Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-10-31

"You are very good to come with me
mt all, mia BELLA" l murmured as
gently as l could; at is kind Of you to
thus humor my fancy. Did you see
your maid? Does she know where you
are going?"
"She? Oh, no, she was not in my
room at all. She Is a great coquette,
you know; ] dare say she Is amusing
herself with the walters In the kitch-
en-. Poor thing! / hope she enjoys It,"
l breathed freely; we were so far I'M
discovered. Not one had as yet no
ticed u departure; no one had the
least clue TO my intentions. l opened
the door OF the passage noiselessly,
and we passed out. Wrapping my
wife's cloak more closely about her
with much apparent tenderness, / led
her quickly across the garden. There
was no IL in sight-we were entirely
unobserved. On reaching the exterior
gate Of the enclosure / left her for a
moment, while l summoned a carriage,
a common facre. She expressed some
surprise on seeing the vehicle.
Il thought we were not going far?"
she said.
l treasured her on this point, telling
her that l only desired to spare her
all possible fatigue. Satisfied with
this explanation she suffered me 10 as-
sist her into the carriage. / followed
her, and calling to the driver, "A la
villa Guarda," we ratified away over
the rough uneven stones of the back
streets Of the city.
"La villa Guarda-' exclaimed Nina,
where is that?"
at is an old house." I replied, "situ-
ated near the place I spoke to you Of,
where the jewels are"
"Oh!"
And apparently contented, she nestled
back In the carriage, permitting her
head to rest lightly on my shoulder.
| drew her closer to me, my heart beat
ing with a fierce, terrible joy.
"Mine-mine at lastm l whispered In
her ear. milne %forever!''
She turned her face upward and
smiled VIGOROUSLY; her cool, fragrant
lips met my burning, eager ones in a
close, passionate kiss. Yes, | kissed
her now-why should / not? She was
as much mine as any purchased slave
and merited less respect than a sui
taa's occasional female toy. And as
she chose to caress me l let her do so.
| allowed her to think me utterly van
quished by the battery of her charms.
Yet whenever | caught an occasional
glimpse of her face as we drove along
in the semi-darkness l could not help
wondering at the supreme vanity of
the woman! Her dissatisfaction was
so complete, and, considering her ap-
preaching fate, so tragically absurd.
She was entirely delighted with her.
self, her dress and her conquest-as
she thought-of me. Who could meas
ure the height of the dazzling visions
she INDUCED in; who could fathom the
depths OF her utter s~elisSncss.
Seeing N like her, beautiful, and
wealthy, and above al~l-society knows
/ speak the truth-wefl dressed, for by
the latter virtue alone is a woman al
lowed any precedence nowadays
would not all the less fortunate and
lovely of her sex feel somewhat en-
vious? All, yes; they would and they
do; but believe me, the selfish fem
mime thing, whose only sincere wor-
ship Is offered at the shrines Of Fash
ion and Folly, is of all creatures the
one whose life is to be despised and
never desired, and whose death makes
no blank even In the circles of her so
called best friends.
l knew well enough that there was
not a soul in Naples who was really
attached to my wife-not one who
would miss her, no. not even a servant
though she, in her superb self-con-
ceit, imagined herself to be the adored
beauty Of the city. Those who had
indeed loved her she had despised,
neglected, and betrayed. Musingly l
looked down upon her as she rested
In the carriage, encircled by my arm
while now and then a little sigh of alb
solute delight In herself broke from
her lips-but we spoke scarcely at all.
Hate has almost as little to say as
love.
The night was persistently stormy,
though no rain fell: the gale had in
creased in strength, and the white
moon only occasionally glared out
from the masses of white and grey
cloud that rushed like flying armies
across the sky, and her fitful light
! shone dimiy, as though she were a
| spectral torch glimmering through a
forest of shadow. Now and again
bursts of music, or the blare Of dis
cordant trumpets, reached our ears