Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-09-05
LOVES
HORRORS
By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

1--WE LII lONe. Anu lucEe ID HO IOunIAy
in which love in it's greatest intensity
has fiourished as in Italy. 1t is the
soul of Italian poetry. 1t is the motive
of Italian crime.
One of the oldest families Of Italy
is, or, rather, was, the Contis. Me-
dieval Italy was ruled by great fami
lies and their power lasted with va
ried degree for centuries Beatrice
CONT a beautiful girl who lived in
Rome hundred years ago, when the
Cont family was still. at least in name,
prominent. loved Caesar Brandini, and
her love was returned. Beatrice was
superior girl. and Brandini was
prominent young man. He was very
accomplished. especially in those many
arts pertaining to war, being the best
fencer as we'll as the best shot among
the patrician set of Rome. But he was
nothing Of a bully or braggart and
had only once had occasion to punish
any man That was for abusing de-
formed child
Scipione Brescini, q man about Gaze
sar's age. was one day seen by the
ldIlpI 10 Gun Il tIlJDl6u DGSSdI W liz
got in his way while crossing a street.
Caesar was so indignant that he cuff.
ed Brescini. Scipione did not return
the blow, and the matter seemingly
ended then and there.
Scipione was rejected lover Of
Beatrice. To have been struck by his
successful rival turned his soul into
~
the superior skill of Caesar he would
have challenged him AS it was. he
found himself in q contemplate po-
sition with no way out of it. Strange
to say. he not only coveted revenge
on Brandini, but on Beatrice. He
brooded and brooded till he conceived
the idea of striking the girl through
her lover.
One night as Caesar was passing
through one of those medieval Roman
streets, too narrow for even a side
walk. an arm was thrust out of Win
dow. and a knife entered his back.
piercing the heart. He fell and died in
q few minutes
Beatrice. knowing that her lover had
Ouly one clIculH Ill lue NOIlu anu llldI
was Scipione felt assured that he was
the murderer, but when Il stiletto WAS
left at her house on dark night when
the person leaving it could not be rec
ogniZed she knew that it was the
weapon with which Caesar had been
stabbed and that Scipione was his muir
derer
No more fendish revenge is to be
conceived Epatl'inr vas ~ once
changed by it from the gentlcst of
women to a deadly fury The new
Beatrice differed from the former Rea-
trice in proportion to the strength of
her love 1t did not even occur to her
to punish Scipione through the courts.
She had no proof that he was the guilty
person, and If she had she would not
have produced it. The blood of the
Contis ran pure in her veins. and the
Contis of the past had not been in the
habit of troubling the courts with their
disputes. The men relied on their
swords; the women-one of them was
a Borgia.
She did not meet Scipione Brescinl
for some time after the murder and
when she did surprised him by appear
ing not to suspect that he had any
thing to do with it. She even asked
him if he could not think of some one
whose enmitv Caesar had aroused
Moreover she did not appear to take
her lovers death to heart so much as
he had expected Scipione gained con
fidence All might yet be well between
him and her True, for a time he had
hated her. but her presence rekindled
love.
The two met often. Scipione did not
need to go to see her at her house, for
at that time every one in Rome met
socially at all sorts of open air fes-
tivals Beatrice always greeted Sci
phone with Smile-a smile that never
had and never could fail to win him
And this is an effect of love. Like
liquor, it steals mans brains.
And so Scipione drifted to his ruin
He renewed the offer Of his hand to
Beatrice and was accepted.
Before their marriage Beatrice in
sisted on making a trip to India. She
had heard of something in that cOun-
try she wanted Scipione was loath to
part with her and could not under
stand her going. She told him she
wished flower that grew there and
was nowhere else to be found with
which to decorate her bridal veil
What a singular woman's whim-to
go all the way to India for flower
Beatrice was gone long while on
her journey. When she returned she
fixed a date for her wedding. but pre-
terred that it should be in private
After the ceremony she sat in her
wedding dress, decked in the fresh
plucked flowers of plant she had
brought from India, Her husband sat
beside her.
For my sake, inhale the perfume Of
the flowers | was at so much pains TO
get for our bridal" she said
She held one Of them to his noStrls