The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-01-08
EBENSBURC1, Pa FRIDAY, JANUARY 8. 1897.

tEOn- lbut reNtGSeS ndn cOIlts ntT ID
ther had fallen victim to a dreadful
vendetta, and she had finally been left
a pcnniless orphan.
/ was deeply interested in her, but
no one could give me the slightest clew
as to whittier she hadfied.
Still | had fingered about the places
| used to see her. Was | in love with
the little Corsican beauty?
Her face would come before my mem
tai vision asleep or waking. bringing
a sweet sensation | had never before
experienced; and yet l tried to dismiss
her from my mind.
| sat smoking for some hours upon
the deck of the Penguin, watching the
yellow lights dancing in the romantic
little city. and drinking in the fresh.
sweet air of the night that stole up
from the Mediterranean.
IL was about IL o'clock when j
stretched myself upon the cot which
Muggins had placed upon the deck L
fell asleep soon after, and dreamed of
Muggins' ghost.
1t seemed that some strange pres
ence came to me-a woman. beautiful
beyond any dream; and just as
reached cut to touch h,r she vanished.
leaving only faint odor of some
strange. sweet perfume. ! awoke sud
denly with that ineXplicable sensation
that sometimes tells us of the unseen
presence of another.
sat up and looked about me in
vague bewilderment. The moon had
risen out Of the sea and was flooding
the deck with its mellow radiance
As my mind grew nl1:e composed
detected "A subtle perfume on the night
air TIN. same that had come to me in
my dream
Was it only the effect of my imagina-
ton? No: there could lie no mistake
as to it's reality. Something white lay
at my feet: picked il up; it was a del
icate piece of lace embroidered linen,
and exhaIed the breath of perfume that
had before greeted my senses.
While stood be>vildercd at the amaz-
ing circumstances, | perceived white
form emerge from the hatchway and
move forward, with n slow, gliding
movement.
| stood immovable, watching the fig
ure as it came toward me. As it drew
near. | perceived that it was girl. and
as the moonbeams fell on the pale face
] recognized it as belonging to Neda
DorIos, the little fruit seller.
Her eyes were wide open, and staring
vacantly ahead in way peculiar To
the somnamhulist. She was n sleep
walker! The thought came to me like
a flash Yet, what could account for her
presence aboard the Penguin?
Without attempting to answer the
T,uzzling question, | started toward the
I I no. of
something like the dropping of an oar
ia a boat came from over the port Then
a moment later the dark figure of a
voman-the same | had seen making the
assault on the little fl uit-scller-slipped
noiseIcssly over the rail. She paused for
IL moment to glance about the ship.
then, with n cry of rage that might
have proceeded from some wild ami
mai in deadly combat, she leaPed upon
the unconscious girl, the blade of "a
long knife glinting in the rays of the
moon. Reused to action 10y the sight of
the murderous intruder, | leaPed
quickly forward and, before the knife
descended to do it's deadly work, |
! caught the hand that held it,
But if | reckoned on an easy victory
in subduing my adversary, | soon dis
| covered my mistake, for the woman,
| though aged to all appearances, seemed
| to possess the strength of the strongest
man, and. finding herself foiIed in her
| murdcrous attempt, she turned upon
me with the fiercencss of n panther.
| Coming Unexpectedly as the attack did,
| it caught me off my guard. and before
| | realized my peril, the hand that held
| the knife was wrenchetl from my grasp;
/ r. IL
| rain in my shoulder as the blade en-
tered; then a mist gathered before my
| eyes. and / sank unconscious upon the
| deck.
When nv senses returned it was
broad daylight. and | was lying on :
cot in Mugelns' cabin, the beautiful but
troubled face of Neda bending over me
1t was about n week before | wa-
able to get ashore, and, though had :
trained nurse from Bastia, Veda re
| fused to leave me entirely in the hands
| OF another.
Well. in that week / had learned Il
| love the little Corsican beauty witt
such an intense devotion that | couio
not bear the thought of separation.
Her life had been one of trials anf
misfortunes The old hag who had twic'
|
from taking my life by the timely ar
rival of Muycins, who had come owe
to the vessel in his boat just before day
| Iireak to see how | was faring. Find
| ing herself thwarted, she leaped int
the bay, and was drowned before sh'
could he rescued by Muggins.
She WAS the last of the BaTalOdo fam
| ily, between whom and the Dorlos
| dreadful vendetta had existed, and i
4 was to escape the vengeance of the oil
woman that Veda had slowed hersel
aboard the Penguin, hoping to be car
ried to some foreign land, and thus es
cape the violence and death that con
stantly threatened her.
Neda and | were married, and
month later sailed for America in tn
Penguin with my old friend Capt
Darlle. who had returned and had tn
vessel repaired.
| Muggins was much elated over tn
happy ending of my attempt 10 lay
his ghost though he always declares
I had made a most lucky failure. an'
instead of laying the ghost. | he'd my
self been layed by tn Y. Ledger
woman's appointments.
\ pessimistic German says: IF thu
dear God should announce from or'