Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-01-10
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A Grecian Tragedy

Greece. One day while following
doe he became separated from his COM
panions and lost his way. After con-
siderable wandering he at last came in
sight of the Ionian sea, with its nu-
merous and beautiful islands. The
day was now. however, far spent, and
it wis with much delight that from
the top of n hill he espied the white
walls of Greek cottage before him.
He determined at all risks to seek adj
mission for an asylum for the night.
| He approached the door, which he
found shut. He knocked loudly with
his hunting whip, and quickly the door
was opened by q Greek female, the
loveliest his eyes had ever rested on.
The young huntsman made his misfor-
tunes and his wishes known to her In
as good Albanian as he could muster,
to which she replied in Italian and in
vited him in.
The cause of manhood and misfor-
tune seldom finds a deaf ear among
the ladies, and this beautiful Greek
yielded to its influence and readily Of
fered him an asylum, telling him ut
the same time that he must depart at
daybreak, for If her male friends. who
bore no great love for the English,
caught him there he might repent his
Intrusion.
Costello-for such was the officers
Numerically assented and joyfully
took possession of the small chamber
the beautiful Zoraida showed him for
the night. He even. in the ecstasy of
his admiration for his beautiful host
ess. nearly forgot his poor steed. His
hnyUnNnr "a
ed, and he sailed out to the stable and
made the necessary arrangements for
its comfort himself. The popularity
of his situation not a little surprised
him. Alone, amid the desert noun
tains of Albania, with the most beau
tiful woman his eyes ever rested on,
and conjecture seemed ut n stand to
account for her solitary situation. IT'S
true she had spoken of male relations,
but he had as yet seen no human form
in that solitude except herself There,
was n neatness about the cottage
which scarcely belonged to n Greek
peasant, and her language. although a
Greek in habit and appearance, was
pure Tuscan.
On his return from the stable he
found his beautiful hostess had pre-
pared q suitable collation., which, with
a cup of the good wine of Thessaly,
made him forget his fatigue. She
seemed not unwilling to enter into con-
versation. Costello was n good lin
guist. Having been some time in Flor
ence, he spoke the genuine Tuscan
with sufficient fiuency. He therefore
willingly seized the opportunity offered
of entering into conversation in that
language, to which her soft. melOdious
voice lent an additional harmony.
Her story was short. She belonged
to a party of brigands who occupied
this retreat among the mountains, from
whence they made excursions on the
plains for plumber. on one of which
they were now absent. They had late
ly come from the opposite coast of Ca
labrIa, and her father. who was the
head of the gang. was originally from
Pisa, where she had been brought up.
She was. she said. tired of that kind
Of life, which was now doubly odious
to her, as her father was forcing her to
marry one of his own gang. 1r
She owned she was unhappy, and
the downcast melancholy OF her beau
tiful eyes too well attested the truth
Of her assertion. Costello felt for her.
to which perhaps the extreme beauty
Of her appearance not little tended.
He resolved to rescue her. Yet how to
effect it he did not know. 1t was more
easily thought OF than executed. In
the ardor Of the moment he mentioned
1t to her. He urged her to fly with
him. She hesitated, she resisted. At
last she yielded.
"But not now" said she. 81 must
again see my father. Poor. miserable
old man, He will now have nobody
to watch over him, to pray for him!
Perhaps he may even fall a victim to
his own bloodthirsty companions. Re
turn" she continued. Ito your own
quarters. PREPARE a few servants to
attend you, and in the next dark of the
moon meet me under yonder rock at
midnight, and I shall be prepared to
accompany you to some place where
you may be able to procure safe es-
cort for me back to Pisa" s''e,"'7''
Costello promised all she asked. He \
retired to rest and the next morning
at daybreak started off on his return
to Corfu. bearing with him the image
of the beautiful Zoraida strongly i'm
pressed on his Imagination.
Another week passed on without
their meeting. Still Zoraida was up
permost in his thoughts. The moon
had now arrived at that point in her
orbit at which. even in that delightful
she wells her light for short
time, and Costello. thinly attended and
ignorant of the errand of danger he
was entering on. prepared to put in ex-
ecution his intention of rescuing the
beautiful Zoraida and making her his
own.
He found no difficulty IN retracing
his route and. leaving his servants and
horses at the foot of the mountain, |
joyfully assembled the rock, armed only
with his sword and case of pistols.
An overhanging mountain sheltered
all from the back, while before them |