Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-10-14

only. Therefore, | ask you to oblige
me by fixing your return for that day
and on arrival at Naples, come straight
to me at this hotel, that I may have
the satisfaction of being the first to
welcome you as you deserve. Tele-
graph your answer, and the hour OF
your train; and my carriage shall meet
you at the station. The dinner-hour
can be fixed to suit your convenience
OF course; what say you to eight
o'clock? After dinner you can betake
yourself to the Villa Romani when you
Flease-yOur enjoyment Of the LADY,
surprise and rapture will be the more
keen for having been slightly delayed
Trusting you will not refuse to crafty
an old mans whim, am
'Ycurs for the time being,
"Cesare OLIVIA
This epistle finished and written in
the grabbed disguised penmanship it
was part of my business to affect,
folded, sealed and addressed it. and
summoning Vincenzo, babe him post
it. Immediately. AS soon as he had
gcne on this errand, | sat down to my
as yet untasted breakfast and made
some effort to eat as usual But my
thoughts were too active for appetite
counted on my fingers the days
there were four, only four, between me
and what? One thing was certain
I must see my wife, or rather | should
say my betrothe ID must see her that
very day. [ then began to consider
| how my courtship had progresse
SIN that evening when she declared
quently, though not daily-her be-
| haviOr had been by turns 2ffectionate,
adoring, timid, gracious and once Or
twice passjOnately loving, though the
| latter impulse il her I had always
cCidly checked. For though [ could
| bear a 81 eat deal, any outburst Of
Snam sentiment on her part sickened
and filled me with such utter loathing
that otter when she was more than
usually tender [ dreaded lest my pent-
up wrath should break loose and i'm
pei me to kill her swiftly and suddenly
as enc brushes the head of a poisonous
adder-an all-tOo- merc1ful death for
| such as she. [ preferred to WOO her
by gifts alone-and her hands were al
ways ready to take whatever I or
others chose to offer her. From rare
Jewel to a common flower she lever re-
fused anything-her strongest passions
were vanity and avarice. Sparkling
gems from the pilfered store of Car
melo Neri-trinkets which I had espe-
claily designed for her--lace, rich en-
brolderles, bouquets of dollhouse bios
sens, gilded boxes of costly sweets
nothing came amiss to her-she ac-
fepted all with certain covetous glee
Which she was at no pains to hide
from me-nay, she made it rather evil
Dent that she expected such things as
her right
And after all, what did it matter TO
mel thought-of what value was
anything [ possessed save to assist me
IN carrying out the punishment [ had
destined for her? [ studied her nature
with critical cOldness-I saw it's inbred
vice artfully concealed beneath the af-
lower in my eyes, and [ wondered
vaguely how I could ever have loved so
coarse and common a thing! Lovely
she certainly Was-IoVely, too, are
many of the wretched outcasts who
sell themselves in the streets for gold,
and who in spite IF their criminal
trade are less vile than sucn woman
as the one I had welded Mere
| beauty Of face and form can be bought
as easily as che buys a f1ower-but the
loyal heart the pure sorl, the lofty in
te;ligence which can make of woman
AT angel-tbese are unpurchasable
ware, and seldom fall to the lot Of man.
| For beauty, though so perishable. is a
! snare to US all--it maddens our blood
in spite Of ourselves-we men are made
so. How was it that I-even I. who
now loathed the creature [ had once
loved-could not look upon her physi-
cal loneliness without a foolish thrill
of passion awaking within me-pas-
sion that had something of the murder
Gus in it-admiration that was almost
| brutal-feeling which I could not con-
troll though I despised myself for them
while they lasted. There is a weak
point in the strongest of us, and wicked
women know we'll whore we are most
Vulnerable. One dainty pin-prick we'll
aimed-and all the barriers Of caution
and reserve are broken down-we are
ready to fling away our souls for a
smile or kiss. Surely at the last day
when we are judged-and may be con-
demned-we can make our last excuse
to the Creator in the words of the first
misguided man:
The woman whom thou gavest to
be with me-she tempted me, and I
did eat!"
lost no time that day in going to
the Villa Ronani. drove there in nv
Carriage, taking with me the usual
love-offering in the shape Of a large
gilded osier-basket full of white violets
Their delicious odor reminded me OF
tLat May morning when Stella was
bCrn-and then quickly there flashed
into my mind the words spoken BIZ
Guido Ferrari at the time. How mys-
terious they had seemed to me then
how clear their meaning now. On ar
irving at the villa I found my fance in
her own boudoir. attired in morning
deshabille, if a trailing robe Of white
cashmere trimmed with Mechlin lace
and swan's-down can be considered
deshabille. Her rich air hung loosely
on her shoulders, and she was seated