The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-03

a tragedy queen might take the center
of the stage, she declared:
II will not marry him. Torture me,
lock me up, tie my hands, abuse me
and maltreat me as you WILL will not
marry him.
They looked at her in stupefied
amazement. AT first they did not un-
derstand, but when she pointed her
finger at Piero and exclaimed: "It is
you and your abettOrs whom 1 defy!
In Italy, yes, you could force me to be-
come your wife. You could buy me
with your gold. You could take me
and ! could not resist. But in Ameri-
ca, no! 1t Is no that l say! No! No!
No! No! 1 r-r-ref-fuse! l WILL MOTT"
The word amazement but poorly de-
scribes the feelings of her audience.
Not one of them had ever before for
moment supposed that she objected
to marrying Petro. 1t had never even
been a matter of comment. The plan
had been as much part of their SIM
pie lives as the day and the night had
been. They concertedly gasped in hor-
ror. She assumed that this was the
first move of coming battle. and,
backing slowly into the front room
exclaimed:
yes! Yes! Kill me! Tear me limb
from limb! But first let me tell the
tale that l have protectors!'
She unpinned her red petticoat and
slipped it off quickly, without once re-
moving her eyes from their faces, and
with delicious revelation of we'll
ha ,-ln L. ;,t
underneath, which no one noticed.
81 have but to wave this petticoat
from the window and my friend the
bankers wife will come with an alder
man, who will bring the police and
the mayor and the president of the
kingdom and the army with guns and
great ships which shoot vast iron
balls! oh. am ready! ! have pro-
tectors! 1 defy you ALL"
Pippette, half conscious of the nom
sense of 1t, was still conscious of the
sensation she was creating, and en-
joyed 1t from the bottom of her ro-
mantle heart. No one threatened her,
but she waved her red petticoat from
the window, and was somewhat disap-
pointed to find that only the little
banker and fat 1rishman responded.
The bankers wife had told the story
to her husband, with many variations
and additions, and the alderman. will
ing to believe anything of Italians, was
really prepared for great things. He
attributed the submissive and puzzled
attitude of the five swarthy persons
whom he met to their craft, and i'm
pressiyely warned them.
Here now! Here now!' he COM
manded, "None o. that owver here in
Ameriky, you bloody dagoes! The
goirl Is free to marry any one she
loikes. Don't let me hear any more of
coer-r-cion, or Oill have the police
ahfter yez. Moind now phwat OF
sayw and he left majestically.
After he had gone. the little group
all Of them except Pippette-broke into
tears They had begun to understand
that Pippette had, for some unaccount-
able reason, decided not to marry
Pietro, and were filled with woe. And
worse than that, they saw that she
looked upon all of them-who wor-
shipped her, each one-with fear and
defiance. This was crushing!
Finally, unhappy and dimayed, they
held council and decided that all
should withdraw except Pietro, who
was to remain with Pippette. and try
to make his peace, or at least. to get
at the bottom of the mystery. Just
before they went away, Pippette's fa-