The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-19


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 I'M
awares. Fortunately, however, heard
them in season, and, springing to my
post at the half open door, 1 was just
in time to receive them.
The first fellow stumbled upon and
fell across the dead body of the lieu
tenant, and l had no difficulty in dis
patching him, running my sword twice
into his carcass with the same ease
with which 1 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 1 expected it he gave vicious
lunge with his sword and scratched my
left shoulder quite seriously. Immedi-
ately afterward, however, 1 gave him
neat stab through the windpipe, and
he, dropping his weapon and clapping
his hand upon the blood squirting orr
fee, 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 IT.
ritation in my voice, for was heartily
sick by this time, eff thou hast not yet
| finished with thy tale prithee put the
| completion of it off until some more
suspicious moment"
NAY, Timoteo, l had in sooth con-
| cluded the narrative, and shall now
eftsoons proceed to the application of
| it,"
"Pestilenza, we will dispense with
! the application of it," said /.
| 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
stopped down, that he might cut me,
and the other prepared to thrust at
me over the head of his companion.
| My opponents knew next to nothing
about the noble art of fence, and it is
even a question with me whether they
| could distinguish quartz from fierce or
knew the difference between one, two,
and cut and disengage. They were,
however, very muscular and ugly Gus
toners, and can assure you that
had my hands full even from the very
| first. When 1 say hands, l speak I'M
derstandingly, for with my left had
| caught up the topmost of my three
previous victims by the scruff of the
neck, and I now managed to hold the
defunct so that he partly shielded my
body from the furious attacks of his
living fellows. l had a suspicion as
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 filed
him with as many holes as sieve he
| ceased his contortions and gave me no
more trouble. now concluded that it
was time to do something. I therefore
made the eight parades, one after the
other, followed them up with straight
thrust and a Encouragement both over
and under the arm and ended with a
flanconnade. They were now evident
ly f1ustered with my mode of attack,
SO l made the celebrated feint Of dou-
bling on both sides and ffnished the
business by giving the lower rascal a
time thrust over the arm and the other
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
l thought of these fattering results I
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 were
probably the best fighting men among
them, clustered around the bottom of
the stairway and showed their impotent
rage by the most horrible medieval
imprecations and by ribald talk and
gestures which it 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 at me and directed their
gaze at the ceiling Immediately above
their heads. Then there seemed to fall