The Washington times., 1895-03-31

| through her approaching the Duke flat
| be%lldered her brain. But when the boy
saw Antonio he let go the hand he held ana
ran to Antonio and leaped into his arms
Then Antonio lifted him up and showed him
| tothe people, who hailed him for Duke; and
| Antonio set him down and knelt before h III
and kissed his hand. And the child cried
NOW that my father is dead. Antonio, you
must mol go on Your Journey, but you
must stay with me. For, il i am Duke, |
must learn TO use my sword without delay,
! ard no man but you shall teach me-"
"Shall not 20 ionmy journey, my lord?'
asked Antonio.
No, you shall not GO" said the little
duke.
Snen Antonio turned 10 the lords who
stood round saIid said:
Behoid, my lords, his highness partlons
me-"
But the lords doubted. And they said to
Antonio:
Nay, but he does not know what he does
in para ming you"
He understands rs well, think" said
Antonio, "as his father understood when
he sent me to death. Indeed, my lords, it
lsnot children only who know not W hat they
DO. And atthisspeech Temmasino smiled
and Bena laughed gruffly. But the lords,
bidding Antonio rest where he was till
they returned. retired with the little duke
into the palaee and sent wuroihastlly to the
archbishop Observation-Disclosures thereand
deliberate with them as o-what il might be
hesttodo. And whenthe WV ere thus gone in
Antonio said:
II may not.move But the Lady Lucia is
frae to move"
Then Tammasino went to tie lady and
spoke TO her softly, telling her that Antonio
desired to speak with her, and she gave
TGmmasino her hand. and he led her to An
tonic, whostood within the portico. screened
fTcm the sight of the people. And they
Were LETT alone.
But meanwhile the whole body OF the
townsmen and the apprentices had gath
cred befdrethe palace and there wasonecry
for Antonio For the fear of the duk being
10 longer upon them and the pikemen not
knowing " hom to ohey ma being therefore,
,dsardered, the people beCame very bold and
they had stomed the palace had not one
come to Antonio and iimplored him toshOw
himselfthat the people might know he was
safe. Therefore. he came forward with the
Lady Lucia, who was now no more be-
wildered nor petrified with fear or astoush-
ment, but was weeping with her eyes and
and smiling with her lips and olingiHg to
Antonios ann. And when tire people saw
them rhus they sentup great shoutthatwas
heard far beyond the city walls and the.ap-
prenticed lads turned and I1n in body
across the square and .swarned on to the
seaffold. And then and there they puCked
down the gibbet and worked SO fiercely
that in the space OF half an hour there was
none of il left
And HOW the archbishop, with the lords,
came forth from the council chamber and
the little duke with them And they caused
the servants To remove the body OF the dead
duke, and they set his son on a high seat,
and the archbishop Offered up a prayer
before the people; and having done this
he turned to Antonio and said:
My Lord Antonio. most anXiousiy have
his highness and we OF his council consid
cred of this matter; and it has seemed to us
all-my own, in truth, was the sole re-
luctant voice. and now | also am brought to
the same mind-that whereas the yirtaaus
purposes OF princes are meet to be remem-
bercd ana made perpetual by faithful full
filment after their death, yet the. errors
OF which they, being mortal, are guilty
should not overfive them or be su tfered
10 endure when they have passed away.
And though we are not blind to your Of
fenses, yet we judge that the beginning
the fault was not yours. Therefore his
hlghness DEGREES yoifr pardon for all Of
fenses against his civil state al nd power
And i myself, who hold authority higher
thaa any earthly might, seeing in what this
day has witnessed the finger of God him
elf, do not fight against it, bIt viii pray
you, as soon as you may fit yourself there
unto by prayer and meditation, to come in a
humble mind and seek again tile blessings
of the Church. For i'll what You did right,
and in what You .outstepped right, God
himself mast Ole day judge, and l VIII seek
to judge OF it no more"
My lord said Antonio, II have done
much wrong. Yet j viii own no wrong in
the matter OF the abbot nor in that OF the
sacred boncs'
But the Lord Archbishop smiled at An
tonic, and Antonio bent and kissed the ring
that was on his finger, and the old man
laid his hand for a moment on Antonios
head, saying: IT may be that God works
sometimesi iii ways that may not see. -
Thus it was that the Count Antonio was
restored to his place and came Ggain to
FolAola. Having been relieved OF the sen
tence of accommodation that had been
laid upon him. he was welded il the cathe-
dral TO the Lady Lucia SO soon as the days
Of mourning for the Duke had passed. And
great was the joy i'll the city at their wed
ding, for every maid and every man saw
in the triumph OF Antoriu's love d sign of
the favor OF heaven to t..ese who love with
a pure and abiding passion. SO they made
great feasts and were marvelously merry,
and Bena let not che day go b. without
piiEhtlIg his troth to a comely danlsel, say
ing, with a twinkle in his eye, that the
Count Antonio would have need of his
SONS. whose services he hadprcmised to him
dS lnts IOIt together ACROSS lfle pain on
the morning when Antonio had supposed
that he was to die. Nor would Bena give
any other reason whatsoever for the mar
riage. Nevertheless it is likely that there
were others. But whether Bena fulfilled
his promise know not, for, as ! have said
so little is known concerning him that his
true name Goes not survive, and it has
proved an impossible thing to discover
whether any OF his descendants yet live in
nj T oh hot do 7
trust that they fight as we'll and serve az
Loyalty and pray better than he. But
Martolo has left those that bear his name
and a great grandson of his is at this
very time huntsinanto the monastery of st.
Prisian, where / have seen and talked with
him many times.
The task which j laid upon myself
thus finds its end For there is no need
for me TO tell Of the after deeds of Count
Antonio of Monte Velluto, nor how, in
the space of q few months, lie was chosen
by all the lords to be ruler and protector
OF the state during the infancy of the
Duke, in which high office he did many
notable deeds, both of war and peace.
and raised the Duchy to a great height of
power and conferred many favors on the
townsmen of Forniola, whom lie loved
and cherished because they had not for
saken him nor ceased to love him during
all the years that he dwelt an outlaw
in the hills. And he built againhis house
on the hill Which Duke Valentine had
burnt, and dwelt there with Lucia and
with -Tommasino also until Tommasino
took to wifeithat same lady for whose sake
ne had fingered and thus fallen into the
hands of the Lord Lorenzo, and went and
dwelt at RiIano. where those of his house
still dwell. But when the young Duke
came of age to reign the Count Antonio
delivered has charge into his hands, yet