The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-13
4 TALE OF GREECE.

VI ilhl' Ut q iIN'lu'nllN III NiI't'ts WV uHH
while following doe he became separated |
from his companions aud lost his way.
After considerable wandering he at last |
cane IN sight ~ the Ionian sen, with its /
numerous and beautiful islands. The day
was now, however, far spent, and 1t was
with much delight that, from the top Of u
hill he Csricd the white walls Of Greek
cottage before him. He determined at all
risks tn stck admission for an asylum for
the night. He approached the door, which
he found shut. He knocked loudly with
his hunting whip, and quickly the door
was opened by Il Greek female, the love
lest his eyes had ever rested on. The
young huntsinun made his miSfurtunes
and his wishes known to her in ms good
Albanian as he could muster, to which
she replied i'm Italian and invited him in.
The cause of manhood and misfortune
seldom finds II deaf car among the ladies,
and this beautiful Greek yielded to its IN
fluencc, and readily offered him an asy-
lum, telling him at the same time that
he must depart at daybrenk, for if her
male friends, who bore no great love to
the English, caught him there he might
repent his intrusion.
CostcllO-fur such was the officers name
readily asscntcd, and juyfully took pos
session of the small chamber the beautiful
Xuraida showed him for the night. He
even, in the ecstasy of his admiration for
his beautiful hostess, nearly forgot his
poor stccd. His recollection, however,
quickly returned, and he sailed out to the
stable and made the necessary arrange
ments for its comfort himself. The pCcul-
iarity of his situation not u little surprised
him. Alone, amid the desert mountains
of Albania, with the most beautiful woman
his eyes ever rested on, and conjecture
seemed at n stand to account for her soil
tary situation Ills true, she had spoken
of male relations, but he had as yet seen
no human form in that solitude except
herself There was a neatness about the
cottage which scarcely belonged to Greek
peasant, and her language, although u
Greek in habit and appearance was pure
Tuscan.
On his return from the stable he found
his beautiful hostess had prepared u suit
able collation., which, with a cup of the
good wine of Thessaly, made him forget
his fatigue. She seemed not unwilling to
enter into conversation. Costello was a
good linguist. Having been some time
in Florence, he spoke the genuine Tuscan
with sufficient fluency. He therefore will
ingly seized the opportunity offered of en-
tering into conversation in that language,
to which her soft, melodiOus voice lent an
additional harmony.
Her story was short. She belonged to
a party of brgands who occupied this re-
treat among the mountains, from whence
they made excursions on the plains for
plumber, on one Of which they were now
absent. They had lately come from the
81 1 l E.
who was the head of the gong, was orig.
inally from Pisa, where she had been
brought up, which accounted for the pu-
rity Of her language
She was, she said, tired of that kind of
life which was now doubly odious to
her, as her father was forcing her to marry
one of his own gang--a young Albanian
whose habits and disposition she could not
faPcy,
She OWNED she was unhappy, and the
downcast melancholy of her beautiful
eyes too well attestcd the truth of her as
sertion. Costello felt for her, to which
perhaps the extreme beauty Of her appear
ance not little tended. He resolved to
rescue her. Yet how to effect it he did not
know. 1t was more easily thought of than
executed. In the ardOr of the moment he
mentioned it to her He urged her to fly
with him. She hesitatCd-she resisted.
At last she yielded
But not now," said she. 81 must
again see my father. Poor, miserable old
mani He will now have nobody to watch
over him-tO pray for him! Perhaps he
may even fall IA victim to his own blood
thirsty companions. Return" she con-
tinued, "to your own quarters. Prepare u
few servants to attend you, and in the
next dark of the moon meet me under
yonder rock at midnight, and l shall be
prepared to accompany you to some place
where you may be able to procure II safe
escort for me back to Pisa.
Costello promised all she asked. He re.
tired to rest, and the next morning at day
break started off on his return to Corfu,
bearing with him the image of the beauti
full Zoraidu strongly impressed on his i'm
agination.
Another week passed on without theil
meeting. Still Ioraida was uppermost in
his thoughts. The moon had now arrived
at that point in her orbit at which, ever
in that delightful climate, she wells hel
light for short time, and Costello, thinly
attended and ignorant of the errand %
danger he was entering on, prepared t
i put in execution his intention of rescuinl
the beautiful Zoraida and making her hi
own.
e'found no difficulty in retracing hi
route and, leaving his servants and horses
at the foot of the mountain, joyfully rs
ccndcd the rock, armed simply with mi
sword and a case of pistols.
An oyerhanging mountain sheltered al
from the back, while before them stretched
the fair plains and valleys of Epirus
though now shaded by the veil of night
Another moment, and Costello held tn
beautiful Zotaida in his arms. They ha,
just turned TO descend to the horses whel
two brigands rushed from behind tn
rock, and with IA cry Of "Faithless Ior
aida! Villain lnglesei' plunged a dag
ger into each of their hearts. The follow
ing morning saw the corpses of the beauti
full Xoraidn and the unfortunate Costell
in the market place of Corfu,-New Yorl
News.
William Mckinley.
NJ