The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1905-08-31
R,,t Mia did

But Nita did.
Uttering a cry, she clutched my
arm
you are lost" she cried, sand so
am 1! You did not tell me you killed
hint"
"Eh?" I replied, still half dazed
by the blow l had received.
"They say Maligni is dead from the
stab you gave him!"
"Maligni dead!" L yelled. 81 saw
Maligni alive not ten minutes ago! l
didn't kill anybody"
"Maligra % dead" she said. Snow,
what will become Of us? Oh, Maubi.
keck, come back from'the sea! Come
back, Maubikeck. from your grave
beneath the waters and carry me
away! Maubikeck! Maubikeck!"
Even as she was crying thus nys.
terically, the girl was seized by two
men, and started back to the house,
And had l been a perfect Hercules
could not have handled the men
who grabbed my arms, neck and ever
my legs and pushed me toward the
villa.
My fair fellow-prisoner and 1 were
conducted into a large room-a
library-in which sat a stern, cold.
faced man, whose black eyes burned
with rage and whose mouth set in
iroElike firmness when we were
brought before him.
The p%refetto!" murmured Nita,
looking at ms.
was in the presence of the gov.
ernor of the Province of Cagliari,
whose house l had invaded.
"Ah!" he exclaimed, sit is you who
have entered the house of the gov.
ernor of Cagliari and murdered his
brother in cold blood! You! You
cur! You mean dog! And an Amer.
lean, are you not?"
II am not a murderer" I replied.
Il did not kill your brother. l did not
injure him. When l left the balcony
of your villa with this young lady,
your brother was alive and we'll"
"You are a liar as well as a muir.
derer," said the prefetto. II will show
you! l will give you a taste of Sar.
dinian justice!"
1T is a lie!" 1 exclaimed, vehement.
ly. "a foul lie! If your brother Is
murdered, it was not by my hand! 1
am an American citizen, and I de.
mand a fair and just trial."
. A no11 cronr oor,n ',no,, ls~ fo1@
and he spoke to some of his men in
their own dialect.
Then l was rudely jostled and led
along a hall and up a broad flight OF
stairs. Turning to the right from
these, l was taken into the very room
from which l had taken the locket,
the pin and the manuscript.
On the floor, near the entrance, lay
Pacho Maligni, dead, a gaping wound
in his throat, and his body convulsed
as if in the last struggle. l glanced
hastily around. The contents of the
room were undisturbed, with one
important exception-the red box,
which l had left on the table, was
gone.
81 did not kill him." I said, point,
ing to the dead Snowman. 81 know
nothing about his death. My object
in coming here was to carry Nita
Barlotti away-to get her out Of his
clutches-for she loves a friend oil
mine, in whose service I was acting
I looked in at your brothers window
and saw him sitting at the table. He
got up from his chair and went gu
that door. Then l fled with the girl
You know as much as I do about
what took place here after l left"
He repeated my words TO the
guards. They laughed in a bitter
sneering way.
I mad not mentioned the fact that
had entered Pacho Maligni's room and
taken the paper and golden trinkets
for in that moment of great anxiety
my thoughts came swiftly, and
OWNED that the elder Maligni had nc
knowledge of the existence of the red
box or it's contents.
did not see Nita Barlotti again
that night. She was doubtless con
fined somewhere in the villa. l was
conducted to a strongly guarded
chamber, where. with armed Sar
dinians around me, l spent a memoir
able and uncomfortable night.
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