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

L this moment there was q lull
in the proceedings, and the
rogues seemed to retire to
some place at distance from
the stairway and to consult with low
voices upon the matter. While l was
attending to these gentlemen Ippolita
had been busy with some affair in the
further corner Of her apartment. /
now had leisure to observe her, and l
noticed that she had procured from
somewhere in the room small bra
zier's furnace of much the same size
and shape as that which modern tin
smith is wont to carry with him through
the streets. She had lighted fire of
charcoal in it, and it seemed to me
likely that the poor child was endeav-
oring to prepare something in the way
of repast, having been now almost a
day without food. She presented q
charming spectacle as she bent over
the furnace, her sweet face aglow
with the fame Of it, and l thought
what a dainty housewife she would
make and looked forward to the time
when this goddess would preside over
my own menage.
"And score of years after" said
she, 1T came to pass
"What dost thou say?" exclaimed,
with q fear upon me that the gentle
creature had gone insane with the e1-
tent of her misfortunes.
81 do hut proceed, fair sir, with the
tale which I did commence erstwhile."
"Ahv' said I, wondering much at the
nerve which enabled her so uncon-
cernedly to continue her narrative at
the very moment when we were threat
ened with q sudden and violent death.
"And 1t came to pass that after
score of years, when thy grandfather
Sigismondo led the unsuccessful revolt
against the Albizzi, his followers, hav-
ing been dispersed, did besiege him IN
his own house, the castle Of the Pazzi,
where we now are, and they did force
the entrances thereto, and Sigismondo,
fleeing before them, took refuge in the
cellar, and when all the men at arms
took torches and followed him down
into these underground vaults. 10. he
had vanished utterly away from them"
She had got thus far in her narrative
when suddenly the braves made
swift and stealthy rush up the stair
way, that they might take me un-
awares. Fortunately, however, / heard
them in season, and, springing to my
post at the half open door, l was just
In time to receive them.
The first fellow stumbled upon and
fell across the dead body Of the lieu
tenant, and I had no difficulty in dis
patching him. running my sword twice
Into his carcass with the same ease
with which would have thrust but
ter trier into a firkin. The next rascal
gave me infinitely more trouble, as he
succeeded in getting upon the landing
and forcing the door wide open, so that
he confronted me fairly and squarely.
Before l expected it he gave vicious
lunge with his sword and scratched my
left shoulder quite seriously. 1mmedi-
ately afterward, however, l gave him
q neat stab through the windpipe, and
he, dropping his weapon and clapping
his hand upon the blood squirting ori-
fee, 1 took the occasion to search with
the point of my rapier, delicately and
skillfully, for his vermiform appendix.
with the result, as is usual IN such
operations, that he at once succumbed.
The rest Of the rascals now took
fright at the speedy fate Of their COM
rades and beat hasty retreat to the
regions below.
"And when thy father, the noble Ar
nolfo de- Pazzi," said Ippolita, who was
still busy with the fire which she had
started in the small charcoal furnace,
"shall come at last to cross the river
Styx"-
"Ippolita," exclaimed, with some ir-
ritation In my voice, for was heartily
sick by this time, "if thou hast not yet
finished with thy tale prithee put the
completion of it of until some more
auspicious moment"
"Nay, Timoteo, l had in sooth con-
cluded the narrative, and l shall now
eftsoons proceed to the application of
it"
"Pestilenza, we will dispense with
the application of it." said l.
The rogues were now gathered again
in a group at the bottom of the stairs,
and presently two Of the stoutest and
most expert swordsmen Of the lot, by
evident agreement, left their comrades
and came upward to attack me. When
they had reached the top, one of them