Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-07-08

hour-one little hour! The girl is dead
your majesty-and Giovanni, poor lad.
+; will not leave her; he has his two
arms round her tight-Holy Virgin!-
! think of it! and she, a cholera corpse
and do what you can, he will not be
, parted from her, and they seek her
! body for the burial And if we force
him away, prOvina, he will lose his
head for certain. One little hour,
your majesty, just one, and the rever-
! end father will come and persuade
! Giovanni better than we can"
/ The king raised his hand with a
slight gesture of command-the little
lowed; I, too, availed myself of a cor
! tered the miserable dwelling wherein
lay the corpse that was the cause Of
! all the argument. His attendants fol-
lowed; | too. availed myself of a cor
ner in the doorway. The scene dis
closed was SO terrible pathetic that
! few could lC,E upon it without emo
| tiOn-Humbert of Italy himself I'M
covered his head and stood silent. On
a poor pallet bed lay the fair body of
a girl in her first youth, her tender
| loveliness as yet untouched even by
J the uIsfiguring marks of the death that
! had Overtaken her One would have
j thought she slept, had it not been for
+ the rigidity of her stiffened limbs, and
the wax-like pallor of her face and
hands. Right across her form, almost
! covering it from view, man lay prone
as though he had fallen there life
! less-indeed he might have been dead
also for any signs he showed to the
contrary. His arms were closed firm
ly round the girls corpse-his face
was hidden from view on the cold
breast that would no more respond to
the warmth of his caresses. A straight
beam of sunlight shot like a golden
srear into the dark little room and
lighted up the whole scene-the pros
trate figures on the bed-the erect
form of the compassionate king, and
! the grave and ankle us faces of the lit
tie crowd of people who stood around
him
See! that is the way he has been
ever since last night when she died"
whispered the woman who had before
spoken; and his hands are clinched
round her like iron-onr cannot move
@ fnger!"
The king advanced. He touched the
shoulder of the unhappy lover. His
voice, mOdulated to an exquisite soft
ness struck on the ears OF the listen
ers like a note of cheerful music.
"Figlo Mol"
There was no answer The women,
touched by the simple endearing wor ds
of the monarch, began to sob, though
gently, and even the men brushed 4
few drops from their eyes. Again the
/ king spoke.
'Figlio milo! I am your king. Have
you no greeting for me?"
The man raised his head from it's
pillow on the breast of the beloved
corpse and stared vacantly at the
royal speaker. His haggard face,
tangled hair, and wild eyes gave him
the appearance of one who had long
wandered in a labyrinth Of frightfrl
visions from which there was no es-
cape but selfmurder
Your hand, my son!" resumed the
king, in a tone of soldier-like author
! ity.
Very slOwly-yery reluctantly-a
! though he were forced to the action
by some strange magnetic influence
which ne had no power to withstand,
! he loosened his right arm from the
! dead form it clasped so pertinaciously
and stretched forth the hand as COM
manded. Humbert caught it firmly
within his own and held it fast-then
ooking the poor fellow full in the faos'
he said with grave steadiness and
simplicity
There is no death in love, my
! friendi"
The young mans eyes met his-his
| set mouth softened-and wrestling his
| hand passionately from that of the
king, he broke into passion of weep
! ing. Humbert at once placed a pro-
! tecting arm round him. and with the
assistance of one Of his attendants
raised him from the bed, and led him
INTERESTINGLY away, as passively
obedient as a child, though sobbing
conyulsively as he went The rush
of tears had saved his reason, and
most probably his life. A murmur of
enthusiastic applause greeted the good
king as he passed through the little
throng of persons who had witnessed
What had taken place Acknowledging
iC with quiet, unaffected bow, he
left the house, and signed to the becca-
n,ort, who still waited outside, that
they were now free to perform their
melancholy Office He then went on
his way attended by more heartfelt
blessings and praises than ever fell to
the lot of the proudest conqUeror re-
: turning with the spoils of a hundred
battles. [ looked after his retreating
= figure till | could see it no MORE
felt that [ had grown stronger for the
, mere presence of a hero-a man who
indeed was every inch a king" I am
: q rOyalist-yes. Governed by such a
sovereign, few men of calm reason
would be otherwise. But royalist
: though l am, l would assist in bring,
| ing about the dethronement and death
of a mean tyrant, were he crowned
king hundred times over! Few mon
: archs are like Humbert of Italy-ever
now my heart warns when I think Of
HMM all the distraction of my SUI
/ ferings, his figure stands out like {
supreme embodied Beneficent Force
5 surrounded by the clear light of un
!, selfish goOdness-a light in which