Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-20

avcnge. l would be swift to accom-:
plish. So, darkly musing for an hour
or more, l decided on the course had
to pursue, and to make the decision
final drew from my breast the cru
citiX that the dead monk Cipriano had
laid with me in my coffin, and kissed
1t. raised it aloft and sworc by that
sacred symbol never to relent. never to
relax, never to rest, till had brought
my vow of just vengeance to its ut
most fulhllment. The stars, calm wit
nesses of my oath, eyed me earnestly
from their Judgment thrones in the
quiet sky; there was brief pause in
the singing of the nightingalcs, as
though they, too, listened; the wind
sighed plaintively, and scattered
shower of jessamine blossoms like
snow ut my feet. Even so, thought,
fall the last leaves of my white days
days of pleasure, days of sweet illu-
sion, days of dear remembrance; even
so let them withcr and perish utterly
forever! For from henceforth my life
must be something more than mere
garland of tlowerS-it must be chain
of fiDcly-tempered steel, hard, cold
and Observation-Disclosures into links
strong enough to wind round and
round two false lives and imprison
them so closely as to leave no means
of escape. This was what must be
done-and | resolved to do it. With a
firm, quiet step turned to leave the
avenue. ! opened the little private
wicket and passed into the dusty road.
changing noise caused me to look
up as ! went by the principal entrance
of the Villa Romani. A seryant-ny
own man servant, by the by-was
barring the great gates for the night.
l listened as he slid the bolts into their
places and turned the key. remeEe
Der that those gates had been thor
oughly fastened before when came
the road from Naples-why. then. had
they been open since? To let out
visitor? OF course! ! smiled grimly
ut my wifcs cunning! She evidently
knew what she was about. Appear
ances must be kept up-tEc Signor
Herrari must be dccorously shown out
by Il servant at the chief entrance of
the house. Naturally!-all very unsus-
picious-looking and quite in keeping
with the proprietics! Gdo had just
left her then! l walked steadily,
without hurrying my pace, down the
hill toward the city, and on the way
overlook him. He was strollins lazly
along, smoking as usual. and he held
spray Of stcphanotis in his hand-wcll,
i knew who had given it to him!
passed him-he glanced up carelcssly,
his handsome face clearly visible in
the bright moonlight. but there was
nothing about common fisherman
to attract his attcntion-his only look
rested upon me for Il second and was
withdrawn Immediately. An insane
desire possessed me to turn upon him
to spring at his throat-to wrcstlc
with him aud throw him in the dust
at my feet-to spit at him and tram
pie upon him-but | rcprcsscd these
fierce and dangerous emotions. had
better game to play-I had an en-
quiSite torture in store for him. COM
pared to which hand-to-hand fight
was mere vulgar foolins. Vengeance
ought to ripcn slowly In the strong
heat of intense wrath, till of itself it
falls. Hastily snatched before its
time, 1t is like unmellowed fruit, sour
and ungrateful to the palate. So I
let my dear friend-my wife's CONSIDER
-saunter on his needless way without
interference. passed, leaving him
TO indulge in amorous musings to his
false hearts content. entered Naples
and found nights lodging at OH of
the usual resorts for men of my SUD-
posed craft. and strange to say L
slept soundly and drcamlessly. Re-
cent illness, fatigue. fear and sorrow,
all aided to throw me like an exhaust
ed child upon the quiet bosom of SUM
Der. but perhaps the most powerfully
soothing opiate to my brain was the
consciousness had OF a practical
plan of retrbution-more terrible than
any human creature had vet devised,
so far as knew. Unchristian YOU call
me! l tell YOU again. Christ never
loved Il woman! Had he done so. he
would have left us some special code
of justice!