Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-07-22
Continued.
A white-haired fisherman!

one would T6COSHlZS NE lOI LILY IOI noi
self. All at once, with this thought, an
idea occurred to me-a plan OF ven
geance, so bold, so new, and Wlthal
so terrible, that | started from my
seat as though stung by an adder. l
paced up and down restlessly, with
this lurid light Of fearful revenge
pouring in on every nook and Granny
of my darkened mind. From whence
had come this daring scheme? what
devil, or rather what angel OF retrlbu-
ton, had Whispered it to my soul?
DimIy [ wondered--but amid all my
wonder [ began practically to arrange
the details Of my plot. | calculated
every small circumstance that was
likely to occur in the process of car
rying it out. My stupefied senses be-
came aroused from the lethargy OF
despair, and stood up like soldiers on
the alert. armed to the teeth. Past
love, pity, pardon, patience-pooh!
what were all these resources OF the
worlds weaknesses to me? What was
it to me that tie bleeding Christ for
gave His enem.e s in death? He never
loved a woman, Strength and resolu-
ton returned to ne. Let common
sailors and rag-pickers resort to muir
der and suicide as fit outlets for their
unrea sOning brute wrath when wrong
ed; but as for me, why should | blot
my family scutcheOn with a merely
vulgar crime? Nay, the vengeance of
a Romani must be taken with as
sured calnlness and easy elaboration
nc haste, no plebeian fury, no effemi-
Late fuss, no excitement. | walked
up and down slowly, meditating on
every point of the bitter drama in
which | had resolved to enact the
chief part, from the rise to the fall
OF the black curtain. The mists cleared
from my BRAIN breathed more
easily-my nerves steadied themselves
by degrees-the prospect of what l
purposed doing satisfied me and
Gained the fever in my blood. [ be-
came perfectly cool and collected. |
INDUCED in no more futile regrets for
the past-why should [ mourn the loss
of a love I never possessed? 1t was not
as if they had waited till my supposed
sudden death-no! within three
months of my marriage they had fool
Ed me; for three whole years they had
INDUCED in their criminal amour,
while ], blind dreamer, had suspected
nothing. Now [ knew the extent of
my injury; | was q man bitterly
wronged, vilely duped. Justice, reason,
and self-respect demanded that l
should punish to the utmost the mis-
cradle tricksters who had played me
false. The passionate tenderness
had felt for my wife was GONE
plucked it from my heart as | would
have torn a thorn from my tlesh-I
flung it from me with disgust as | had
flung away the unseen reptile that had
fastened on my neck in the vault. The
deep warm friendship of years [ had
felt for Guido Ferrari froze to its
very foundations-and in it's place
there rose up, not hate, but pitiless,
Unreasonable contempt. A stern dis
Gain of myself also awoke in me, as
remembered the unreasOning Joy with
Which | had hastened-as | thought
lone, full of eager anticipation and
Romeo-like ardor An idiot leaping
merrily to his death over mountain
Chasm was not more fool than |! But
the dream was OVer-the deluSiOn of
my life was passed. l was strong to
avenge-I would be swift to accom-
plish. So, darkly musing for an hour
or more, | decided on the course had
10 10 10
final drew from my breast the cruel
fix that the dead monk Cipriano had
laid with me in my coffin, and kissing
it, | raised it aloft, and swOre by that
sacred symbol never to relent never to
relax, never to rest, till l had brought
my VOW of just vengeance to its ut
most fulfillment. The stars, calm
witnesses of my oath, eyed me earnest
~ from their judgment thrones in the
quiet sky-there was a brief pause in
the singing of the nightingales, as
though they too listened-the wind
sighed plaintively, and scattered
shower of jassamine blossoms like
snow at my feet Even so, l thought
fall the last leaves of my white days
days of pleasure, days of sweet illusion,
days Of dead remembrance; even so
let them wither and perish utterly for
ever! For from hencefOrth my life
must be a chain of finely tempered
steel, hard, cold, and unbreakable-
formed into links strong enough to
wind round and round two false lives
and imprison them so closely as to
leave no means of escape This was
what must be done-and | resolved to
do it. With a firm, quiet step turned
to leave the avenue. | opened the lit
tie private wicket, and passed into the
dusty road. A changing noise caused
me to look up as | went by the prin-
cipal entrance of the Villa Romani A
seryant-my own man-servant by the
by-was barring the great gates for
the night. | listened as he slid the
bolts into their places, and turned the
key. | remembered that those gates
had been thoroughly fastened before.
when l came up the road from Naples
why, then, had they been opened
since? To let out visitor? Of course!
smiled grimly at my wife's cunning.
She evidently knew what she was
about. Appearances must be kept up
the Signor Ferrari must be decor
ously shown out by a servant at the
chief entrance of the house. Naturally,
all very unsuspicious-looking and
quite in keeping with the proprieties!
Guido had just left her, then? walked