The Washington times., 1895-02-17

NellnE lncir eyes. TOOK from the wall OF the
/ church. near 10y the high altar, the golden
oasket that held the bones OF the blessed St.
| Pr.sian. And he wrapped the casket in a
rich cloth and held ii high before him In his
two hands. And when The people bad wor-
SHIPPED, he archbishop left the church and
entered his chair and passed through the viii
iaA5e Of R.lano, the priests and attendants go
ins iitsi, and twelve of the dukes guard.
whom the duke had sent, following after.
Great was the throng OF folk come from all
the country round, TO gaze upon the casket
and IN the procession OF the lord archbishop;
and most deYogt of Them all was Martolo,
who rested on his knees from the moment the
I procession lett the church till it was clear of
! the village.
And Martolo was still ON his knees when he
beheid 20 10y him a party of peasants. all
save one, tail and powerful men. wearing
peasants garb and having their faces over
| shadowed 10y large hais. These men had
knelt as the casket passed, but they had risen
ami We're marching shoulder 10 shoulder
behind the men OF the dukes guard. peas
aut behind every pikeman. Martolo gazed
long at them. Then he moistened his lips and
| crossed himself. murmur.ng, "Nhat does This
thing means Now, God lorbd--r' And
breaking OF thus he also rose and went to tho
/ house OF his father sore veXed and troubled to
| know what lie thing might mean. But he
! spoke OF u 10 none; no, not 10 his father, OBJ
serving the vow OF secrecy in all matters
which lie had made to Count Antonio.
| At the bounds of the village the greater
/ par; Of the people ceased 10 follow the pre-
| ce-siOn OF the sacred bones and, having re-
| ceiyed the archbishops blessings turned back
| 10 their own homes, where they feasted aud
| nude merry; but the twelve peasants whom
| Marlolo had seen followed tile process on
! when il set forth for the next village distant
| three mites on the road TO Forniola. Their
ar manifested great devotion, for they walked
with heads bent on their breasts and down
cast eyes, aDd they Poke not once On the
way; tut each kept close behind a pikeman.
] When the procession had gone something
more than nile from the village of Rilano,
ii came where a little stream crosses the
! highway; and. the rains having been heavy
the week before, the stream was swollen and
the ford deeper than il was wont 10 be.
Therefore the officer OF the guard, think
ing OF no danger, bade SIX of his men lay
down their pixies and go lift the archbishops
chair over the ford, lest he should be wetted
by the water. And on hearing this order,
the tallest among the peasants put his hand
up TO his hat and twisted She feather of it
between his thumb aud his foretinger; and
the shortest or them whispered: "The sign!
the sign. while every man OF them drew a
great dagger from under his habit and held
il behind his back. Now, by this time the
priests and attendants had passed the ford,
and one-haif OF the guard had lain down
their pixies and were gone TO raise the arch
| bishops chair. the remainder standing at
their ease. leaning on their pixies and talking
TO one another Again the tailest peasant
twisted the feather IA his hat, aud without
speech or cry the peasants darted forward.
Six OF them seized the pixies that lay on the
ground the remaining six leaped like wild
cats on the backs Of the pikemen, eircling the
necks of the pikemen with their arms pull
ing them back and corning near to throttAng
them so that the pikemen, utterly amazed
and taken full a disatiya ntaOp efapparad ond
fell backward, while the peasants got on top
Of them and knelt on their breasts and set the
great daggers al their hearts. While this
passed on the road the remainder OF Antonio's
band-for such were the peasants-rushed
into the stream and compelled the unarmed
pikemen to set down the srchbishop's chair
in the midst, so that the wafer came in at the
windows of the chair. and the procession,
he'd al bay with their own pixies. sought to
draw their poniards. but Antonio cried: ''Slay
any that draw" And he came TO the chair
and opened the door of it, and. using as little
force as he could, he laid hands on the casket
that held the sacred bones and wrested it
from the feeble hands of the archbishop
Then be ana his men, standing in line,
stepred backward with the pixies leveled in
front ofthem. till they came out of the water
and on 10 the dry road again; and one pike
man rushed at Antonio, but Tommasino, spar
ing 10 Kill him, caught him buffet on the
side of the head with pike. and he fell like
log in the wattr. and had been drowned
but that two of his comrades lifted him Then
all twelve of the band being together-for the
first six had risen now from of the six pike
men, having forced them on pain OF instant
death TO deiyer over their pixies 10 them
Antonio, with the casket in his hands, spoke
in loud voice: Il thank God that 40 man is
dead over this business, but if you resist you
shall die one and all. Go to the city tell the
duke that l. Antonio di Monte Velluto. have
! F.N.y IL
them with me 10 my hiding place in the
highest parts of the hills.
But il he will swear by these bones that
hold, end by his princely word. that he will
not suffer the Lady Lucia TO take the VOWS,
nor will constrain her 10 wed any man, but
Will restore her to her own house and TO Per
estate, then let him send the archbishop again
and will deliver up the sacred bones But
il he will not swear, then, as God lives to-
morrow al midnight ] will cause a great fire
TO be kindled on the top of the hills-a fire
whose hane You shall see from the walls OF
the city-and in that fire will 1 consume the
sacred bones, and will scatter the ashes of
them to the four winds. Go and bear the
message that l give you to the duke"
And having thus said, Antonio, with
his men. turned and went back at run
whence they had come; but to the village OF
Rilano they did not go, but turned aside be-
fore they came to it and, coming to the farm
him, paying him in gold coin of the duchy.
three horses, which Antonio, Tommasino and
Bena Tounted and they three rode hard for
the hills. the rest following quickly as they
might, so that by nightiall they were all
safely assembled in their hiding place. and
with them the bones of the blessed st. Prisian.
But they told not yet 10 the rest of the band
what il was that Antonio carried under his
cloak. nor did Martolo. when he returned
from Rilano. ask what had befallen, but he
crossed himself many times and wore a fear
fnl look. But Tommasino came to Antonio
and said to him:
of US, and for yourself the baud of Lucia?''
"A great thing, and thing that troubles
me have done already" answered Antonio
Therefore. will ask nothing for myself, and
nothing may ask for you or for my friends.
But if | ask nothing but that right and Justice
be done, it may be that my sin in LAYING
hands on the sacred bones will be the less. -
Now, after Antonio and his men were gone.
the archbishops train stayed long by the
stream on the road, lamenting and fearing tc
20 forward. Yet at last they went forward
and being come to the next village. found ali
the people awaiting them at the bounds. And
when the people saw the disorder OF the pro-
cession and that the pikemen had no pixies.
they ran forward eagerly, asking what had
beiaiien: and learning of the calamity, they
were greatly afraid, and cursed Antonio; and
many of them accompanied the archbishop on
his way to the city, where he came toward
evening; and great concourse of people
awaited his coming there, and the duke him
self sat on a lofty seat in the great square.
prepared to receive the sacred bones and 60
with them to the cathedral, where they were
to be exposed to the gaze OF the people at
l. -e-wt,