The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-07-02
ANDREANO.
Halt! Close ND. there |"

Halt! Close up, therc!''
The order rang out sharply. echoing
from rock to rock, and seeming to die
away in hollow murmurs up tho pre-
Cipitous and bleak sides Of the hills
The little band of Italian soldicry closed
up rapidly us their griZzlcd old captain
spoke and faced him silently with their
carbincs grounded and the look of dull
and apathetic discipline on their faces
that is characteristic of their class.
My men, - said the weather beaten
and gray headed leader, regarding them
sharply from under his shaggy eyebrows,
"thc wolf is driven to his last lair. All,
or nearly all, of his people have been
killed off during the weeks that we
have been following them over these
drcary hills. Hottie bandit, the rob-
Der, the Antlreano of the hills-cnnnot
last out longer now. His hour is come,
if we are but watchful. Up and up no
has been driven, often nearly falling
into our hands, yet as often escaping.
Now, behind him rises the sheer straight
line of the hills, m either side arc two
good companies of our Aien; we stand
i'll the front. The great Anlreano, terror
of our ills'-thc captain laughed soft
IL i'll his throat-'is already as one
dead. You llrow your orders; he is to
be shot down like dog by the first man
who sights him. You understand
A low deep murmur went up from
the men, and then single voice spoke;
the speaker, who stood in the front
rank, giving the salute rapidly.
But, my captain, what of the cilild?"
Il l..
"The child What chld?"
The soldicr-a little, 1.-the swarthy
man. with cleaning white teeth shin
ing under his brown mustache-ealutcd
again.
1.-The child, my captain, he brought
from Massatino, below there in the val
Icy. The child of the woman who had
loved him"
The captain, interested in spite of
himself. knitted his brows and bAde the
soldier proceed.
"What of this chill: You may
speak.
Thus encouraged, the little man with
the cleaning teeth saluted once more,
and with many a gesture of fingers,
shoulders and eyebrows rapidly told his
story.
Twas but year ago, my captain.
The woman-I know not her name
had loved him in the days when no was
a lad tilling the fields down there. Sho
was alone. Her friends were dead OF
had left her. There was no one but tho
| priest who could help her, and the priest
was too poor What would you?" with
an appealing glance ut his fellows and
| Il rapid shrug of his shoulders. "She
had been marricd-this woman who had
| loved the Andrcano-nnd had child, Il
girl child. but her man lay in the sandy
| graveyard over against the village church
| yonder, dead, Il year before, of the fcyer.
| SO she sent to Andrcano
He paused for Il moment, spat quick
~ upon the ground and went on again.
she sent message to him up here
in the hills, my captain, and ho came to
| her. He came down in the night and
| saw her; came, armed to the teeth. and
| daring all or any to touch him. And in
| the morning, when the sun was coming
up over the hills, he had gone, and the
child with him, and the woman who
| had loved him lay dead. with ii smile ,ai
| her face That is ALL my captain.
The man salutcd again and drew back.
"And the child-wherc is it now"
asked the captain slowly
Tho child is with him. my captain. 4"
| "What matters it," muttered tho cap
| tain. kill the child too Kill off tho
! whole brood. Come, we waste time.
| Forward
Yet for all that, as tho captain march
ed at the head of his men with knitted
brows, he was very silent and very
thoughtful and might almost have been
thought to have been i'll doubt. Once or
twice he shook his head slowly and NUT
tered something beneath his breath. He,
too, had heard the strange story at an
earlier tine-had heard how this terri
bile and sin stained man. with price
upon his head, had gone down into tho
valley-.into the midst Of men ready and
willing to sell him--carrying his life in
his hand. to see a peasant woman who
had sent for him; he had heard, too,
how the robber had carried the child
into the hills and had carefully tended
it there ever since.
1t was late i'll tho afternoon when the
little company drew near tho end Of its
quest, and, with leveled carbineS, crcpt
silently Gu AMID the rocks that lay
strcwn about the place. Suddenly ono
man-thc little soldier with the glcam-
ing teeth, who had spoken before-cried
out sharply:
"See, my captain, he comcs-with
the child"
1t was true; even us they looked they
! saw an active, picturesque figure spring
| ing from rock to rock toward them,