Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-02-17

| ner all possible fatigue. satisfied
with this explanation, she suffered me
to assist her into the carriage. ]
followed her. and calling to the
driver, A la Villa Guards" we rat
stones of the back streets of the city.
La Villa Guarda!" exclaimed Nina
Where is that?"
1T is an old house" | replied, "sit-
uated near the place I spoke to you
of, where the jewels are
"Oh!"
] And apparently contented, she
nestled back in the carriage, permit
| ting her head to rest lightly on my
shoulder | drew her closer to me, my
heart beating with a fierce, terrible
joy.
Mine-mine at last" | whispered
in her ear. mine forever!"
She turned her face upward and
smiled VIGOROUSLY; her cool fra
grant lips met my burning, eager
ones in a close passionate kiss Yes,
| kissed her now-why should | not
She was a. much mine as any pur-
chased slave, and merited less respect
than sultan's occasional female toy.
And as she chose to caress me, | let
her do so: | allowed her to think
me utterly vanquished by the battery
i Of her charms. Yet whenever
caught an occasional glimpse Of her
face as we drove along in the semi
darkness, | could not help wondering
at the supreme vanity of the woman!
| Her self-satiSfaction was so complete,
and, considering her approaching fate,
so tragically absurd!
She was entirely delighted with her
self, her dress, and her conquest
as she thought-of me. Who could
measure the height of the dazzling vi
sions she INDUCED in; who could
fathom the depths of her utter SELFISH
ness!
Seeing one like her, beautiful
wealthy, and above all--society knows
| | speak the truth-well- dressed, for
by the latter virtue alone is woman
allowed any precedence nowadays
would not all the less fortunate and
| lovely of her sex feel somewhat envi-
Gus? All, yes; they would and they
! do; but believe me, the selfish femi
nine thing, whose only sincere wor-
ship is offered at the shrines of Fashion
and Folly, is to be despised and
one whose life Is to be despsed and
never desired, and whose death makes
no blank even in the circles of her
so-called best friends.
| knew well enough that there was
not soul in Naples who was really
attached to my wife-not one who
would miss her, no, not even SER
vant-though she, in her superb self
conceit, imagined herself to be the
adored beauty of the city. Those who
had indeed loved her she had de-
spised, neglected, and betrayed Mus
ingly | looked down upon her as she
rested back in the carriage. encircled
by my arm, while now and then a
little sigh of absolute delight in her
self broke from her lips-hut we spoke
scarcely at all Hate has almost as
little to say as love
The night was persistently stormy,
though no rain fell-the gale had in
creased in strength, and the white
moon only occasionally glared out
from the masses of white and gray
cloud that rushed like flying armies
across the sky, and her ftful light
| shone dimly, as though she were
spectral torch glimmering through a
forest of shadow. Now and again
! bursts of music or the blare of dis
cordant trumpets, reached our ears
/ from the more distant thoroughfares
where the people We're still celebrat-
! ing the feast of Gioyei Grasso. or
the tinkle of passing mandolines
chimed in with the rolling wheels of
our carriage; but in few moments
we were out of reach of even such
sounds as these.
We passed the outer suburbs of the
| city and were soon on the open
road. The man | had hired drove
fast; he knew nothing of us, he was
probably anxious to get back quickly
TO the crowded squares and illuminat-
ed quarters where the principal mer-
| riment of he evening was going on,
and no doubt thought I showed but
a poor taste in requiring to be driven
| away, even for a short distance, ont
of Naples on such a night of feasting
and folly. He stopped at last, the
castellated turrets of the villa l had
named were family visible among the
trees; he jumped down from his box
and came 10 us.
Shall | drive up to the house?"
he asked, looking as though he would
rather be spared this trouble
mo, answered, indifferently
! you need not The distance is short
/ we will walk
And | stepped out into the road am
! paid him his money.