Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-17

I - ~
/ Holy Father will do something for
one who fought for the cause"
he Will certainly not countenanct
bloodshed, Giovanni
he can absolve 1t. And as yot
say, am rich, as riches go in thu
Sabine Hills"
i was in hopes you had forgotten
Forgotten? The signore will new
er understand; it is his fathers blood
She was SO pretty and youthful eye
OF my eye. heart of my heart! And
innocenti She sang like the nightin
gale. She was always happy. UT
with the dawn, to sleep with the stars
we We're alone, she and I. The sheer
supported me and she sold her rosaf
and dried lavender. 1t was all 50
beautiful y = - till he came. All, had
he loved her! But plaything.
pastime! The signore never had a
daughter. What is she now? A name
less thing in the streets!" Giovanni
raised his arms tragically; the boots
clattered to the floor. Seven years!
1t Is long time for one of my blood
to watt
enough cried billiard; but there
was hardness in his throat at thu
sight of the old mans tears. Where
was the proud and stately man, the
black-bearded shepherd in faded blud
linen. in picturesque garters, with his
reed-like pipe, that he, Hillard, had
known In his boyhood days? Surely
not here. Giovanni had known tho
great wrong, but Hillard could not In
conscience's name foster the spirit
which demanded an eye for an eye.
So he said 81 abhor the spirit of res
venge which can not find satisfaction
in anything save murder"
| Giovanni once more picked up thu
boots Il shall leave the signore In
the spring"
"As you please" said Hillard
gently.
| Giovanni bowed gravely and made
off with his boots. Hillard remained
staring thoughtfully at the many-cok
ored squares in the rug under his
feet 1t would be lonesome with Clio.
vanni gone. The old man had evt
IDENTIFY made up his mind. But
the woman with the voice, would sha
see the notice in the paper? And IL
she did, would she reply to It? What
| =
Bah! He prepared for bed
To those who reckon earthly treass
ures as the only thing worth having,
John. Hillard was a fortunate YOUNG
man. That he was without kith ot
kin was considered by many as an ad.
ditional piece of good fortune. Born IN
Sorrento, in one of the charming
villas which sweep down to the very
brow of the cliffs, educated in Rome
up to his fifteenth year; taken at that
age from the dreamy, drifting land
and thrust into the noisy, bustling lifd
which was his inheritance; fatherless
and motherless at twenty; college
youth who was for ever mixing his
Italian with his English and being
laughed at; hating tumult and loving
quiet; warm-hearted and impulsive,
yet meeting only habitual reserve from
his compatriots whichever way hid
turned; it Is not to be wondered al
thatyhe preferred the land of his birth
to that of his blood.
| All this might Indicate an artistic
Temperament, the ability to do petty
things grandly; but Hillard had es
capped this. He loved his Raphaels,
his Titians, his Veroneses, his Rub
enses, without any desire to make
Indifferent copies of them; he admir-
ed his Dante, his Petrarch, his Got
doni without the wish to initiate
them. He was full Of sentiment with
out being sentimental, poet who
thought but never indited verses Hif
fathers blood was In his veins, that
is to say, the salt of restraint; thus,
his fortune grew and multiplied. Tla
strongest and reddest corpuscle had
been the gift of his mother She had
left him the legacy Of loving all beau,
tiful things in moderation, the legacy
| of gentleness, of charity, Of strong
loves and frank hatreds, of humor OF
living out in the open, of dreaming
great things and accomplishing none
of them.
The old house in which he lived was
not in the fashionable quarter of tho
town; but that did not matter MOI
did it vary externally from any of ita
unpretentious neighbors. Inside, how
ever, there were treasures priceless
and unique. There was no woman in
the household; he might smoke in any
room he pleased. A cook, butler,
and valet were the sum total of hia
retinue. In appearance he resemblsi
| many another clean-cut, clean-living
American gentleman.
Giovanni sought his own room az
the end of the hall, squatted on low
stool and solemnly began the business
Of backing his masters boots. He
was still as lean and tall as LON.
hardy poplar, this handsome old Rom.
an. His hair was white; there waa
now no black beard on his face, which
was as brown and creased as Span
ish levant; and some of the fullness
was gone from his chest and arms
but for all that he carried his fifty
odd years lightly. He worked swiftly
tonight, but his mind was far away
from his task.
There was a pitiful story, commons
place enough. A daughter, a looses
living officer. knife flung from
dark alley and sudden flight to thu
south. Hillard had found him wan-
dering through The streets OF Naples,
hiding from the carabinieri as best he
could. Hillard contrived to smuggle