Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-07-15

! Nina listened-and shivered. draw
ling her light scarf more closely about
her shoulders.
Il hate them,7 she said, pettishIy:
their noise is enough to pierce ones
ears. And he used to be so fond of
them; he used to sing-what was it?
I'll salute, Rosignuolo,
Mel tue duolo, ii salutol
Sci L amante della rosa
iChe morendo 81 IA sposai"
Her rich voice rippled out on the
air, riyaling the songs of the night
ingales themselves. She broke of
with little laugh
! Poor FabiOi there was always a
false note somewhere when he sung.
Come, Guido!"
And they paced on quietly, as though
their conscience we're clear-as though
nc just retribution logged their steps
as though no shadow of a terrible
vengeance doomed in the heaven of
their pilfered happiness! 1 watched
them steadily as they disappeared in
| the distance-I stretched nv head
eagerly out from between the dark
bougns and gazed after their retreat
ing figures till the last glimmer Of
my wife's white robe had vanished
behind the thick foliage. They were
gone-they would return no more
/ that night
[ sprung OUT 4 I'M my hiding-place.
l stood on the spot where they had
stood. I tried to bring home to my
| self the actual truth Of what | had
witnessed. My brain whirled-circles
of light swan giddily before me in
the air-the moon looked blood-red.
The solid earth seemed unsteady be-
meath my feet-almost l doubted
whether l was indeed alive, or whether
l was not rather the wretched ghost
Of my past self, doomed to return from
the grave to look helplessly upon the
| less and ruin of all the fair, once
precious things of by-gone days The
splendid universe around me seemed
10 more upheld by the hand of God
no more a majestic marvel; it was to
me but an inflated bubble of empti-
ness-a mere ball for devils to kick
and spurn through space. Of what
avail these twinkling stars-these
stately leaf-laden trees-these cups OF
| fragrance we know as f1owers-this
round wonder of the eyes called
Nature? Of what avail was God him
self, I wildly unused, since even He
could not keep one woman true? She
whom [ loved-she as delicate of form,
as angel-like in face, as the child-bride
Of Christ, st. Agnes she, even she,
Was-what? A thing lower than the
beasts, thing as vile as the vilest
wretch in female form that sells her
self for g gold piece-a thing-great
Heaven! for all men to despise and
make light Of-fOr the finger of Scorn
to point Out-fOr the foul kissing
tongue of Scandal to mock at! This
creature was my wife-the mother of
| my child-she had cast mud on her
soul by her own free will and choice
she had selected evil as her good-she
| had crowned herself with shame will
| ingly, nay-jOyfully; she had preferred
| it to honor What shall be done? I
| tortured myself increasingly with this
question. | stared blankly on the
ground-would some demon spring
| from it and give me the answer I
sought? What should be done with
herewith him, my treacherous friend,
my smiling betrayer? Suddenly my
| eyes lighted on the fallen rose-leayes -
those that had dropped when Guido's
embrace had crushed the flower she
wore. There they lay on the path
curled softly at the edges like little
crimson shells. 1 stopped and picked
them up-I placed them all in the hol-
low of my hand and looked at them.
They had q sweet orod-almost I kissed
them-nay, nay, [ could not-they had
too recently lain on the breast of an
embodied Lie! Yes; she was that, a
Lie, living, lovely, but accursed Lie!
60 and kill her!" Stay! where had I
heard that? Painfully 1 considered.
and at last remembered-and then I
thought modify that the starved and
miserable rag-picker was more Of a
man than I. He had taken his revenge
at once; while l, like a fool, had let
occasion slip. Yes, but not forever!
There were different ways of VEN
geance; one must decide the best, the
keenest way-and, above all, the way
to infict the longest, the cruelest
agony upon those by whom honor is
Wronged. True-it would be sweet to
Stay sin in the act OF SHINING, but then
must ROmani brand himself as a
murderer in the sight of men? Not so;
there were other means-other roads
leading to the same end if the tired
brain could only plan them out. Slow
ly dragging my aching limbs to the
holding the dying rOse-leaves in my
cinched palm. There was a surg
ing noise in my ears-my mouth tasted
of blood, my lips were parched and
burning as with fever. "A white-haired
fisherman" That was l! The king
had said so. Mechanically 1 looked
down at the clothes I wore-the for
mer property of suicide. HE was a
fool" the vender of them had said, ''he
killed himself
Yes, there was no doubt Of it-he
was a fool. would not follow his ex-
ample not yet | had something to do
first-something that must be done if
could only see my way clear to it.
Yes-if I could only see my way and
follow it straightly, resolute1y, re-
morselessly! Ny thoughts were con-
II -