The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-03

could they be persuaded to come near
er again.
But Antonio, with great effort,
made his way through the opening
and followed the hermit along
a narrow, rough-hewn way, Antonio's
shoulders grazing the rock on either
side as he went. And having pursued
this way for fifteen or twenty PAGES
they turned to the right sharply and
went on another ten PAGES, and having
passed through another narrow open
ing were in the cave. and the river
gHstened before their eyes, for it was
now dawn And the hermit perceiv-
ing that it was dawn. and fearing to
see the sun, turned to fly back to the
vault. but Antonio being full Of pity
for him, detained him and besouSht
him to abandon his manner of life,
assuring him that by now his sin Was
certainly purged, and when the her
nit would not listen Antonio followed
him back to the opening that led in
to the vault, and forgetting his own
Of an hour or more, but could not pre-
vail SO at last he babe him farewell
very sorroWfully, telling him that God
had made him that day the instrument
of saving a mans life, which should be
to him sign OF favor and f0rgiVne5S,
but the hermit shook his head and
passed into the vault, and Antonio
heard him talking to the dead Pes
chelE and answering questions that
his own disordered brain invented.
Thus it was full morning when An
tonic came again TO the little cave by
the river, and bethought him what he
should do for his own safety. And
/ suddenly looking across the river he
| beheld a gentleman whom he knew
( Lepardo, a comrnisary of the dukes,
/ and with him thirty of the dukes
! guard, and they were riding very fast.
! for having started at midnight to avoid
4 the heat of the sun Gt being high
! summary so soon as they reached the
| outskirts OF Baratesta they had heard
| that Antonio was in the vault. and
were now pressing on to cross the
/ bridge and come upon him. And An
! tonic knew that Lepardo was a man
I of courage and hardihood and would
| be prevented by nothing from entering
I the vault. But on a sudden Lepardo
/ checked his horse. uttering a loud cry,
| for to his great amazement he had
I seen Antonio as Antonio looked forth
| from the cave. and he could not tell
! how he came there, and Antonio at
/ once withdrew himself into the shadow
! OF the cave.
Now the banks of the stream on the
/ side on which Lepardo rode we're high
and precipitous, and, although it was
summer, yet the stream was too deep
for him to wade. ana flowed quickly:
yet, at Lepardo's bidding, six Of his
stoutest men prepared to leap down
| the bank and go in search Of Antonio
and Antonio, discerning that they
would do this, and blaming himself for
! his rashness in looking out SO incau-
tiously, wass greatly at a loss what to
do. for now he was hemmed in on
either side, and he saw nothing but to
| sell his life dearly, and do some deed
| that should ornament his DEATH So
he reiterated again along the passage,
and passed through the opening into
I the vault, and he summoned the hermit
to aid him, and between them they set
not only 0ne but dozen Of the collins
! of the PescheIH against the opening,
! laying them lengthwige and piling one
on the top Of the other, hoping that
! Lepardo's men would not discover the
| opening, or would at least be delayed
! some time before they could thrust
away the collins and come through,
Then Antonio took his place by the
gate of the vault again, sword in hand.
saying grimly to the hermit: IF you
seek death, sir, he win be hereabouts
before long"
4 But the Count Antonio Wa9 not @
man whom his friends would abandon
to death unaided and whi-a the syndic
was watching Antonio the four young
! men who were with the count made
! their escape from Cesare's house, and,