Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-08-08

80 49, 49,"
tain yoa long. I should recommend
you 70 get back 10 your hotel as soOn
as you can. and take some good wine
A reyerderci! Anything / can do for
you, pray command DeT
And with O cordial shake OF the
hand he left me, aid l heard the
street door close behind him Again
I paced YEARLY up and down wrap
ped up IN sorrowful musings. / did
DOT hear e stealthy tread on the
carpet behind me, SO that when 1
turned around abruptly, / was
startled TO find myself face
10 face with old Giacomo, who
held out a note 10 me On a silver
salver, and who meanwhile peered at
me through bis eager eyes In 50 in
quisitiEe q manner that I felt almost
uneasy.
"And 50 the little angel Is dead.' he
murmured In a thin quiyerfng voice.
Dead! Ay. that is a pity, a pity! But
my master 10 not dead-no, no, / am
NOT such an old food as TO believe
that"
I paid no heed to his rambling talk,
but read the message Nina had sent
TO me through him
81 am bTokea-hearfadr' so ran the
delicately penciled lines. win you
kindly telegraph my dreadful loss to
Signor FerTarii / shall be 50 much
obliged - you" looked up from the
perfumed missive. and down at the
old buffers wrinkled visage; he was
a short man and much bent and some
thing in that downward glance / gave
him evidently caught and riyeted his
attention, for he clasped his hands to-
gether and muttered something j
could not hear.
Tell your mistress" I said. speak
ing slowly and harshly. 'that l will
do as she wishes. That / am entirely
at her service. Do you understand
Yes, yes, l understand" faltered
Giacomo ~Dervously. MY master never
thought me fooiish-L could always
understand him."
"Do you know, my friend" I OBJ
served in a purposely cold and cutting
tone. that / have heard somewhat too
much about your master7 The sub
ject Is tiresome to me. Were your
master alive he would say you were
In your dotageI Take my message 10
tie confess at once."
The old mans face paled and his
lips ~quivered; he made an attempt 10
draw IN his shrunken figure with a
sort Of dignity as he answered:
"EcceIlenza, my master would never
speak to me so-never, never" Then
his ~countenance fell and he muttered
softly, Though 1t is just-I am a fool
II am quite mistaken, quite mistaken;
( there is no resemblance" After a lit
tie pause he added humbly, Il win
take your message, ~eccellenza." And
stopping more than yer he shambled
out OF the room. My heart smote me
as he disappeared / had spoken very
harshly to the poo Old fellow, but /
instinctiyely felt that IL was necessary
to do so. His close and ceaSeleEs ex-
animation Of me, his timidity when he
approached me, the strange remor
he experienced when / addressed him,
were so many warnings 10 me 10 be
on my guard with this devoted do
nestle. Were he, by some unforeseen
chance, to recognize me my plans
would all be spoiled. / took my hat
and left the house. As l crossed the
upper terrace / saw q small round OBJ
ject lying i'm the grass; IL was Stelia's
ball that she used 10 throw for Wyyis
to catch and bring 10 her. / picked up
the poor plaything tenderly and put it
in my pocket; and, giancing up once
more at the darkened nursery win
aows, I waved a kiss OF farewell TO
my little one lying there IL her a
sleep. Then fercely controlling al the
weaker and softer emotions that
threatened 80 oyerwhelm me, / bur
ried away. On my road 10 the hotel
i stopped at the telegraph Office and
dispatched the news of Stella's death
TO Gnido Ferrari In Rome. He would
be surprised / thought, but certainly
not grieyed-the poor child had always
been In his way. Woald be cone back
70 Naples 10 console the now childiess
widow2 Not he! He would know well
shat she stood in very small need Of
consolation, and thai she Rad taken
I SteILa's death as she had taken mine,
as a blessing and not a bereavement
, On reaching my own rooms i gave or
| deEs to YincenzO that ] was not az
! home 10 any one who might call, and
1 passed the rest OF the day In abso-
lutte solitude. / had much TO think OF.
The last frail tie between my wife
and myself had been snapped asunder
the child. the one ihhoeeht hnk III
the long chain OF falsehood and de-
ceptlon, no longer existed. Was I glad
6f sorry Tor tnisf 1 asked myself the
question a hundred times: and I ad-
mitted tire truth, though T1xembied 10
realize IL i was glad-yes. glad Glad
that my own child was dead You
call this unhuman perhaps. Why7
She was bound 10 have been misera-
BILE; she was now happy.
The tragedy OF her parents lives
could be enacted without embittering
ard ~darkeniDg her young days, she
was out Of 1t all. and I rejoiced { 0
s=cg ~ For I IA absolutely relent-
less Had my little SteiiA Hired not
even for her sake would I have re
hxe5 In one detail OF my vengeance;
nocling seemed 10 me 30 paramount
as the Necessity for restoring my c-s
self-respect and damaged honor. IN
England / know these things are man
ARD by the diycyce court. Lawyers
are paid exorbitant ices. and the
names OF the guilty and Eaocent are
dragged through the revolteag slums
OF the low London press. Ii may be
an excellent method; but II does u
fQnt IN elevate n man In hfe own ayes.