The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-11-02
THE SACRED LIFE
nv harnId NspkAe

~ 00IOf0 OGVtGG
In courage Alfiero was perhaps
a little more timid than b hare. A
big. hulking chap, who could have
given dock laborer points in the
matter of muscle, he would run
from harsh word. His comrades
regarded him with amused con-
tempt, which, as I then thought,
accounted for his melancholy.
That Nina, the belle of the Ital-
ian colony on my estate. should
have fallen In love with him. ex-
cited wonder-not the less SO when
Tony, her most importunate suit
or, threatened Alfiero with a
knife, and the big fellow sought
police protection. And Nina mar
ried him. She had done all the
woofng and metaphorically dragged
him to- the altar. 1t was the sad
dest and most reluctant bride-
groom that / had ever seen. Both
had saved money, and they set up
a little store on the main street
and prospered.
Perhaps it was that I had hid
den my contempt from the man,
perhaps it was his loneliness that
led him to take me into his conf
dence.
"Ah, signor, you think / am
coward he said one evening when
he realized that had actually pull
ed Nina out from the Valley of the
| Shadow, and had refused to &C.
cept my medical fee: Them he told
me this story.
Alfiero was from Sicily, the land
of the vendetta. The elder of two
brothers, he had worked happily
upon his fathers farm until almost
a man. Then one day he had come
home to find his brother slain and
the homestead in ruins. 1t was
the revenge of the bandit Lucca,
because relative had denounced
him to the authorities.
Lucca escaped to America, but
| from that day the solemn duty lay
upon Alfiero of wiping out the MUIR
der in blood. For this he lived,
his life sacred, according to the
Sicilian custom, to this purpose.
For this he boarded his tiny saw
ings to obtain passage money to
| New York. For this he went soft
| ly. His life was no longer his own.
He must beware of Quarrels, take
insults meekly, nursing his life as
the most precious thing in the
world-until he had wiped out the
murder in blood
He had sought for Lucca high
land low, but to no purpose. Some.
| ~xyH4 VnrG he 1nornnd
the man pursued his criminal oper-
alton under an alias. And Nina
knew, and had married him, await
ing her sad widowhood.
For IL he met Lucca and was not
killed, Alfiero must kill him and
go to the electric chair.
They prospered; 1t became ru'
mored that Alfiero had money IN
the bank. A child had been born
but for this shadow hanging over
him. Alfiero's happiness would
! have been complete. But, though
in all other respects a model, he
chung tenaciously to his Sicilian
blood debt. Quietly he pursued his
search.
said his happiness would have
been complete. Not quite. That
curse of the Italian colony. the
Black Hand, found him out and
|scoveted his wealth. He received
threatening letters demanding
money. Twice he paid, and thiro
time. Each time the demands OF
i the hloodsuckers became more in
satiable.
/ One Saturday evening encoun
tered Alfiero journeying along q
deserted road and stopping him
asked where he was going. Fol
answer he pulled a revolver from
his hip pocket.
i my friend" he said, for Nina's
i sake 4 have to act like man