Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-28
CHAPTER XVIII.-Continued.

| Blake turned inquiringly to the other
woman and read the truth in her eyes.
| Good Lord!' he cried. HE is her
She nodded. They were to be mar
RED
Oliveta began speaking slowly to her
foster sister. YES 1t is indeed true. 1
have suspected something, but 1 dared
| not tell you all the things he said-all
that l half learned and would not ask
about. l was afraid to know. 1 closed
my eyes and my ears. Body of Christi!
And all the time my fathers blood was
on his hands,
Vittoria appealed helplessly to Blake.
You see how it is. What is to be
done?''
| But his attention was all conferred upon
Oliveta, whose face was changing Curl
ously.
loved that infamous man. His hands
she let her gaze fall to her own, as if
! they. too, might be stained from contact.
Does Marufh know who you really
are?' he asked
Vittoria answered. NO She would
have told him soon; we were waiting I'M
| til we had run down those men. You
see. it was largely through her that 1
worked Those things which I could not
discover. she learned frop-him. 1t was
and Garcia and the others
! Sudden enlightenment brought a cry
| from him.
| You! Then you wrote those letters.
| You are the One Who Knows
NittOria nodded but her eyes were
| fixed upon the girl.
Oliveta was whispering through white
lips: 1T is the will of God. He has
| been delivered into my hands
II am beginning to-
:W9if' Viffnrfo did mr. wit 6y-axx HOY
anxious gaze. After an instant she in
CURED, gently, "Oliveta, what shall we
do?"
There is but one thing to do
81 have been sent by God to betray
| him" Her face became convulsed, her
voice harsh. 81 curse him. living and
dead. in the name of my father in the
name Of Martel Savigno. who died by his
| hand. May he pray unheard. may he
burn in agony for thousand. thousa nd
Years. Take him to the hangman. sig
more. He shall die with my curse in his
ears
Il can't bring him to Justice Blake
confessed II know him to be the as
sassin. but my mere word isn't enough
to convict him. I have no way Of con-
! Meeting him with the murder Of Chief
Donnelly. and that is what he must an
swer for"
Oliveta's lips writhed into tortured
smile. Never fear. / shall place the
loop about his neck where my arms have
lain. He has told me little. for 1 feared
to listen. But wait. Give me time
Vittoria cried in shocked voice:
Child! Not-that.'
1T was from him I learned of Clan
NarcoDe and his other friends: now
shall learn from his own mouth the
whole truth He shall weave the rope
for his own destruction. Oh. he is like
water in my hands and I shall lie in his
arms
'Lucrezia:: You can't touch him
knowing
Il will have the truth. if I give myself
to him in payment: if am damned for
eternity. God has chosen met
She broke down into frightful sobs.
With sisterly affection the other woman
put her arms about her and tried to
soothe her. At length she led her away
but for long time Norvin could hear
sounds of the peasant girls grief. When
Vittoria reappeared her face was still
pale ard troubled.
II can do nothing for her She seems
to think We are all divine instruments"
Poor girl! She is in a frightful posi-
ton. I'm too amazed to talk sensibly
But surely she won't persist
You do not know her: she is like iron.
Even ] have no power over her now and
fear for the result She is Sicilian
to the core. she will sacrifice her body
her soul for vengeance. and that-man is
fiend."
Its better to know the truth now than
later.
Yes. the web of chance has entangIed
our enemies and delivered them bound
into our hands. We cannot question the
wisdom of that Power which wove the
net. Olveta is perhaps stronger in
strument than ]. she will never rest until
her father is avenged"
THE strangest part is that you are the
One Who Knows. You told me you
had given up the quest
"And 7 had 7 WAS Uearx of my
life was bleak and empty. l could not
return to Sicily because of the memories
it held. We came south i'm answer to the
call of our blood and I took up a work
of love instead of hate. while Oliveta
found new interest in this man. who
was wonderful. and strong and fierce in
his devotion to her I attained to that
peace for which I had prayed. Then
my foster sister learned of Clan Mar
cone and came to me. We talked long
| together and finally yielded to her de-
| mands-she is a contadina. she never for
gets-and l wrote that first letter to Mr.
Donnelly. I feared YOU might see and
| recognize my handwriting. SO I bought
one of those new machines and learned
To use it. What followed YOU know
When We discovered that the Malta had
vowed to take Chief Donnelly's life in
payment for Narcone's, We were forced
to go on or have innocent. blood upon
our hands
The chief was killed. i'm spite of our
warnings, and then you appeared as the
head of his avengerS-you--my trueSt
friend. the brother of Martel. | knew
that tho Malta would have your life un-
less you crushed it. and i'm Il sense | was
responsible for your danger. 1t seemed
my duty to help break up this accursed
brotherhood, much as I wished that the
work might fall to other hands. Oliveta
was eager for the struggle. and while
she fought for her vengeance. II fought
to save YOU.
You did this for mc?'' he cried. fall
teringly.
Yes My position at the hospital. my
| occupation made it easy for me to learn
many things. 1t was I who discovered
the men who actually killed Chief DON
nelly: for Norrnando after his injury
was brought there and attended him.
learned Of his accomplices. where the
boy Gino Cressi was concealed and other
things. LucreZia was spy here among
her country people. and Caesar was for
ever dropping hits of information though
we never dreamed who he was"
She went to the long French window
and shading her eyes with her hands
peered down into the dark street
''Ther Won have thought Of me-" he
urged Won Thought Of me even before
We were drawn together by this ne of
cHancs.p'
'.you have seldom been out Of nv
thoughts. Size tod aim. quietly '.Yoi.
were iny "al> friend ana live q lonely
life. Turning W;th u ~is,ful smile. She
asked: And have Won now sn,i rncn
remembered that Sieiian girl you fney,
su long ago.
lis vo'ce vas unyniy: il bln.,,. a. he
replied, " our face Is tiWale before re.
Contessa. greA Very tire! Of waiting,