The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-05
The Torture of Fear.
"a Tale of Venice. From Cornhill Maya
zine. In five parts)

! toward the inlet of San G.org.o; IN thirty,
| on the Giudecca,, he had dragged the body
from its shell-a mere oblong box, not
coffin-shaped. He stood in the lampless
cabin staring at il.
| Body of the Madonna he whispered;
! but he is blacker than an ebon Christ
| Then ne had thought watch tickled
! HIN.
1T is that dog of an AIS father.-ho.
he did, / think, have a father in the asy-
lum, the black, Well, but the house l am
| gong 10 must be his ExceIency's Red
| Palazzo. thenr'
He struck a match and looked at the
| slip received at the asylum gate. On II,
| in truth, was the name OF Ali and the
| address Of the Red Palace. This was one
OF the three mansions of the Bellini, an ORR
| entaI-Gothic pile, very ancient. 1t had
long stood darllsome and empty. save that
/ Ali and some few Of Beli;ni's henchmen
used it as a sleeping-place.
In few minutes the weighted BODY
| rolled over and disappeared Ike pillar OF
| stiffness into the waters, sending up beich
| of phosphorescences; in few more Anto-
nello was bending over Brescia.
But is this the poor youth" ne said,
! wonderingIy, that his Excellency spoke
| Of? Or was that his Excel
lency's playful way OF talking merely?
Yes. he is cautious" A knowing finger
went 10 his undulating nose. His Excel
lency does not blab every meaning as
bungler would; one must put together MS
hints-and obey?"
But ne took the precaution 10 search the
vault, and finding nothing, bore the BODY
to the shell. The dismonded finger caught
his eye; he stopped 10 it; hesitated nerv-
ously; and covered the coffin. At the Prov
there was laughter when he told the Condo
| xr:s. IL 70 a
set out 4 few yards forward, behind an
angle. lay Brands gondoIa; few yards
behind, the empty gondola Of the sbirri.
At this time Brand was again in night.
The sbirri had stood over him at the water
side, but failing 10 see him, ran further.
| He chung to the ring until a shlverlnS
| seized him; ran then once more, trying 10
steer backward 10 his bark. He at length
reached q clear space near the quay, and
had hardly recognized II, when, close pc
! hind him, the cry, There ne Is! he
forced an agony OF urgency INTO MS iess
Rushing upon his deck, he whispered MS
men TO toll for life, and plunged into the
cabin amidships. But as the gondola
moved out, he could see the sb!rri wildly
| caring after him.
Antonello bending over the coffin, with
one Venetian blind drawn UP, was haroly
ten yards ahead. The man had closed the
shell: nal and hammer were in his hand
when the temptation of the diamond again
; oyercame him. He feared-the little rat
eyes W.nked. He was a person OF Keen
nervosity, ali treTnors, believing IN the ON
niscierce of his Excellency, and the mat
ter of the diamond formed no part OF MS
instructions If he should be discovered
10 have presumed, transgressed? Mos
stealthiIy he slid the lid footward little
Then the thought came 10 him that th'
l body dropped into the water would remove
] all possible discovery of the theft; he drew
il out a little TO a half-stting position
and considered. Just then the bark passeC
under a lamplight, and Brand, now clos'
behind, recognized as he peered forth tn'
luxurious gondoa of Belvidera, its hver:eC
cabin of purple and gold. Antonello, too
the diamond in his hand, had leered gu
and seen the two apparently pursuing
boats. In a guilty trepidancy ne raj
!, STOPPING forward. bidding the gondolier
fly in his Excellency's name. As for Bran'
his heart went hurrying with THOUSAND
doubts If she were there? in trouble
| danger? why did she fly? what did she her
and now? If he could secretly board her
o | would It not mean safety for him? H
crept sternward, ana urged his men Wit
!. ! rich promises 10 catch the boat IN front
a double trembling Of eagerness in him a
the peril behind, at the promise before In
three slender barks, light as life. Wen
e darling like sw!fts over the trouble
4 water.
Venice. the Silent, the Sahara of Beauty
The Canalazzo was empty; only for yonde
in the dark a gondola lamp might shoe
v an instant, quenched in the flood. as me
S teors vanish in the void. Past pall-d oil
palaces they sped, piles of Oriental blor
rich with gold and colors, with pnnaci
= and cupola and arcade; where the lamp
threw long streams of dusky crimson o
the black water, while 10 the phosphorl
S dash of the oars wide behind them wavere
d their wake 10 its lazy slap upon the marbl
: OF stairway, or column, or facade; an
around them. reaching 10 the ancient star:
an utter lonesomeness and hush of gloon
save where, at a turning. gondolier sen
warning of his coming in strange, lugu
y, brious wall. The foremost boat had gon
S curving, like a creature Of life, into
. complexity of narrow channels totally dar
- except where rare corner lamp streame
out upon the waves.
Near one of these, Brand. crouchin
ready at his PROV, leaped lightly upon IN
X poop near him, while Antonello, who ha
k been sringing behind the cabin, al ono
= slid at the slight conclusion, diamond
- hand in mortal fear. into the water. Bran
q was hid by the hearse-shape of the cab!
from the front gondoueri, but his ow
men, watching for his leap. stopped. an
. were overtaken by the sbirri. He. NEAR
= While, had slipped into the cabin of Beiv
Gera: ne could barely discern the half II
u cumbent form, and murmuring, WI,
II love- in the name Of all that Is" impetu
ously stopped forward. He shrank wit
an AN :" covering That bod
n
thought that she might be implicated eve
50 little in the dark deeds OF her uuc
IL made him sick: he spat out the suspicion
n But how came this thing here? Much tin
was not given him for ques;ionings; IT
goniola was then darling past brow
II Notwithstanding pile, without openings
its frontage. save one row of windows nea
= the roof The mansion stood at a corne
3" round which the gondola shot. and stoppe
Is a. side portal. Brand, spring.ng VI
81 found himself confronted with three ne
at the lighted doorway, and with the ~
gondoHeri. come 10 the cabin 70 help Al
y tonelo with the coffin. They stared amazt
" al him. one raised the cry:
- Why. he - a foreigner. He has Turde
ei little Antonello-See there the blood c
>, him-ani thrown him into he water
Il You IDIOTS" Brand began, but stoppe
seeing a signore appear II the doorws
whom he recognized. L was Ronald
Sc come hithsr after the murder OF Bresci
Is Ronaldo started al the sudden apparitic
49, OF Brand: bU: Instantly cain, whispers
10 the others. They advanced. and vi
> a rush pulled Brand 20 the ianding-s1ag
- His British fists went flying. but by :.
ae time the scuffIs reached the doorway
- was on his face. his arms. 20 the elbow
bound behind him by a cord. procured
Ronaldo. They dragged him 10 ne
apartment. and left him behind the lock-