Smyrna times., 1912-10-16
A Woman S
Vengeance
By BLANCA CARROLL

Lne Mdnclm Iaulliy were prominent
and rich at Venice. A brother and
sister in the family were devoted to
each other. the brother being deli
cate young man given to study rather
than to arms. Blanca. his sister, was
unlike him, fond of manly sports and
constantly regretted that she had not
been born a man that she might in.
| dulge in them without restraint. Pos
sibly this dissimilarity is what united
the brother and sister The one was
gentle, refined, intellectual. the other
naturally aggressive and without much
mental cultivation.
Nevertheless Blanca possessed fair
face and figure and had a number of
suitOrS. Among them was Leonardo
| DOnadiO, man with a bad reputation
and therefore undesirable. Blanca tolc
him, as she had told all the others. that
she would not marry because she die
not wish to be separated from her
brother.
One afternoon, when she was lOung
ing with the social magnates. as was
the custom on st. Marks square, look
ing down the Grand canal she saw &
gOndOla approaching, and when it.
came nearer she recognized her family
cOlOrs. The gOndola was pulled ur
near the pillar bearing the winged.
| lions of st. Marks, and Blanca. under
presentiment that something had
gone wrong, went to meet it. AS the
boat came up. there, lying in the gon
dOla. his cloak red with blood. was the,
dead body Of her brother. She stood
| gazing at it for some moments, para
lyzed. She did not faint; she did not
cry out. Her first words were:
who has done this murder?
Leonardo DOnadiO, signorina," re.
| piled the gondOlier. HE met your
brother on the Rialto and said to him,
You will not stand long between me
and your sister, They fought and
your brother fell pierced to the heart.
He was no match for that ruffian, who
is the best swOrdsman in Venice"
Those were queer times. and Donadio
had a faint hope that even after what
he had done he might still win Blanca
She was not seen abroad after her
brothers death. and finally it was
learned that she had left Venice
Where she had gone or what she had
gone for was not known.
Six months passed, during which
time nothing was seen or heard OF
Blanca. Donadio, who was wildly in
love with her, seemed crazed by her
withdrawal. Had she remained in
Venice and lashed him with a torrent
Of invective he could have borne up
under it, but this vacancy she had left,
this nOthingless, was agOnizing, He
shut himself up in his house and
would not go out of It,
One day while a gOndola was pass.
ing under his window he heard two
men in it speaking of a young man
who had recently arrived from Naples
and had opened a fencing academy.
AS they were passing out of hearing
he heard one of them say, Not even
the skill of Donadio could prevail
against him"
This was the only thing that could
have aroused the recluse from his de-
spOndency. He would go and see this
fencer. and if he appeared to be wOr-
thy of his steel he would insult him
and. by killing him, would show tina;
DOnadiO's match had not yet appeared.
The next day he left his house for
the first time, not by water but by
taking one of the narrow interior pas
sages. He had scarcely closed the
door behind him when the narrow way
was blocked by a young man, whose
black beard covered his whole face
The beard contrasted with the mans
complexion, which was soft and clear.
more like wax than flesh and blood.
"HOw now. Signor DonadiO?" said
the man. Where are you going afte'
your long stay shut up in your homer
Donadio. thinking the man some one
he had met. but forgotten. told him
that he was going to new fencing
school he had heard had been opened.
You do not need to go there to meet
the new fencing master He stands
before you"
Putting off the beard, the stranger
displayed the features of Blanca Man
cini. DOnadiO recoiled. for with the
other hand Blanca drew her rapier.
You got rid Of what you considered
the only barrier between you and me-
my brother. You now see another bar.
rier, myself, which you are to dispose
of in the same way. | have been edu
Gated under the best masters of the ar;
of fencing in Rome and Naples. Draw.
returned to meet you. but since you
never left your home have been
obliged to draw you out by stratagem.' =
Donadio could not go aside nor
straight ahead. the passage beins;
blocked Thinking to dominate the wo-
man. he drew his sword. resolving tn
disarm her first and talk with her aft.
erward. He was soon astonishad al.
the skill with which she parried hisl
thrusts. She did not at once assume
the offensive. evidently feeling win.
dictive relish In playing with him.
Then suddenly she began to press him
with rapid and well executed thrusts