Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-10-14

| about the noble art or renee, ana II is
even q question with me whether they
could distinguish quartz from tierce OF
knew the difference between one, two,
and cut and disengage. They were,
however, very muscular and ugly Gus
toners, and I can assure you that l
had my hands full even from the very
first. When say hands, I speak un-
derstandingly, for with my left l had
caught up the topmost of my three
previous victims by the scruff Of the
neck, and now managed to hold the
defunct so that he partly shielded my
body from the furious attacks Of his
living fellows. had suspicion as l
did this that the rogue was not as
dead as he looked, for it seemed to me
that he squirmed in my grasp every
time that he was perforated by my en-
emies. When, however, they had filled
him with as many holes as sieve he
ceased his contortions and gave me no
more trouble. now concluded that 1t
was time to do something. I therefore
made the eight parades, one after the
other, followed them up with straight
thrust and disengagement both over
and under the arm and ended with a
fanconnade. They were now evident
ly fustered with my mode Of attack,
so I made the celebrated feint Of dou-
bling on both sides and finished the
business by giving the lower rascal
time thrust over the arm and the other
a time thrust in the octave, and they
were both dead men.
There were now five men outright
dead upon the stair, in addition to
which had killed one in the cellar
and had manned another to that eX-
tent that he was incapacitated from
all further offensive operations. This
made seven in all and left but six OF
the original thirteen to oppose me. AS
thought of these flattering results l
felt quite proud Of the unaided achieve
ments of my good right arm and at the
same time was not little discouraged
as to the final outcome Of the struggle.
The six remaining banditti, having
just witnessed the defeat and death of
the two last named braves, who We're
probably the best fighting men among
them, clustered around the bottom OF
the stairway and showed their impotsnt
rage by the most horrible medieval
imprecations and by ribald talk and
gestures which 1t would be impossible
for me to write down.
All at once heard sound from the
chamber of Ippolita and Of the lifting
of one of the boards Of the floor, and
at this sound all six of the knaves left
off looking ut me and directed their
gaze at the ceiling Immediately above
their heads. Then there seemed to fall
upon their faces from the rafters above
some kind of a bright liquid. and Mt
once there came from their six villain
Gus throats the most awful, terrible.
ear splitting, heartrending shrieks and
yells which were ever heard this side
Of hades, and they struck wildly into the
air and clasped their hands over their
eyes, and they fell upon the floor and
groveled there and crept this way and
that until one by one they had all dis
appeared from view. And now there
came up to my nostrils n foul stencil as
Of burned flesh or leather, and l sought
out Ippolita, and in u moments space
I found out and understood the whole
thing which had happened.
She had found in this chamber of the
@o,,o, ba hro 1iar'S furpopp already
supplied with charcoal, and upon the
top of it there was small round pot
filed with lead, and the dear, ingen-
ious girl, knowing right well from her
medieval education what the thing
was meant for, had set fire to the char
coal and when the lead was melted
had lifted one Of the loose boards OF
the floor and poured the molten metal
so adroitly upon the faces Of the six
thieves that she had burned the eye
balls out of every mothers son of them.
AS there was now no longer anything
to fear, we decided to descend ut once
to the parlor floor.
Going down the stairs, we passed to
the lower floor and found ourselves in
the banquet hall Of the palace. And
now, happening to cast my eyes upon
The lifesize, full length portrait of a
fierce old knight in half armor, which
had hung low down upon the wall in
front of me ut the opposite side of the
room, became, as It were, fascinated
hot I hu
my eyes from its wrinlled and sinister
features, and I asked Ippolita If she
knew which Of my honored ancestors
the picture represented.
Marry, that l do," she answered,
"as well as thou knowest 1t thyself.
It is the face Of Michelozzo de- PaZZi,
thy great-grandfather's father, COM
monty called Michelozzo the Bad. Well
indeed should l know 1t, for it was
said that he did most foully murder
Messer Ridolfo AlbiZZi, the father of
my great-grandfather Galeazzo. Mes
ser Ridolfo was last seen entering the
castle of the PaZZi to transact some
| business with thy forbear, and 1t was
thought that Michelozzo did away with
him by casting him into an under
ground we'll which existed for such
purposes and which is even to this day
supposed to exist in this CASTILLO mala'
detto Of thy race. All, Timoteo, thou
dost come of most desperately wicked
ancestry, and | marvel much that
find it in my heart to trust my life and
happiness to thee"
"Oh, come, Ippolita," said 1. "They
really weren't such bad lot. after all,
as men 90, and, for the matter Of that,
thou hast not much to brag Of thyself
| in the line of ancestors. Take, for i'll
stance, thy great-grandfather, Galeaz-
20. From all / can learn, he was the
most INSCRIPTIONS old cutthroat that
ever the principality produced"
| l regretted instantly the having said
this, as I saw that the dear girl was
exceedingly provoked by It, so that she
trembled with vexation. while single
tear coursed slowly down her soft, rose
| tinted cheek. At that moment could
have sworn that the portrait of old
Michelozzo winked at me. turned to-
ward Ippolita and saw that she, too,
had noticed 1t, for she had forgotten
her short lived resentment and was gaz-
ing at the vilainous old condottiere
with n look of alarm and wonder. Then
suddenly, without saying anything, she
arose and seized my rapier, which