Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-03-17

ton, the manager, the local conduc-
tor. Merlino. and Marioni, all in battle
array"
With you as a go-between, sup
pose. alternately used and abused?"
Something like it," he replied,
laughing at a recollection of the dis.
pute; the whole affair really rose out
Of Jealousy between Marioni and
the local man. It seems to me that
jealousy thrives like a weed In art
life-I shall soon be gTudging you
your superior parts, AMIGO MIC"
You're welcome to the parts" said
Sardoni, 'if you would make over a
little of your superfuous applause to
me. However, | intend TO be proud
OF you, and not jealous, for did not
have my finger in the pie? And does
not Italian opera owe M a deep debt
OF gratitude for having secured your
seryices?"
AT this moment Merlino entered
abruptly. Though the difficulties ha(
been smoothed away by Carlos medi-
alton, the dispute had very much ruff
fed the managers temper.
Where is Anita ," he asked fercely.
have not seen her this morning.
said Carlo. foreseeing a bad time for
his sister; "by the bye, how about
those letters?"
But Merlino with grievance was
ike a dog with a bone; he would
gllaw it, and worry it, and bite first
en- one side, then ON the other, and
when at last you thought 1t was safely
his operations all over again.
Not up yet, I'll be bound!" he ex-
claimed. wrathfully; tits abominable;
she never stirs a finger to help me,
and everything gone wrong as usual"
He strobe out of che room, and
doubtless opened the Walls of his
wrath on Nita's Grad, for she ap-
peared before long looking very much
discomposed. but with a resentful
light in her eyes which Carlo had
learned to understand too well.
All else would have been bearable
enough to him if only he could have
won Nita's love; but after the first
day or two, when she had really been
grateful to him for saving her from
what in her perfect moods she fully
recognized as a sim she had never
felt or pretended to feel for him any
sort of affection. When alone with
him, or when she wanted anything
done, she would often be civil and
even friendly, but when other people
were present she seemed to take
pleasure in snubbing him, and never
buried he would exhume it and begin
allowed him to forget for a moment
that he was her junior. The "elder
sisterly" style of treatment is never
very congenial to man, and 1t was
particularly irksome to Carlo. be-
cause he and Anita had so very lit
tie in common. 1t was, perhaps this
which made 1t so hard for him to win
his way with her. They had none OF
the happy associations of childhood
which form so strong a bond between
most brothers end sisters; they had
grown up apart. and when, at rare in
tervals. Nita had returned from the
con4 ent there had been little love lost
between them. At nineteen she left
home forever, and cast in her lot with
Merlino, and now. after an interval OF
five years the brother and sister were
almost strangers to each other, and
Carlo, often in despair. struggled tn
break down the wall of division whiCh
seemed to have risen between them.
II he had been as Indifferent to her
as she was to him they might have
drifted on without much discomfort
but he loved her. not only as the one
her death-b bed, not only with the fam
ilv love which had first come to his
aid in that time Of numb grief. but
with the divine love which mad given
him power to sacrifice himself for
her sake.
To be continued