The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-01-03

aTSS2.2Ssg
But as they were in the act Of carry
ing the woman out she turned her head
toward me, and, like one that speaks
out of a deep sleep, she said, You will
not hang my Leo?'
$50 rest in peace, . said /. 81 prom
Use to speak to the king himself for you
and your Leo. More cannot promise. y
That night I slept vilely, and SO,
some time after midnight, rose and cast
my cloak about me. Then opened the
door. Across it, SO close that we'll nigh
had stepped upon him, slept Stephano
on a bundle of mats.
ssExcellency, he cried, leaping up
instantly and rubbing his eyes, s'whith-
er are you going at this time Of the
night:''
81 cannot Sleep" said. 81 go to
drink the night air.
sTo drink the poison of these accurs-
ed eastern swamps more like he
growled. sAbide, and sleep will come
in time.
But stepped out and away across to
| the prison. Presently was laundering
at the door, and after an interval the
jailer appeared, swearing most volubly
and calling me all the sons Of pigs and
asses that ever blighted the wholesome
earth for disturbing him out Of his first
sound sleep.
But when he saw me stand on the
doorstep his curses sank to abjectest
ogieaS He opened the great creaking
4 wide, aslfor an 4army, and ~
II II pped Within; 10. there aanos
H bahind xne, armed ~ the teeth N
did not bid you come. said /.
Grossly enough
"Neither did you bid me stay, my
general. = answered the rascal. grin
ming.
Without answering him told him to
lead me to the large room / had ordered
the Perrone family to be kept safe for
the night.
AS we entered the woman held mp
her finger. She did not move, but her.
dark eyes looked unutterable things 4
Her husband rested on, the single straw
paliasse, his head reclining on her Shout.
der, his tangled hair failing over his
brow. The little Margherita lay, breath
ing softly, on fold of her ikotLerss5
dress. The mans feet were wrapped IN
his wife's petticoat, which she had
taken off on purpose. Very gentl chez
stroked the damp hair back from his
brow, grooming over him the while Ike
a mother with fretful child that may
wake any moment.
Again. and more pitifully, she made
tho ciu,, For. 1ouoo 1oOlrinrp ~
~ up at us with wet eyes.
And could see that the breast ofs
her prison dress was drenci with her
tears. dFxSfS
So we went out and shut the door
upon the woman and her man. III
The end? Why that is the end. But
what came Of Leo and Maria, you sayes
Why, what should come of them? Il Yon
remember the Tremiti islands which
you see from the Venice liner before
you raise Monte Gargano going south
There is lighthouse there. Well, asSI
passed the last time saw Leo Perronegy
out in his boat ready to catch the pa
pers and dispatches which were thrown
to him from the great steamer The
king made him keeper Of that light.
house when told him the story, and he,
has been there ever since, and with my
glass could see Maria, his wife, stand
ing up aloft sometimes polishing the
brasses and anon setting her hand to-
her brow to look over the sea for her
man, as his oars flashed and his boats
, PROV pointed home.
The little Margherita? Oh, as to her,
I have heard that she had married the
, lighthouse keeper on the cape which
, looks out toward the Tremiti, and that
, she and her children spend almost as
much time on the islands as on the
shore. 4sgS
!, Now, am sure her mother would
| not have done that, but then some
F! women are such fools about their men.
, THE END A.