The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-06-16

during those ten years, while Carlo
GiaM NINA lay hid on Mount Padre,
| father. Not that blame Montalti's Sis
duty"
hitting Nh his hands iii expostulation, do you
Serahno laughed.
YES, even l. Say that my blood
claims me in the end; am no French
man. hate thenA like any other Corsi-
can, for all MY fine schooling at AjaCcio
Look, father, at the gendarme there,
lounging on the bench before the inn!
could dash my fists in his face with the
greatest good will. Angelo turned gem
darme. That's why he deserved a dogs
sides, he was eur" and Serafino told
the rest Of his story. The old priest
| listened with frowning face until Sera-
| hnO stopped.
And YOU have hidden this for ten
years?' he said severely.
make it known now" said Seratino,
| and at that the old mans severity soft
'"rruc, my son." he said, 1T must be
made known now" and, with a sigh, he
| fetched sheet Of paper and his ink pot,
| and set them before Seratino.
WRITE he said.
Serahno took the pen and wrote, and
| this is what he wrote:
On the eighteenth day Of March, ten
years ago, the night being wild and
| stormy, Carlo Giammarchi came down
from Mount Padro to 1sola Rosa and
| supled with ME, as he had often done be-
| fore. He left my house IN hour before
dawn. The next afternoon boy stopped
ME at my door, and, asking whether
was Joseph Serafno, thrust a letter into
my hand, and ran off. The letter, writ
me that Giammarchi had been shot at
daSbreak, four miles from the town. He
| now lay Mt deaths door, and in sore need
| of a priest. I was entreated, therefore,
to bring priest with me and come to
certain spot among the vineyards after
SHUTDOWN: This ! did. and bringing Fa-
Their Andrea with me. was met by the
| little hut in thicket of shrubby oak
trees, where we found Carlo stretched
| upon a mattress of boughs, and as it
seemed at his last breath. Father An
drea, however, refused him dissolution
until he should swear that if, by any
would never again lift hand or weapon
against a fellow-man. For a while Carlo
lit was Angelo Montalti who shot
me, he said. ''He knew l was with Sc
ratino, and lay in wait. II l get we'll,
and and let him 60, the very children will sing
becco?' asked the priest, and he pleaded
oath. "But God send / de-" he added,
and turned his face to the wall.
Yet Carlo did not die; and as soon as
he could be noyed his friends carried
him to a little village remote among the
Angelo Montalti, believing that now he
had killed Giammarchi, crossed to
France, and, thinking to make fortune,
most deservedly lost what he had. A
year later he came back penniless to Isola
Rossa, and, hearing that Carlo was still
alive: enlisted as gendarme, being thus
privileged to kill Carlo and suffer no dis
ability himself.
However, he had to find Giammarchi
first, and there was but one man in Isola
ROssa who could show him the way, and
that man was the. least disposed of all to
help him. for Carlo Giammarchi was my
friend. However. l did show Angelo
the way, for it was my habit to visit
Giammarchi in the village where he lay.
still weak from his wound, and Angelo
set spies to follow me. On my last Visit
l found to my surprise that the village
was deserted, except for a few women
and children.
There is fiesta in the next hamlet, j."
Carlo explained. But it is unlikely the
gendarmes will on this one day come
here to search for me''
But even while he spoke child came
running mp the hillside, crying that the
gendarmeS were coming. / snatched up
my rifle, Carlo picked up his, but with =
certain hesitation, as though his oath
weighed upon him.
u must needs live in the forest" he
said, and we hurried out of the cottage
and up the slope behind the village. We
had only climbed two hundred yards
when Carlos breath failed him.
Il can 60. no further" he said, and
dr9pped to the ground. sprang onto a
hiliock and looked downward. Half .
| mile below / could see the shoulder belts
and rifles flashing among the jumpers
hke 50 MANY mirrors, and then heard a
snout. IL seemed to come from much
nearer, from the very borders of the
village. l looked that way and saw q
gendarme standing in front of cottage
L remembered his shadow on the white
plaster Of the wall. He held his rife to
his cheek, and the next moment | saw
the, smoke and heard the singing of a
o o@llf fbs S Eard above my head. jumped
dragging, half-pushing him, got him III
to narrow patch of albatro which
stretched across the slope. The strip OF
shrubbery was dense, and leaving Carlo
on the edge of it pushed inward to dis.
cover the safest hiding place. But / had
not moved more than ten PAGES before
heard a startled exclamation behind me
l turned around. Carlo was holding the
tWigs apart and peering down the slope
All fatigue had faded from his face; bis
very beard seemed alert. ran hack
and looked over his shoulder. One gen.
darme was running up the slope, his BODY
doubled forward. 1t was Angelo Mon.
talti
He made mark to tempt a saint. and
Carlo loaded his ride. Twice he raised
it to his shoulder, twice he lowered it.
Then he sprang through the thicket and
out upon the opposite side. From The
border of the shrubbery an open incline
rose TO- the great forest. If Carlo could
cross the open space he would be safe
l . aMdyanced Immediately to Montalti.
mot here. 1t was me you shot at
MOT here!" said he, with a sheer
well, st. Mega is the saint for an ad
vocate to Worship" and he ran past me
t;v was Iust putting out my hand to catch
which, swung at his side. 1 drew my
thicket, and followed him: Carlo was
half way up the slope, but he moved al
a stumble, with one hand to the wound
in his chest.
''Not here" Montalti flung the words
at me. "Signor Advocate, you and
will talk about that lie afterward.
"He had Your life in his hands, and
"The more fool he," said Montalti. He
tossed the cartridge he had fired at me
out of his rifle and felt for another. The
lid of his cartridge box was open, the
box was empty.
"You must have spilled them all while
you ram" said l.
Give me yours" said he, turning, with
an oath.
stood little way off and laughed a,
him.
"Angelo, 1 have none. Do I not -wor
ship St. NegaY'
He swore at me again, and then raced
up the hillside. Carlo, though near tc
the forest, was yet nearer to the limits
of his strength. l shouted to him. HI
turned saw Angelo pursuing him
6rOnno1 hohin6 hou1dor ond oovoro.1