Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-11-07

card case and purse she herself had
given me. You will no doubt recog-
nize them. This" and | showed her
the monks %crucifix, this was laid on
my brease in the coffin. 1t may be
useful to you-you can pray to it pres
entlyr'
You escaped from this vault," she
said in a low tone, looking from right
to left with searching eagerness.
'Tell me how-and-where?'
l laughed scornfully, guessing her
thoughts. q
1T matters little" l replied. The
passage l discovered is now closed
and fast cemented. / have seen to
that myself! No other living creature
left here can escape as l did. Escape
Is impossibler'
threw herself at my feet, letting the
things l had given her as proofs of
my existence fall heedlessly on the
floor.
"Fabio! Fabiow she, cried, "save
me, pity me! Take me out TO the
light-the air-let me live, Drag NE
through Naples-let all the crowd see
me ~dishonored, brand me with the
worst Of names, make Of me a COM
mon %outcast, only let
me feel the warm life throbbing in
my veins! / will do anything, he any
~thing-only let me live / ioathe the
cold and darkness-the horrible . /"
. horrible ways of DEATH" She
shuddered violently and chung to me
afresh. ~ am so young! and after all,
am l so vile!' There are women who
count their lovers by the score, and
yet they are not blamed; why should
/ suffer more than they?"
"Why, whyT" / echoed fiercely. "Be-
cause for once a husband takes the
law into his own h~ands-for once a
wronged man insists on justice-for
once ne dares to punish the treachery
that blackens his honor! Were there
more like me there would be less like
you! A score of lovers! IT'S not your
fault that you had but onei l have
something else to say which concerns
you. Not content with fooling two
men, you tried the same amusement
upon a supposed third. Aye, You
vince at that! While you thought
nue. to be the Count Olivia, while you
were betrothed to me in that charac-
ter, you wrote to Guido Ferrari in
Rome charming letters! here they
are and l flung them down to her.
II have no further use for them-I
have read them ALL"
She let them lie where they fell: she
still crouched at my feet, and her rest
less movements loosened her cloak so
far that ii hung back from her shout
ders, showing the jewels that flashed
on her white neck and arms like
points of living light. l touched the
circlet of living diamonds in her hair
l snatched 1t from her.
These are miner / cried. "as much
as this signet / wear, which was your
love-gift TO Guido Ferrari, and which
you afterward returned to me. it's
rightful owner. These are my moth
er's gems-how dared you wear them?
The stones | gave you are your only
fitting ornaments-they are stolen
goods; filched by the blo6d-stained
hands Of the blacklist brigand in
Sicily! i promised you more like
them; behold them!' and | threw open
the c~Offin-shaped chest containing the
remainder of Carmelo Neri's spoils. 1t
occupied a conspicuous position near
where | stood, and / had myself ar
ranged its interior so that the gold
ornaments and precious stones should
be the first things to meet her eyes.
You see now" / went on, where the
wealth of the supposed Count Olivia
came from. / found this treasure hid
den here OH the night OF my burial;
little did / think then what dire need
| should have for its usage! 1t has
served me well: it is not yet exhaust
ed; the remainder is at your service!"