Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-09-28
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Bit of Pleasantly.
IOriginal.1

wlen there NW0T0 Two n1cthOdS
mon for getting rid of an enemy. one
to stab him in the back, the other to
poison him.
Anton Cardi was infatuated with Wit
toria Careno, but she beingia married
woman he had concluded totwed Lucia
Sanchez. whom he did not love, but
who possessed a fortune. No sooner
had the weddings taken place than ST.
gnor Careno fell ill and died, leaving
VittOria a widow. Then Cardi' was be-
side himself with anguish that he had
not waited His wife had some linking
of the causekOf a distress he could mot
conceal, andSsince she loved him she,
too. was miserable. One day she met
Vittoria and turned her back upon her.
"Why do you%treat me in this wayTh
asked Vittoria.
Because Won hold my husband in
thrall"
HE holds himself;in thrall," replied
SignOra Careno. 'Itcare no more for
him than that" and she snapped her
fingers.
Lucia waS,encouraged at this, think
ing that if Anton's love was not re-
turned it would at last wear itself
out She told her husband what Wit
toria had said. but ii. had no effect up
on him, he believing that it was a nat
ural denial for Victoria to make to his
own wife. Indeed, when Vittoria. to
prove what she had said, made friend
of Lucia, AntOniwas infatuated enough
to suppose that LVittoria was deceiving
his wife with view to gaining Oppor-
tunities 10 be near him. Surprising
that the woman he loved would marry
him if he were free to marry, he re-
solved to get rid of his wife by poison.
Lucia was used to taking every morn
ing at IL o'clock a light breakfast or
luncheon, as we would call it in Ameri-
ca, consisting of a few fancy biscuits
and a glass of wine. A servant usually
set ii out on q table some time during
the morning for her mistress to take at
the usual hour. One morning Anton
passed through the room where the
luncheon stood ready. 1t was 10 o'clock,
and his wife would not partake of it
for an hour. Nevertheless he resolved
to avail himself of the opportunity to
drop poison in the wine. He would re-
main near and see that no one except
she for whom it was intended drank it.
While he was waiting, a summons
came to him from the grand duke, with
whom he stood in high favor. to come
at once to the palace. There was moth
| ing to do but to obey. Should he leave
| the glass of poisoned wine or empty it
| where it would do no harm? There was
no one in the house for his wife had
gone out. She would return before II,
drink the wine, and the culprit being
away at the time, would not be sus-
pected of foul play. He resolved to
leave it where 1t stood.
I lie had scarcely left the house when
he met VittOria.
Good morning, Signor Carpi," she
said. Il am going to call upon your
wife. Is she at homer
NO" replied Anton; "she is out. You
had better choose another time"
Il will go in and wait for her. She
has told me that she is never out long
| in the morning" And she proceeded
on her way.
Il must go back" said Anton to the
dukes messenger, a young noble of
| powerful frame and of a merry, devil
may care disposition.
| What. To keep company with a
| lady when your sovereign commands
| your presence? p
ut is very important that return to
my house at once"
| And l say 1t is important that you
obey the dukes summons"
Anton started to go back. but the
messenger caught him about the waist,
| and as he was of light weight carried
him on, laughing at his struggles. con-
sidering it a fine thing to be keeping
him from a meeting with a lady. The
| fear that FittOria might drink the poi
soned wine gave Anton strength TO re-
sist, but with all this to stimulate him
he was unable to break away from his
tormentor, who carried him into the
presence of the duke, whom he told
with great merriment how he had kept
him from an appointment.
''Ha, ha, Signor Carpiv' laughed the
duke. 1--WE must make an example of
a married man who desires to tete-a-
tete with a lady in his own house dur
| ing his wife's absence. Lock the doors.
Come, l have sent for you to play n
game of cards. What shall be the
| stake?'
For an hour the duke kept Anton at
the game. Anton was so preoccupied
ludI lt Knew one cara from
another. Finally he showed his suf-
fering so plainly that the duke gave up
an amusement that was becoming
painful and let his prisoner go. though
he jokingly warned him In future to
be less open in his appointments.
At ~ o'clock Anton rushed into his
house wondering whether he would
find Vlttoria or his wife dead He
found them both lamenting over the
body of his favorite hound. The mo-
ment he saw that Vittoria was safe he
sank sanseless into chair.
Lucia had come in and found Wit
toria waiting for her. Presently Lucia
went into the room where luncheon
had been set out to find the dog dying
and the wineglass empty. She called
| her friend and they both snsnected the