Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-12-23

inform me of what ! now know for J
fact--namely, that Ferrari left will
in which everything he possessed is
maze over Internationally to the
Countess Romani You will of course
Ufaw your own conclusions, and par
don me If am guilty Of trop de zele in
your service, / have only to tell you
tnat all the unpleasantness OF this af-
lair is passing over smoothly and with
out scandal have taken care CT that.
You need not prolong your absence
further than you feel inclined, and /
Tor one. shall be charmed to welcome
you back TO Naples. With every SEN
msnt OF the highest consideration
10 regard, am, my dear conte.
Your very tue friend and servitor,
Philippe D'Avencourt
ioldcd this letter carefully and put
IT aside The little package he had
neatly folded letters tied together
with a narrow ribbon, ana strongly
perfumad with the faint sickly per-
ume | knew and aohcrred / turned
them over and over; the edges OF the
ote-paper were stal--d with blooa
,,udo's bl0cd-as though in its last
m.gish flowing it had endeavored to
Cbllterate all traces Of the daintily
penned lines that now awaited my
nerusal. Slowly [ united the ribbon
With methcdical deliberation | read
one letter after the other. They were
all from Nina-all written TO Guido
while he was in Rome, some of them
hearing the dates Of the very days
when she haa feigned to love meme
her newly accepted husband. One
very amorous epistle had been written
on the self-same evening she had
plighted her troth to me! Letters burn
ing and tender, full Of the most pas
sionate protestatiOns Of fidelity, over
flowing with the sweetest terms of
endearment; with such ring Of
truth and love throughout them that
surely it was no wonder that Guido's
suspicious were all unawakened, and
that he had reason to believe himself
safe in his fools paradise. One pas
sage in this poetical and romantic cor
respondence fixed my attention; it
ran thus
why do you write so much Of mar
riage to me, Guido milo? 1t seems to
my mind that ell the Joy OF loving will
be taken from us when once the hard
world knows Of our passion. If you
become my husband you will as
suredly cease to be my lover. and that
would break my heart. All, my best
beloved! l desire you to be my lover
always, as you were when Fabio
! lived bring commonplace mat
rimony into the heaven of such a pas
sion as ours?'
studied these words attentively.
OF course understood their drift She
rad tried to feel her way with the
dead man She had wanted to marry
me and yet retain Guido for her lonely
/ hours, as her lover always" Such
pretty. ingenious plan it was! No
thief, no murderer, ever laid more
cunning schemes than she; but the
law looks after thieves and murderers.
For such a woman as this, law says,
! divorce her-.that Is your best
remedy" Divorce her, Let the criminal
go scot-free, Others may do it
! that choose have different ideas
justice
Tying up the packet of letters again,
with their sickening perfume and thei
blood stained cages, ] drew out the
last graciously worded missive | had
received from Nina, OF course I
heard from her every day-she was a
most faithful correspondent, The sam
affectionate expressions characterized
her letters to me as those that had
deluded her dead lover with this diff
ference. that whereas she inveighed
much against the prosiness of mar
riage TO Guido, to me she drew tn
most touching pictures of her desc
late condition; how lonely she had fel
since her dear husbands" death, how
reioiced she was TO think that she wns
soon again TO be a happy wife-the
wife Of one so noble, so true so de-
voted as ! was! She had left the con
vent and was now al home-when
should she have the happiness Of vel
coming me her best beloved Cesare
back to Naples? She certainly deserved
some credit for artistic lying: I could
not understand how she managed 1t
SO well, Almost | admired her skill.
MS one sometimes admires a cool
headed burglar who has more skill