The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-15

| upon MIN at the very moment when he
was passing the door where we stood.
| Yet 1t was an unlucky act for the ap-
| prentice, and he received the need of
those who NEEDLE with what does not
| concern them, for the monk turned and
| rained upon him a storm of blows so
terrible that he beloved aloud and
would have let go his hold but that, at.
this very moment, a brother artisan
came to his assistance. Seeing that
there were now two men upon one, l
forgot my ordinary prudence and be-
came as much of a meddler as the ap-
prentice. | rushed at the last fellow
and gave him blow straight from the
shoulder and right between the eyes,
so that he tumbled over backward like
a bag of meal. Then | caught the first
man by the collar and sent him sprawl.
ing in the opposite direction. To bun
| die Brother Ambrose and Jacopo into
my house and to shut, lock and bar the
door was the work of q moment Then
| l turned and looked at the two, and
they looked at me. Brother Ambrose
was man of about my age He was
tall and muscular and rather thin, and
l thought that had never before seen
such a fine looking scoundrel. l nat
urally expected to hear him give prompt
utterance to some recognition of the
inestimable service which | had Just
rendered him. Imagine my surprise
and wrath therefore when he sent me
a scowling look from beneath his heavy
black brows and said:
"Now, perdio, wilt thou please to tell
me wherefore thou hast laid hands up
on my personw
Laid hands upon thy person, thou
insignificant and ungrateful caitiffw
Numbered. "For no reason but that /
was an ass Thou knowest full well,
base dog that without my timely inter
ference it would have been all over
with thee. 1 was an idiot to interpose
between thee and justly Infatuated
populace. The rabble are at this mo-
ment beating upon the door and crying
out for thy carcass. 1t is not too late
to rectify mine error. | will at once
undo the fastenings and deliver thee
up to them"
Saying this, | turned and began to
unbar the door, but in the midst of it
Clan Jacopo plucked me by the sleeve.
l looked over my shoulder and was i'm
mensely astonished to perceive that
the monk had somehow discovered the
secret spring of the passageway, that
the stone had revolved out upon it's
hinges and that the rascal bad seized
Jacopo's lamp and was preparing to
| int hn tI1n
tons of my own safety showed me that
not moment was to be lost. grasped
the old servant by the arm and sprang
with him to the opening, and we were
just in time to force our way in after
the villain and to prevent him from
closing the stone and locking it in its
place. How he had ever become ac-
quainted with the existence of the pas
sageway l could not imagine, for Clan
Jacopo informed me that the secret had
been known only to the members Of my
own family. But evidently he was full
ly cogniZant of it and had intended not
only to utilize it for his own escape,
but to bar us out that we might be de-
livered over to the mercies of the mob,
who, by the bye. broke down the door
and rushed into the house at the very
moment when Jacopo locked the stone
into it's receptacle.
l now commanded the apostate rogue
to deliver up the lamp to Jacopo which
he did without objecting thereto, and,
my faithful retainer going first and l
bringing up the rear that might keep
an eye upon the monk. we proceeded
along the underground gallery and in
few moments found ourselves in the
old castle or palace of the PazZi. Here
Brother Ambrose, acting for all the
world as if the house belonged to him,
threw himself into large chair, cast
his hat upon the floor, put his feet up
on an oaken table in front of him and
gazed at me with an expression of
knavish effrontery.
"Sirrah knave," said l, 81 cannot de-
eide at this moment whether to let thee
go in peace or to give thee the beating
which thou dost so richly merit and
cast thee out bodily. What hast thou
to say that may influence my de-
cision?"
NAY, good sir" he replied, with great
GOODNESS. Neither of thy propositions
seemeth good to me. 1t rather pleaseth
me to remain here at mine ease for
awhile than to go forth into the city
during these present disorders. If
have said OF done aught to offend thee
: I crave thy pardon and ask that thou
shouldst not lay it up against me, but
rather that thou shouldst impute it tC
the narrowing of nv nerves and the
rutf1ing of my temper by the untoward
incidents of the day. Therefore, my
!. good signor, sit thee down and cause
yonder graybeard driveler of thine tc
bring US a flagon of the strong old rec
: wine for which the Pazzi cellars have
been for these four centuries so ia
NOUS"
The words of Brother Ambrose sof
] tened my wrath considerably. l made
q III oil 60