pointed mustache and
that frown between the eyebrows which
denotes the habit Of thought His ex-
preston was one of deep gravity, to
which his large hat, with its two points,
lent shadow of sadness, and the stern
ness and decision Of his bearing denote
n strength both of body and of soul that
answered we'll TO the necessities Of the
times and the surroundings.
He trotted along winding path, look
ing closely here and there at the aban-
doned pastures, The rocky mountains,
the bright, clear sky, without hearing
other sound than the clatter of his
horses hoofs and the jingling Of his
sword. All OF a sudden, as no was pass
ing between two high, thick hedges, he
saw n light, and he heard a shot. AS no
pulled up and grasped his pistol the
horse staggered, and as he stopped tn
ZOO If no Nvpra xxofirdpd no fplt himself