Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-09-09
4 Heroine.

tOrigiHal


 pietro's success lay in strategy rather than fighting. He would get up in geniouS devices to induce people to walk right into trap and then hold them for ransom. The country round about his lair suffered from many of his tricks, but the bandit never used the same ruse twice. so that each new one worked as well as the preceding
 Young Luigi, oldest son and heir Of Count Bartinelli, was known to be q suitor for the hand of Bcatricia Car rono, whose father had other plans for her. One day Luigi while walking on costed by a man, who asked him If he were not Luigi Bartineli, and when he said yes the man told him that man a short distance up the road was looking for him with letter from lady, marked "Immcdiate.' Luigi. be- Iieving the note to be from Beatricia, started in the direction indicated, over look a man whom he supposed to be the messenger but was directed to go farther In this way the young man was passed from one person to an other till he came to q lonely place. whcro he found one who admitted Ee was tAe messenger He said mock in"iy hat t'le letter WEE; frola Scnoiita Caercl,. s s.o 'aet1ir.@d him to pay 10 Ga:ri :. ( . j)oit5.tt, :to.GGa fer T l;!ii. son Luigi wai tah hnn to hc robbers lair "haAee h" tlisp".eael . latter to his father stating IL" t.;sse l W;gl i'H possible for t.e coaid to raiS" so much money Immediately, and the ease dra %,td.
 One evening Maett ..aSs;lnio, dauSh ter of q farmer dN"!iia. n"ai Count Bartinclli'S estate. ...iS left a'oile by her father. who did uol expect to be at home till midniG,i' During the evening hearing :; knock at the door, she opened il. to find q stranger carry ing on his back a heavy sack. under which he staggered and seemed very weary. He begged lodging for the night, but the girl refused Then he begged permission to leave his sack till morning, to which she consented. Dcpositing 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 it contained While she was looking at 1t she fancied that not far from it's center there seemed to be a very slight rising and falling motion. Her heart stood still The motion was doubtless produced by some one breathing.
 Maria's first motion was a quick glance at the wall where her father al- ways kept Il gun. Glaneing again at the sack. she saw something glisten in the lamplght. Ii was the point of q knife protruding 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 it from it's sup ports. cooked it and fired at random at the sack. There was a spasmodic mo- tion; then all was still again. In an other moment something red stained the sack and trickled through it on to the floor, It 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. Reyiving, she gave her experience Bassanio. thinking 1t best to secure assistance, gathered a number of men who lived along the road, and all well 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 Cariieci.
 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 Ii 1t air
 
 several men came down the road. They had no sooner passed the gate than they were seized from behind and diSarmed.
 \ messenger was sent to Count Bar tinelli with the news of CarricciS death and the capture of d part of his band. One of the bandits on promise of Il pardon agreed to guide force of gen darmeS to the place where Luigi Bar tinelli was held captive The expcdi- tion was successful. The lair nd all in it were captured, and the young man was released without ransom,
 Count Bartinelli realized tli, fact that but for Maria's courageoG, act he would either have lost Iii. >pA ' that sons ransom. He at on,,' 2t'te ter q quarter of the ransom 7"d l,elged himself to give an equal ;llount for dowry the day she married. There
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