Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-09-16

J
so absolutely sure that nothing could
or would intervene to mar it. Traitor
as he was, he was unable to fOresee
runishment-mate to the hearts
core, he had no knowledge of the di-
vine law of compensation. Now and
then dangerous impulse stirred me
9 desire to say to him point-blank:
You are a condemned criminal--a
doomed man or the brink Of the grave
Leave this light converse and frivolous
iesting-and, while there is time. pre-
: tare for DEATH"
But 1 bit my lips and kept stern 81
! lence. Often, too, | felt disposed to
seize him by the throat, and, declaring
my identity, accuse him of his treach-
cry to his face, but | always remem-
bered and controlled myself. One
point in his character I knew we'll
had known it of old-this was his eX-
cessiye love Of good wine. [ aided and
whenever he visited me [ took care
! that he should have his choice Of the
! finest yintages. Often after a cOnvlvlal
evening spent in my apartments with
a. few other young men OF his class and
caliber, he reeled out of my presence,
his deeply flushed face and thick voice
bearing plain testimony as to his con-
dition. On these occasions | used to
consider with a sort OF herce humor
how Nina would receive hlm-fo1
though she saw no offense in the one
kind of vice she herself practiced, she
had a particular horror OF vUlgarlty
in any form, and drunkenness was one
OF those low failings she specially alb
horred.
'Go to your 1ady-love, mon bean
Silenus!" I would think, as | watched
him leaving my hotel with a couple OF
his boon companions, staggering and
laughing loudly as he went, or singing
the last questionable street-song OF the
Neapolitan baspeuple. you are IN
would-be riotous and savage mood
her finer animal instincts will revolt
from you, as a 1.-THE gazelle would fly
from the hideous gambols of rhinO-
Ccros She is already afraid Of you
in little while she will look upon YOU
with loathing and disgust-tant PTS
pour vous, tant mieUX pour moi?"
I had of course attained the position
of ami intime at the Villa Romani. l
was welcome there at any hour-I
could examine and read my own books
IT. my own library at leisure (what
privilege was mine; I could saunter
freely through the beautiful gardens
accompanied by Wyvis, who attended
me as matter of course; in short, the
house was almost at my disposal,
though I never passed a night under it's
roof. I carefully kept up my charac-
ter as Frematurely elderly man,
slightly inI Aided by a long and ardu-
Gus career in far-off foreign lands, and
I was particularly prudent in my be-
haviCr toward my wife before Ferrari
Never aid I permit the least word or
action on my part that could arouse his
jealousy or suspicion. | treated her
with a sort of parental kindLess aid
reserve, but she-t1ust a woman fo~
intrigue!~--She was quick tC perceive
rIy reasons for so doing. Directly Fer
rarIs back was turned she would look
at me with glance of coquettish in
tClligence, and smile-a little mocking.
half-petulant smile-or she would ut
ter some disparaging remark about
MN, combining with it a covert COM
pliment to me- 1t was not for me to
betray her secrets-I saw nc occasion
to tell Ferrari that nearly g, cry morn
ing she sent her maid to my hotel with
lrult and flowers and inquiries after
my healtl-nOr was my valet VincenEo
the man TO say that he carried gifts
and similar messages from me to her
But at the commencement of November
things were so far advanced that 7
was in the unusual position of being
secretly courted by my own wife,-I
reclprocating her attentions with equal
! secrecy! The fact of my being often
IN the company of other ladies piuued
her vanity-she knew that I was con-
s'dered a desirable parti-and-she re-
solved to win me. In this case I also
| rcsoiVed-to be won! A grim court
SNIP truIy-between a dead man and
MS own wldOwi Ferrari never Sis
! pected what was going on: he had
spoken or me as that POOR fool Fabio.
he was too easily duped;" yet never
was there one more easily duped''
than himself, or to whom the epithot
poor fooP' more thoroughly applied.
AS | said before, he was sure-too sure
OF his own good fortune I wished 10
excite his distrust and enmity some
| times, but this l found l could not do.
/ He trusted me-yes! as much as in the
old days had trusted him. Therefore,
the catastrophe for him must be sudden
as well as fatal-perhaps, after all, It
was better so.
During my frequent visits to the
villa l saw much of my child Stella.
She became passionately attached to
me-poor little thing!-her love was
mere natural instinct, had she but
known it. Often, too, her nurse, AS
sunta. would bring her to my hotel &C
pass an hour or so with me. This was
a great treat to her, and her delight
reached it's climax when l took her OF
my knee and told her fairy story
, her fayorite one being that OF a goot
little girl whose papa suddenly wen
away, and how the little girl grievet
r for him till at last some kind fairie:
helped her to find him again. ] was a
, first somewhat afraid of old Assunta-
she had been my nurse-was it posi-
bic that she would not recognize me
The first time l met her in my new