Connecticut western news., 1908-10-15

Ut nome tnl midnight During the evening. hearing a knock at the door. she opened it, to find a stranger carry ing on his back a heavy sack, under which he staggered and seemed very weary. He begged a lodging for the night, but the girl refused. Then he begged permission to leave his sack till morning, to which she consented. Depositing it on the floor beside the fireplace, he departed.
 Maria sat down beside a table and began doing some needlework. She looked at the sack. wondering what 1t contained While she was looking at it she fancied that not far from its center there seemed to be a very slight rising and falling motion. Ter heart stood still. The motion was doubtless produced by some one breathing
 Maria's first motion was a quick glance at tho wall where her father al- ways kept a gun. Glanciag again at the sacl. she saw something glisten In the lan,plight. It was the point of knife prouuding through the sack. In another moment the blade began to move, making a slit In the sack.
 With one bound Maria reached the gun on the wall took 1t from its sup ports, cooked 1t and fred at random at the sack. There was a spasmodic mo- ton: then all was still again. In an. other moment something rcd stained the sack and trickled through 1t on to the floor. 1t was blood.
 Terror stricken. Maria rushed to the door and out to the road, down which she fled as If on the wind She had not gone far before she ran right into the arms of man. So frightened was she that she did not know him till he eagerly begged her to tell him what had happened. Then, recognizing her father. she lost consciousness.
 But not for long. Reviving, she gave her experience. Bassanio. thinking 1t best 10 secure assistance. gathered number of men who lived along the, road, and. all we'll armed, the party went to the house. Opening the sack. they found the dead body of man with a charge of shot in the breast. One of the men present pronounced him to be Pietro Carricci
 From the bandits neck hung a silver whistle. This indicated that his as- sistants were at hand. Putting out all lights, the company kept quiet for q time. Then Bassanio went out in front of the house, and a shrill, sharp whis- tie rung out on the still night air Presently footsteps were heard. and several men came down the road | Thnu ho6 ccp1 tn than they were seized from behind and disarmed.
 l A messenger was sent to Count Bar 1 tinelli with the news of Carricci's death and the capture of a part of his band. ] One of the bandits on promise of a | pardon agreed to guide a force of gen. darmes to the place where Luigi Bar tinelli was held captive. The expedi- tion was successful. The lair and all In 1t were captured. and the young man was released without ransom. l Count Bartinelli realized the fact | that but for Maria's courageous sact he would either have lost his son or that sons ransom He at once gave her n | quarter of the ransom and pledged himself to give an equal amount for q dowry the day she married. There was reward of S10000 offered by tho government for Carricci dead or alive, and this Maria received also.
 Luigi Bartinelli. who for weeks had been in terror for his life had no soon CT regained his freedom than he de sired to see the girl who had killed his captor and made the destruction of the band possible. He found modest, delicate creature who wondered how she. who had been so terribly fright ened. could have excited the admira- tion of all Italy. From the time Luigi set eyes on his deliverer he began to foreet his former love, and q year later his father. the count. paid the prom lsed dowry to his own daughter-in-law. ABIGAIL TREAT.