Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-06-12

that he trusted TO his own person rath-
er than 10 lock as safe place for the
depository of the emperor's recorded
precious thoughts. "A lock may be
picked" he said. With me- my prop
erty cannot be taken without my con
sent"
The morning after receiving this in
formation the countess asked her host
If he would ride with her on horse
back. He consented, and they were
soon cantering over the we'll paved
roads leading from Paris.
Il prefer cross country roads" said
the countess, and to Noailles' astonish-
ment she jumped her horse over Il
fence and alighted on the other side.
Turning, she saw her escort gaping at
her
IF you love me. follow mer'
Noailles took the fence and gathered
himself for contest that was by no
means TO his taste, which was intelleC-
tual. not athletic. The countess, who
seemed to him female Centaur, gave
her horse a cut with her whip that
sent him plunginG over plowed field.
Noailles followed. now looking up at
the Diana figure before him, now down
ut the clods, expecting every moment
that one or the other Of the horses
would fall and MAIN or kill his rider
From the field the countess entered
q wood. now and again looking back
/ TO see if NoaIlles was following. Mad
! ~ in love, he realized that Il woman is
| not likely to return the love OF a man
! -, -,lgl
! logs. bitches none OF them seemed too
high for her. Spurred on by his pas
sion, Noailles kept the pace. Finally
he encountered a ditch at which his
horse baked. The countess had gone
over 1t safely and, refining, turned to
. watch him. Riding back a short dis
lance, he turned his horses head to-
I ward 1t.
Take it and am yoursr' cried the
countess.
Plungiug his spurs into his horses
TANKS and giving him the whip at the
same time. he dashed at the ditch.
His horse baked again, and the rider,
turning a somersault in the air, came
down in a heap on the other side,
Where he lay motionless.
In a second his companion was of
her horse and kneeling at his side,
but not to succor him. Pity may have
been there, but il was suppressed by
greater sympathy for her oppressed
countrymen. She felt In NOailles' coat
pockets. The notebook was not there.
Throwing open his waistcoat. she
found it In an inside pocket
NrDlx- In
showed the woman and that she was
. not inSenSible to her devotion. She
kissed the white lips. Then. rising, she
mounted her horse and dashed away.
The fourth and last scene in the
play is I'm Turin Cavour'S cabinet. The
Countess Riccioli enters. Cavour looks
up anxiOusly and in his emissary's
face reads triumph. She hands him
, NapOleon's notebook. Motioning her
to a seat. he lays the book on his desk
and begins to read, his eyes opening
wider as he proceeds, soon gliStening
with the possession OF such Il power.
, For an hour he reads without noticing
his visitor, then suddenly closes the
book and turns to her.
ITO you" he said, Italy is indebted
. for what she covets. If | can only
muzzle the republican fanatic Mazzini
: and hold that thunderbolt Garibaldi till
, the time comes for them to strike we
a will be a united people"
The morning after NOailles' fall he
, staggered, pale as Il ghost, into his
: masters presence and confessed the
loss Of the notebook. The emperor,
, thunderStruck, took time to recover
, from the shock, then said:
I'VE shall know soon who possesses
I the power over me the book gives
I him Whoever he Is, l must do his
l bidding"
The emperor was right that he
? should soon know what would be re
D CURED Of him. Noail!es received a
70 communication from the coun css stat
: ing that the book was In her posses
> sion and the secrets il contained
- would he kept on condition that he
would secure from his master full
+, recognition Of the representative OF
| the king Of Sardinia. with the right to
enter upon discussion Of subjects con
1 corning the interests Of the powers at
= the coming conference.
), with the communication and secured
+ his agreement to the conditions which
/. he returned by the messenger.
!: How Cavour was permitted to work
5 for italian interests in the conference
Y aud the events that followed by which
r Italian unity was secured are mat
c tiers Of history. AS to the Countess
RiccioIi, she returned 10 Paris with
e the notebook. which she gave TO No.
= allies. bcstowng upon him her hand
at the same time Her influence was
n sufficient to have Ter husband en-
noblcd instead Of punished He be
9 came prominent in the republic after
J. the collapse Of the second empire and.
r owing 10 his wife's nationality and in
= terest in Italian unity, became a con
/. vert to the cause himself and helped
/ to bring about some Of the later ad-
vances by which that unity was
T secured.
Hume ID in American