Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-26

ed exceedingly strong. Consequently
their rivalry grew hot and their hatred
of each other even hotter.
There are people who do queer
things. whose motive is unintelligible
to any one else. and often they are ig
norant of il themselves. On the one
hand, Jeanette Louton had come un-
der the influence of fourteenth century
Florentine life; on the other. she was
American through and through. There
was bit of spice in her makeup. Her
italian suitors were so wrapped up in
the Importance of that past from
which they derived their own impor-
lance that when some ludicrous
thought concerning it came to them
from Jeanette they did not dream
that it could be interpreted save with
profound respect for the Viscontis or
the Strozzis of old.
In Jeanette there must have been a
mingling of currents. on the one hand
the medieval stream. on the other
that up to date American stream so
unintelligible TO Europeans. At any
Pate, she weat back into mediaevalism
in a remarkable fashion and returned
to the twentieth century very much
alarmed. The feuds Of the Guelphs
and the Ghebeiiues were renewed in
the two princes. When they met on
the banks OF the Arno or in the Bo-
bolt gardens they would glare at each
other and give n hereditary twitch CT
the right arm that came from those
who. thus meeting centuries before,
caf1nd tho hiIfC of fhpir CpUnrdQ
One morning each received a note
from Jeanette Louton inviting him
to call ut O'Clock in the afternoon
Of a certain day. At the appointed
hour Visconti appeared. and Strozzi
was admitted a few minutes later
They were received in the cabinet of
arms. Each started as he saw the
other, glared and awaited develop
ments.
your highness," said Jeanette.
you have both done me the honor to
propose for my hand. From both
have listened to accounts of the PROV
ess of your ancestors. You have trans
ported me to those romantic times and
kept me there till / almost feel that
1 am a part of them. AS 1 under
stand it, the families you represent
took an equally important part in Ital-
ian history. You are both fine repre-
sentatives of a splendid race. Few
women have been hoRored by a choice
between two such offers. Can you
blame me for not being able to choose
between the two? l must ask you to
decide which shall defer to the other
l will leave you in this room and ask
you, when you have decided, to let me
know
She went out Of the cabinet and shut
the door.
For q few minutes there were low
voices, gradually rising till they rang
out in trumpet tones.
Meanwhile Ned Sackett, young st.
Louisan, who had been counting Jean
nette Louton for several years. fearing
that among the princes and dukes
abroad she might slip away from him,
had decided to follow her. arriving in
Florence on the very day the young
to settle between themselves which
should give way to the other.
The same afternoon he sauntered up
to the Palazzio V. H0 was admitted
to a surprise. The door to the cabinet
of arms was open, and two men were
Sighting with swords as long as the
antagonists themselves, while Jean
nette was making frantic efforts to In
duce them to desist. The two princes
had come from words to blows, and
each had caught up weapon. Prince
Viscond, having been hurt in the head,
seized a helmet and put it on. Prince
Strozzi. seeing piece of armor of the
thirteenth century. In order to get
even with his enemy caught it up and
got it partly on his thorax. Viscond
picked up a shield used in the cru
sades. Srozzi defending himself with
an andiron 700 years old. but as Sack
EFT entered he dropped it and replaced
it with an immense iron punch bowl