The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-12-16
LOVERS BOWER.
BY r. 4. mitchell.

Italy, rises Il sheer rock to u height Of
where the elninence slopes is an es-
tate acquired by the Peretti family
during the middle ages. when Italian
territory was being divided up he
tween the gentlemen robbers of that
period. The stronghold built By Pc
retti is now ruin. aud of this little
remains. Yet one may climb the as
cent from 1t to the summit of the
rock. proceeding here and there over
short spaces of the old path by which
the Perettis frequently assembled to
hurl missiles down on an attackin.
foe. There remain on this pinm;lcr
few weather beaten stones which ira
dition calls Lovers bower"
or all the daughters of the house Of
Peretti. Blanca. VINO lived at Il time
when the Borgis were eminent 1T
Rome. wns the most beautiful and he
most celebrated. Report said that her
heart wns as cold as her face WAS
heavenly Indeed. there were whiS-
perinss that danger lurked under her
snowy bosom as tho bee is hidden
within the flower Several young no
blcs who had met her at foreign courts
travelled to her home on Lake Mag
! giorc to propose for her hand. There
they met misfortune. One was said
to have fallen i'll Of q fever. and. al
though the barber on the Peretti es-
tate let nearly all the blood out OF his
body in an effort to save him, the
young man died. Another was sud to
have left the castle as a storm was
rising. His boat was wrecked. and he
was drowned. II WIS rumorcd that
a third sutton had been accidentally
killed in fencing with the lady he
wooed. she having declared that she
would marry him if he could vanGuiSh
her with the foil But there were
those who averred that this man was
sent TO his death purposely by the icy
hearted Blanca.
Whatever Of truth there was in
these sinister reports. certain it is
that none OF these three young men
ever returned from the wooing Then
Pietro Callconi. count OF Malpaga.
who had Just succeeded to his family
estates. met Blanca III Rome, fell un-
der her tlrall and begged her to marry
him. She replied that she would give
him his answer at her fathers castle
on Lake Maggiore. where he was in
vited to he her guest the following
month ut tho full Of the moon.
The young count was warned to dis
regard the invitation and keep away
from one whose suitors had been, Ito
say the least, so unlucky. But no one
on whom Blanca smiled could ever be
induced to heed a warning. Pietro
could barely wait for the days TO
elapSc when he should visit the girl he
4 lovcd-to he made happy he believed
and the moon was 10 sooner half full
than he SGT out from Rome on his jour
ney northwArd. Reaching the lower
| end Of the lake he embarked and soon
saw the rock Of the Perettis looming
up ahead Of him. He was received by
Count Perelti Bianca's father. and en-
tertaincd Sumptuously.
After dining Pic.ro drew Blanca
away on to terrace and begged Tor
her reply. Il will give it," she said.
ION the summit Of the rock. Darling
forward she led the way in the min
gled twilight and moonlight to the
path. which Engaged upward. Pietro
followed and was soon started on a
mad chase The girl. light as Il bird.
kept always the lead. The lover now
and again looked up TO see her on The
| road ahead. which to gain height had
been turned in an opposite direction.
She yaZed down on linn. an enchanting
wilchery in her eyes. Though he hur-
ricd 10 his utmost ability. he could
never catch her. One moment he would
be looking out on to the blue lake the
! Silhouette mountains and the full pale
Orl, beyond The next his glance would
meet those eyes that We're lifting him
as he moon draws he ocean. And all
the While within him was I; fever that
was consuming him. At times when
he turned sharp angle in III" path
his brain rcelpd. and lie was like TO
fall hundreds of feet below. Put there
always above him. was that beautiful
face TO steady him. and. grasping the
guard rail- he stumbled on.
At last the top was rrached pima
Gle Of circular rock. And there. in the
depths Of Lovers bower. rejecting the
moon. were two bright eyes. The
count approached. and Blanca Shrank
back. His hand touched hers. A thrill
shot to his very heart.
!, There remains Il fragment OF the
slab with lhc two Ston supports on
which Blanca Perelti and l'ietro Cal
leoni sat side by side.
''Oh. Ri;,nca" cried Pietro. Have
YOU brought me to this pinnacle the
easier to lift me into heaven?
She rose and. walking hand in hand
with him. advanced to the edge of the
cliff. Twice she paused and directed
: his gaze to The enhancing scene above
| about. beneath them. and thrice again
!. she turned those witch eyes upon his
Then. standing with him on the verge
she suddenly stepped back and gave