The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-01-08

ther had fallen a victim to dreadful
vendetta. and she had finally been left
a penniless orphan.
/ was deeply interested in her, but
no one could give me the slightest clew
as to whittier she had.fied.
Still | had fingered about the places
| used to see her. Was | in love with
the little Corsican beauty?
Her face would come before my mem
tai vision asleep or waking. bringing
a sweet sensation | had never before
experienced; and yet l tried to dismiss
her from my mind.
| sat smoking for some hours upon
the deck of the Penguin. watching the
yellow lights dancing i'll the romantic
little city, and drinking in the fresh.
sweet air of the night that stole up
from the Mediterranean.
1t was about IL O'Clock when j
stretched myself upon the cot which
Muggins had placed upon the deck l
fell asleep soon after, and dreamed of
Muggins ghost.
1t seemed that some strange pres
ence came to me-a woman, beautiful
beyond any dream; and just as
reached cut To touch h, she vanished.
strange. sweet perfume. awoke sud
denly with that ineXplicable sensation
that sometimes tells us of the unseen
presence of another.
| sat up and looked about me in
vague bewildcrment- The moon hao
risen out of the sea and was flooding
the deck with its mellow radiance.
As my mind grew more composed
detected "A subtle perfume on the night
air. the same that had come to me in
my dream
Was ii only the effect of ny imagina
ton? No: there could lie no mistake
as to it's reality. Something white lay
1T my feet; picked it up; it was del
icate piece of lace embroidered linen.
and eXhaled the brea TN of perfume that
had before greeted my senses.
While | stood beSildercd at the amaz-
ing circumstance, l perceived n white
form emerge from the hatchway and
move forward, with n slow, gliding
movement
stood immovable. watching the fig
ure as it came toward me. As it drew
near. | perceived that it was a girl. and
as the noonbeams fell on the pale face
] recognized it as belonging to Neda
DOrlDS. the Iitthe lrult seller.
Her eyes were wide open. and staring
vacantlv ahead in Il way peculiar In
the somnambulist. She was a sleep
walkeri The thought came to me like
a flash. Yet, whatcould account for her
presence aboard the Penguin?
Without attempting to answer the
ruzzling question, | started toward the
figure. but as | did SO, the sound of
something like the dropping of an oar
IA a boat came from over the port Then
moment later the dark figure of n
vvoman-the same | had seen making the
assault on the little uit-seller-Siipped
noiselcssly over the rail. She paused for
Il moment to glance about the ship,
then, with n cry of rage that might
have proceeded from some wild AM
NAL in deadly combat, she lcaped upon
the unconscious girl, the blade of a
long knife glinting in the rays of the
moon. Reused to action 10y the sight of
the murderous intruder, | leaPed
quickly forward. and. before the knife
descended to do its deadly work, |
caught the hand that held it,
But if / reckoned on an easy victory
in subduiny my adversary, | soon dis
covered my mistake, for the woman.
though aged to all appearances, seemed
to possess the strength of the strongest
man, and finding herself foiIed in her
murdcrous attempt, she turned upon
me with the fiercencss of n panther.
Coming unexpectedly as the attack did,
it caught me off my guard, and before
realized my peril, the hand that held
the knife WAS wrencheti from my grasp;
then there was a swift blow, n keen
rain in nv shoulder as the blade en-
tered: then a mist gathered before my
ewes and L sank unconscious upon the
deck.
When nv senses returned it was
broad daylight, and | was lying on a
cot in Muggins' cabin, the beautiful but
troubled face of Neda bending over me.
1t was about n week before | was
able to get ashore, and, though / had n
trained nurse from Bastia, Neda re
fused to leave me entirely in the hands
of another.
Well. in that week / had learned to
love the little Corsican beauty with
such an intense devotion that l could
not bear the thought of separation.
Her life had been one of trials and
misfortunes The old hag who had twice
sought the life of Veda was prevented
from taking my life by the timely ar
rival of Muycins, who had come owe:
to the vessel in his boat just before day
break to see how | was faring. Find
ing herself thwarted, she leaped into
the BAY and was drowned before she
could be rescued by Muggins.
She WAS the last of the aralodo fam
ily. between whom and the Dorlos a
dreadful vendetta had existed, and ii
was TO escape the vengeance of the oil
woman that Veda had slowed herself
aboard the Penguin, hoping to be car
ried to some foreign land, and thus es-
cape the violence and death that con-
stantlv threatened her.
Neda and | were married, and 4
month later sailed for America in the
Penguin with my old friend Capt.
Darl<e, who had returned and had the
vessel repaired.
Muggins was much elated over the
happy ending of my attempt TO lay
his ghost though he always declared
I had made a most lucky failure. and
| instead of laying the ghost. he'd my
self been layed by it.-N. Y. Ledger.
| woman's appointments.
Il