The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-03-03
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children of the rich and had returned then
t tIs less an5 Than 5000 lires Why not ktdnal
was no need Of sharing the money in sucI
an easy task; so I went alone to the garde1
OF the villa then next afternoon. The Che
vaner sent the little one into the =arder
! came to them quickly. and would have
taken the baby. but Raffaella-foolish one
screamed.
II had made love to Raffaella in the fiesta
often. but she screamed. So I struck her
A woman should not scream. The child did
TOLD COUNT OF DEATH,
AND GOT II REWARD.
7 wrapped her in my mantle and took
her into the mountains. 1 did not know
What should do with the little one. saw
the mountains was my wife. She Kissed
the child. who laughed. Yes, the saints had
taken our three babies: so we kept Aimida
Tor our own. She laughed, and we loved
her. and she became our daughter.
Then went to the Chevalisr and told
him the small one was dead. He paid me
for me then: but It was better for him.
BY the will 100000 lires came to him and
the chocolate company since the child had
for 1 thought It was all his anyway. After
this the Chevalier married a lady of Naples.
He had a son; a lad. And we had Almida
I'm two years times became bad. Then I
went to Naples and demanded more money
or the chevalfer. l was a man in those days.
He cursed me, because he thought the child
was dead. Had l not feared to lose the
child. whom we loved as our own, 1 should
have told him the child still lived, to plague
him. But 1 went back to the village of Ave
lene.. near the Fiori villa. and waited four
months till fever rose in Naples;
his son to tn the Villa iii e at Masino de del Mare. ago So
my men and I stole the lad while he was
riding a donkey. up to the vineyards on the
hill. and we took him with us to the noun
tains. He played with his cousin, Almida,
then. but he knew nothing.
1.-TWO thousand five hundred Tires we got
In ransom for the boy. having sent. the
chevalier a messenger. who would have
brought the lads ears had he gone the sec
ond time. which the thevalier knew.
THIEVES FALL OUT
AND THE REST OF THE STORY.
But the chevalier was in a great rage.
and soldiers were sent by the King at
Rome. After that there was no more living
mida and myself-fed to Naples. Where we
Amer lsssal for ! ! had alf fires sn enough sg ea and to to
sp %since en then was I have h@ enf iiy year IN nSSt this town,
working much. More money has come to me
than in Italy. but was a man there. AL
has never known Of the chevalier. Of her
mother. Comtessa Pierina, of the villa at
Marine del Mare, for she was a very little
''She has been well loved. Almida Ven
turel, our daughter. But there has lately
come to me a countryman. who has told
me how the chevalier profited with the for
tune that is the girls. Now that I am dying,
she must know that she is the Contessina
del Fiori. She must have her rank and her
So 1 set my name to this"
Thinking only Of this confession as a new
proof of Ventures love for her. the girl
bent her every effort to save the life of the
man who had stolen her in her %babyhosd.
With his mind freed by his confession. Ven
turel got better. instead Of. dying. With new
strength. Venturel determined to right the
wrong he had done. He had saved several
dollars and he decided to go back
tc Naples and fight the chevalier in fhe
italian courts. The aff1davits were more
drawn and were sent to attorneys
in Naples.
There the Italian lawyers found a strong |
ally in Francesca Fiori. the younger broth
err of Almida's father, Count Fiori. Fran
cesco Fiori at once championed the cause
of his niece. The chevalier c~ontemptuously |
denied the identity of the girl claimant. de-
claring that he had positive proof Of her !
death man, years ago. The Italian lawyers
then cabled FOR Venturel to bring the girl to |
and Instituted a SUIT In her behalf. |
the fortune now in litigation amounting to
81 0OO. 900, |