The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-13

He is still at home"

He is still at home.''
II desire to see him Immediately"
The porter rang the bell. Blanca hur-
risd UP the stairs. She asked the Counts
secretary, who came to meet her, wheth-
er she could see the Count.
"A divine and a Polish general are with
him"
mo matter. / have no secrets to hide
from them"
The statesman received Blanca with
serene countenance. but when he saw her
troubled face he was frightened. She
rushed up to him, and, laying her hands
upon his hand, said in a voice of anguish:
Count, do not go to the parliament
house today! Do not go to the parliament
house! Do not go to the parliament
J house,
ment.
"a calamity will befall you. Bad peo-
| pie are awaiting you. They will kill
you,"
The divine and the Polish general were
still present. After these words were
spoken. the divine went to the statesman
and seized his hand
What did we tell your ,.n
But the general, pointing at Blanca.
said: y
That is the third" e.i.o
Blanca again clasped NJ. RossFs hand
| with both hands, and said in an imploring
voice:
Il will tell you with the great terror
which fills my soul, IL you leave your
house today calamity will befall you. 1
have dire forebodings."
and I predict it from the coincidence
| of circumstances" said the divine.
But l know it for certainty" said
| the general.
1
pone your speech. Make it another time,
without previously announcing II, and
when nobody expects you"
| Let your good friends accompany you
to the parliament house. Let your broth
er ministers surround you. Do not go
alone" advised the divine.
Let the carabinieri form lines as far
as the entrance to the parliament house
and drive back suspicious people," said
the soldier.
But the statesman laughed at them all.
Just then it occurred to him that there
was something which required correction
| in the speech which ne was going to
| deliver. He took the manuscript and
wrote the corrected sentence in the mar
| gin.
That will convince them"
Then he shook hands with his three
guests and admonished them to make
haste, so that they could be present at
| the commencement of his speech. The
last words which he said to them were:
Il will not insult the people ny arming
myself. nor will l insult liberty by deem
ing my life in danger under her sway"
Blanca will never forget that smiling
face When she left M. Rossi's house
| she saw his carriage at the door. But she
was not in a state of mind to return to
parliament She drove home. Having ar
| rived there, she leaned, in feverfsh excite
ment, out of the bay-window which open
ed upon the square, where the continual
splashing of the fountain resounded; and
there she listened to the din Of the city:
In Rome there is always enough noise.
Even he who sells matches or amse-seed
makes as much ado about 1t
as in another country would be made by
the general assembly OF a llquldatng
stock company. But stronger sounds.
such as indicate a popular movement.
| were not audible at that hour. No sound
of drum. no firing of guns was heard
| At last Blanca consoled herself with
the thought that her apprehensions had
/ been only an idle fancy, and she even re-
| GREETED that she had not gone to the bril-
| liant parliament scene.
The striking of the clock reminded her
that the hour of breakfast had come.
She partook of this also in her accus-
| toned loneliness.
| Then, under the pretetx of resting a
| little, she locked herself in her bedroom.
| The merry warbling of Sappho disturb I'd
| her several times in her mental question
| ings. She meditated about what she
ought to do.
| 1t was afternoon. The valet knocked at
her door. Blanca FASTENED to open it..
She was annoyed at the disturbance.
The valet brought her the evening jour
nails.
"Highness! wonderful news!" said he
with a beaming countenance.
livery good" said Blanca, taking the
papers from him. after which she barred
the door.
She threw the newspapers on the read
| ing table
What did she care now for all the jour
nails in the world? For that matter. let
them proclaim the Republic. and elect
| Ciceruacchio Masonic Pope.
She slowly turned over the papers.
The warblng of the Sappho smote her
ears again. Why had it suddenly become
so disagreeable?
After reading the first lines of every
newspaper, she could have torn the gilded
Sappho from it's place
"Rossi was murdered today in the par
| lament housew