Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-05-27
LORD WINTERS WATCH.

DNAlC 0AClobuAt Aoo a DCdutlA0l IOl-
lection Of watches Of olden times.
Every one of these watches. she says,
has its history and awakens in her
mind the memory of some thought or
event.
This watch. for instance" she
said, used to belong to a great uncle
of mine, Lord Percival Winter, who,
in 1920, bought it from a French
emigrant at Piccadilly. Its history
is a very sad one.
Lord Winter at that time she
continued, was an unusually hand
some young a of "a, a favorite at
court and the spoiled pet of all the
ladies of his set.
1T came as a positive shock to
the whole fashionable world, there
fore. when young Lord Winter sud-
denly decided to give up his life of
ease and luxury and rush to the as
sistance of Greece. then struggling
for freedom.
"All the misfortunes of Lord Win
ter date from that period. The lit
tie schooner that was to take the vol
unteers to the east was caught in a
storm, lost both masts and finally
drifted into the Gulf of Saint Florent
in Corsica, a sad wreck.
Lord Winter went ashore, and
being a passionate hunter, he bought
a number Of horses and dogs and be-
gan hunting in the northern part of
the wild and romantic, but charm
ing little island.
Having lost his way one night,
while pursuing his game, he knocked
at the gate of an old castle belong
ing to the Marquise Magione, a Nea-
politan nobleman living as an exile.
The castle was situated in a dense
forest not far from Rogliano. He
was not a bad fellow, the old mar
quise. Time and the trials he had
gone through had tempered his ardor
for politics, but he still possessed the
passionate, h~ot-headed, excitable
temperament of his countrymen and
when he got angry, a thing which
happened rather often, people were
careful not to cross his path. Aside
from this he was a perfect gentleman
and had a most charming wife,
whose beautiful face reminded one
very much of Lady Hamilton.
1T is hardly necessary to say that
Lord Winter who had always been
a strong admirer of the fair sex, fell
head over heels in love with her, as
soon as he laid eyes on her. To do
him justice he struggled manfully
against his growing passion, but soon
he noticed that the lady shared his
feelings.
"One day, on returning unexpect-
edly from a hunting trip, Marquise
Magione surprised his wife and i'm
mediately challenged Lord Percival
to a duel. Lord Winter, who keenly
felt the disgrace he had brought
upon himself. did not try to hit his
adversary, but the Marquise's first
shot hit his watch and the second
bullet penetrated the young English
mans heart.
From hat day on the life of the
unfaithful wife became one continu-
lous torture. Her husband never left
the castle for a single hour, but
watched her every movement. Al
ways armed he slept every night at
her side with a pistol under his pill
low. He never spoke a word to her
and whenever she opened her lips
his only answer was to produce the
watch which so cruelty reminded her
VI INT utdlu VI HeI tON6I It's UdluS
always pointing to the hour of his
death.
Five years passed like this, and
at last the poor wife could stand it
no longer. So one day when her hus-
band is usual showed her the watch,
she implored him to let her touch il
hold it for one short moment in
her hand. With a cruel smile he
handed it to her and when he saw
her press it against her lips with
tears in her yese, he did just what
she expected and hoped. A bullet
from his pistol penetrated her heart
and she fell to the floor dead, her
fingers clutching the precious watch.
when Lord Winters family at
last succeeded in tracing him, the
Marquise, too, had died. but an old
servant told the envoy of Lord Win,
ter's mother the story of his death
and returned the watch. which | in