Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-03-13
MQubikeCk, I1e u0l-1Q1leT.
sv SEWARD W. HOPKINS.
Author OF Jack Robbins Of Ameries." In thu
China Sea-" Two dentiemen sf
Hawaii" "On q False
Charge" Etc.
e.,,risa,. 1895, by RoH,ar Doss.a'. so..
CHAPTER x.

uewcd life and | felt much stronger.
and had been watching Mutterelli
with feeling OF amusement as he
puttcred around. doing this and that
for his own comfort ard mine.
Ask II. slgnor." he replied. There
is no law In the grotto to compel me
to answer IL II | don't want to"
NO" | sald. But there Is no rca.
son why you should not tell me this.
II you krow. Have you any Idea who
really killed Pacho Maligni?"
Everything dropped from Mutter'
ellis hands. and he stared mt me,
seemingly overcome with surprise.
who killed-who-wh killed Ma
iisni? What is that. signor? oh. yes.
forgot. No. signor. do not know
who killed MalignI. You did not Kill
h;m?"
NO" replied. Il swear II. did
rot even see him struck. | was out
side of the villa making my way TO
the gate with Nlta Barlotti. when !
heard him cry out and heard the
alarm given. saw him when | was
on the balcony. but he got UP from his
chair and left the room. The next
time | saw him. he was lying dead.
am rs much In the dark about II as
any one
MuttercllI whlstled.
This is news to me. slgnor. !
thought. OF course. you killed Mnlisni.
hut II you did not. then wio the deuce
dId:'
Il don't know. That is wha; want
10 know"
You shall know. slsnor." said Nut
tcrclii. ard his Jaw snapped. Nearly
a month has been wasted. In which.
perhaps. could have run the mur.
dcrcr down and set you free. But !
viii do II yet. Hiknor. do not fear.
I will know who the murderer of Ma
ligni iS In lcss than sixteen days
more
Find him. I said. ''and the twenty.
Ave thousand lire that promised
you shall be- doubled"
"Ah. Thank you. SIguor. siuttcr
ell IL faithful. but he is poor. There.
fore he iS grateful. must nee
brother Michael Today. II can hnd
him.
Tue last sentence seemed 10 be m
aitsr,housht. sly own opinion vas
tia, II the willy Mu,tcrciil wanted to
see Brother Michael he would NO;
need to so far-a mirror would show
him the JcNuit'S face.
That Afternoon Mut,cTcili vent
sWay and did not return until long
into the night. When he did come In.
ho brcaihcd heavily. and seemed like
a man who had been drinking much
vine.
lay there In silence watching him.
~ In the dim light Of tAc candle he
moved about preparing to go to bed.
In far corner OF the Eru;to. upon
somc boards laid icnE,hWisc. nouc
furN like those on which I lay had
been placed. Upon this rude couch
Mu;tcrclii stretched himself. and vas
soon snoring away a. II he was rcpos.
irE on the sotISst bed in his probably
comfortable home in Genoa. And as
thought OF IL I laughed softly to my.
self. IL was probably a strange place
for Muitcrciii TO be- sleeping. Yet
more than that. the thought came To
me that IL vas a strange couch for q
monk. And laughing again at Mut.
tcrclii'a clumsy attempts to deceive
me. I fell asleep.
The days passed slowly after this.
yet ! mcndcd rapidly. and my return.
irE strength brought renewed ambi.
uaB ard stronger determination to
carry to a suCCcssiul issue the pur.
poses that had brought inc to Sar.
diula. Hut | could get nothing out
Of Muitcrclll. piled him with aucs.
ilons about the monk and about the
all got. day after day. were rciicr.
stcd cautions about leaving the Erot.
TO and vague and misty sentences
about great plans being laid for my
benefit by MuttcrclIi aud brother
Michael"
Eita Barloi,i was still at the roun.
try residence ur the prcfct,o. and Mut.
tcrciii Informed me that IL was ri.
morcd that she would soon become
the bride OF Count III Portlino. I
could not see how or wherein the
count was any Improvement over
raclo MaliFui. hut MuttcrelIi par.
Tally rCassurcd mo by saying tina,
the count would not be allowed to we'd
her. for when he and Brother Michael
had got my affairs Strengthened out.
thcy would attend to the case of the
Count di Pordino and hli proposed
marriage.
All this was pacifyirg md almost
satisfying In the carly days of my
conyalcsccnCc. but there came n day
when was no longer weak. and when
the blood. full Of life. rushing through
my body, gave me vigor and desire
To go outside again into the world
and sec for myself what was going on.
and do FOR myself what had become
convinced TO ore else would be able
10 do for me.
II was on one Of these days. when
Nuttcrclli was away. that the spirit
of unrest seized me. and grew i'm.
patient and nervous at my enforced
itlcncss
iiuttcrcilI. with his usual regard for
my comfort had procured in some
way a supply OF good cigars. and
sat en- my bed with my back against
the perpendicular wall OF marble.
smoking one OF these.
Slipping from my conch. I mean.
dercd uroasily around the Erotto.
r.rtffui,Iirg fpwarfIIy at flp tfuutrae.