Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-10-06
A TELLTALE
SHADOW
1t Warns a Man That He Is
In Danger
By F. A. Mitchell
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.
By F. A. Mitchell

Sorrento, in southern Italy, is colony
of villas and hotels. many of which are
surrounded by orange groves. The
| place is built on a crescent shaped
rock at the foot Of which is the mar
gin Of the Mediterranean. part of
this margin laps a beach. and on this
beach are fishermen's boats, and there
also the women do the family wash
ing.
| One morning Seymour Wilcox, a
young American traveller was looking
down over low stone wall built for
the protection Of persons on the cliff
above. when he saw young girl
washing clothes in the sea. Being
some 200 feet above her. he could not
| see what she was like, but distance
! lends enchantment to the view," and
he could. even from that distance, de-
tect a certain grace in her movements.
He went down on to the beach for
nearer view.
He found a girl of fifteen, though
at that age and even much younger
an Italian girl is a woman. She pos
sessed the dark hair and eyes Of her
people and a good figure. Her arms,
from exposure. were brown. but they
were shapely Wilcox watched her for
a time. then walked past her and
smiled at her. He not only smiled, but
spoke to her. for he knew something Of
the Italian language. He learned that
! her name was Marie and her father
was a fisherman. After a brief chat
he returned to the town above
But the next morning he looked
down again over the wall, and. al
though he knew he would be playing
with edged tools. seeing Marie be-
low, he yielded to a temptation to go
down again and have a few words
with her. This time the girl met him
with a smile indicating that she was
very much pleased that he had come
again. On this visit he talked to her
longer than before.
Wilcox continued these visits. He
found wineshop down among these
! fishermen's quarters and would go in
there for a liter of wine and to smoke.
Sometimes he would take Marie in to
have a glass with him. There was
nothing unusual in this in Italy. The
Italian wines have very little alcohol
in them and are drunk by the women
and children the same as the men. Be-
sides, a wineshop in Italy is very
different affair from a saloon in Amer
lea.
The landlord of the hotel where Will
cox was stopping knew nothing Of his
descents to the fishermen's quarters or
he would have warned him against
going there. The young man mention
ed the matter to no one. He knew he
was taking a risk but not how much
Of q risk. Besides, he was a fearless
fellow and at an age where a man of
courage is more apt to court than
avoid danger. Nevertheless he did not
sufficiently realize the position in
which he was placing himself to go
armed.
One night Wilcox went down to the
beach and. calling for Marie at her
fathers cottage. invited her to go for
ride out on the water in her fathers
boat, the father to sail it. Marie trans
mitted the request to her father, who
agreed to the plan. Indeed. no one
had manifested a desire to interfere
with Wilcox's attentions to the girl.
Whether those nearest her were ex-
pecting to get money out Of the Amer
icano or whether they were permitting
her to lure him into a position where
they could rob him didn't matter to
him, bent as he was on enjoying her
society.
After a couple of hours sail the
party returned TO the shore. and Will
cox asked the father and daughter to
go into the wineshop for refreshment.
The father declined for both himself
and his daughter. saying it was late
and he must be up early in the morn
ing to begin his days fishing. Will
cox babe them good night. and, as it
was early for him. went into the wine
shop alone for his Gpple and his
smoke.
There was no one in the place ex-
cept the woman, who set the wine be-
fore the American and left him. There
was a fireplace in the room. and. the
nights being chilly in Italy, Wilcox re-
called her and asked her to bring in
a few fagots and build a fire. She
was surprised at the request, for fuel
is enormously expensive in Italy; but,
knowing him to be an American,
which to these people means having
plenty Of money, she acceded to his
request Wilcox sat down before the
fire with the wine beside him and
drank and smoked and. without In
tending 1t, fell asleep.
He awoke with start What caused
him to feel that he was in danger he
did not know. It might have been
blow that was threatening him or 1t
might have been the fact Of sudden
realization that he had been ever since
he first saw Marie taking frightful
risk. In any event he was conscious
that death was in the room. The