Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-09-30
CHAPTER XVI.

And with a cordial shake of the
hand he left me, and | heard the street
door close behind him. Again | paced
YEARLY up and down, wrapped in sor-
rowful musings l did not hear a
stealthy tread on the carpet behind me-
so that when | turned round abruptly,
| was startled to find myself face to
face with old GiacOmo, who held out a
note to me on a silver salver, and who
meanwhile peered at me with his eager
eyes in so inquisitive a manner that |
felt almost uneasy.
"And so the little angel is dead!'' he
murmured in a thin, quavering voice.
Dead! Ay, that is a pity, a pity!
But my master is not dead-no, no! l
am not such an old fool as to believe
that"
| paid no heed to his rambling talk,
but read the message Nina had sent
to me through him
q am broken hearted" SO ran the
Gelicately penciled lines. will you
kindly telegraph my dreadful loss to
SignOr Ferrari? [ shall be much
Obliged to YOU" [ looked up from
the perfumed missive and down at the
old buffers wrinkled yisage; he was a
short man and much bent, and some
thing in the downward glance | gave
him evidently caught and riveted his
attention, for he clasped his hands to-
gether and muttered something ! could
not hear.
Tell your MISTRESS l said, speaking
ell IVy hon I 10 nc
she wishes. That l am entirely at her
service. Do you understand"
Eyes, yesi | understand" faltered
Giacomo, nervously. MY master never
thought me foolish could always
understand him"
DO you know, my friend" | OBJ
served, in a rurposely cold and cutting
tone, that ! have heard somewhat too
much about your master? The subject
is tiresome to me! Were your master
alive, he would say you were in your
dotage! Take my message to the
countess at once"
The old mans face paled and his lips
qu.,ered-he made an attempt to draw
up his shrunken figure with a sort of
dignity as ne answered:
"EccellenZa, my master would never
speak to me so-never, never!" Then
his countenance fell, and he muttered,
softly-"ThCCgh it is just am a fool
i am mistaken-quite mistaken
there is no resemblance" After lit
tie pause he added, humbly, 81 will
take your message, eccellenZa." And
OF hos l.. H. I
out of the room. My heart smote me
as he disappeared; | had spoken very
harshly to the poor old fellow-but |
instinctively felt that it was necessary
to do so. His close and ceaseless ex-
amination Of me--his timidity when he
approached me the strange tremors
he experienced when | addressed him
were so many warnings to me to be on
my guard with this deJ oted domestic
Were he, by some unforeseen chance,
to recognize me, my plans would all be
spoiled. | took my hat and left the
house. As | crossed the upper terrace,
| saw a small round object lying in the
grass-it was SteIla's ball that she
used to throw FOR Wyvis to catch and
bring to her. l picked UP the poor
plaything tenderly and put it in my
pocket-and glancing up once more at
the darkened nursery windows, l
waved a kiss of farewell to my little
one lying there in her last sleep. Then
fiercely controlling all weaker and
softer emotions that threatened to
overwhelm me, | hurried away. On
my road to the hotel l stopped at the
telegraph-off and dispatched the
news of Stella's death to Guido Fer
rari in Rome He would be surprised,
I thought, but certainly not grieved-
the poor child had always been in his
way Would he come back to Naples
to console the now childless widow?
Not he!--he would know well that she
stood in very small need of cOnsOla-
tion-and that she took Stella's death
as she had taken mine-as blessing,
and not a bereavement. On reaching
my own rooms, I gave orders to Vim
cenzo that I was not al home to any
one who might call-and l passed the
rest of the day in absolute solitude. I
tad much to think of. The last trail
tie between my wife and myself had
been snapped asunder-the child, the
one innocent link in the long chain of
falsehood and deception. no longer ex-
listed. Was | glad or sorry for this
I asked myself the question hundred
times; and I admitted the truth,
though | trembled to realize it. was
glad-yes- Glad that my own
child was dead! You call this inhu-
man perhaps? Why? She was bound
to have been miserable: she was now
happy!
The tragedy of her parents lives
could be enacted without imbitterins
and darkening her young days. she
was out of it all, and I reioiced e
know it. For l was absolutely reIent-
less; had my little Stella lived, not
even for her sake would [ have relaxed
one detail of my engeance-noth.
ing seemed to me so paramount as the
necessity for restoring my own self.
aspect and damaged honor. In Eng.
land I know these things are managed
by the divorce court Lawyers are
paid exorbitant fees, and the names O
the guilty and innocent are dragged
through the revolving slums of tn,
low London press. 1t may be an ex
cellent method-but it does not tent
to elevate 2 man in his own eyes, ant
it certainly does not do much to re
store his lost dignity. 1t has one ad