South Bend news-times., 1913-12-01
CONTINUED From Saturday,
CHAPTER XIX.
Good News.


Good News.
In the garden OF the chateau of
Vicques, where the stiff. gray stone
vases spilled again their hearts blood
Of scarlet and etching OF vines; where
the two stately lines OF them led down
To the sundial and the round lawn
on one OF the griffin-supporte stone
seats Alike ana Pietro sat. where
Alike and Francois had sat five years
before
Alike. again in her dark riding
habit, with the blue feather in her
hat and the gauntleted hands, was
grown from an exquisite slip OF a
girl into a woman more lovely than
the girl. Her eyes. when she lifted
the long, exaggerated. curled lashes.
held fire and force. and knowledge Of
suffering, il might be. under their
steady smile but held all these in
control. This was a woman able not
only TO endure things, which is the
gift OF most women. but 10 do things.
Pietro. his big arm stretched along
the back of the stone seat, watched
her-as Pietro had watched her al
ways. 1t seemed never 10 trouble
her 10 turn and find his honest eyes
| fixed calmly on her face. PietrO.
whose illness at Ancona had put
FTancois in his place as the prisoner
OF Austria now these five years-Pietro
had managed to get away from Italy
and had Joined queen Hortense and
her son before they entered Paris.
Both the prince and Pietro had moved
heaven and earth to find out the fate
Of Francois. That he had been taken
by the Austrian squad at the end of
his wild ride they knew. More than
this they could not discover. except
that one or two things pointed TO the
In
mediately executed. The prince be-
lieved this, and Pietro came to be-
lieve ii. But Alike had never believed
IL.
In these FIVE years Pietro had not
been back TO Italy; the inevitable
Austrians" had put down in 1881 the
revolution in the Romagna, the rising
in which Prince Louis and Pietro. the
! Marquis Zappi, had taken part. In
the war-tOrn country no movements OF
any Importance had taken place since
that. Pietro. Carbonaro, a member
Of young Italy" a marked man, was
not safe inside the Italian frontier.
With other patriots he awaited in a
foreign country the day when he might
go back TO fight again for a united
Italy. In the meantime he conspired.
planned, worked continually for the
patriot cause, anG as continually he
tried, though now without hope. TO
find a trace of Francois. The boy who
had dashed through the Austrian
soldiers on that morning at Chiana.
and leaped to the landlords horse and
cleared his way through with the play
of the old soldiers sword, and led a
| wild race. to fail into the encmy's
hands at last-the boy had disappear
| ed from the face of the earth. Pietro.
| grieving deeply for his old friend.
grieving bitterly because il was in
I Nw4rr 1T -.
his fate. believed him dead. But Alike
| did not believe it, Pietro was often
at Nicques now, and the two went over
| the question again and again. One
| might not speak to the general of
| Francois: the blow had been heavy,
and the old soldiers wound had not
! closed; it might not be touched. But
Pietro and Alike spoke Of him con-
! stantly.
Today. as they sat in the garden,
| they had been going over the pros
| and cons of his life or death for the
| thOusandth time. Pietro's quiet gray
/ eyes were sad as he looked away from
! Alike and across the lawn TO the beech
wood.
God knows I would give my life
| quickly if I could see him coming
through the trees there. as we used
/ to see him, mornings long ago, in his
/ patched hOmespun clothes"
Alike followed the glance consider
! ingly, as if calling up the little
| brown, trudging figure so well remem-
| bered. Then she tossed up her head
] sharply - "WhO?" - and then she
| laughed Il shall be seeing visions
next. like Francois she said. Il
| thought II was he-back in the beech
| wood"
u see no one" Pietro stared
! But YOU have no eyes, Pietro-I
| can always see a thing two minutes
before you" Alike threw at him.
'There-the man."
"Oh," said Pietro. Your eyes are
more than natural Alike. You see
| into a wood; that is uncanny. Yes
l see him now. Mon Dieu! he is a
J big fellow"
a peasant-from some other vii
! lage," Alike spoke carelessly. Il do
not know him." and they went on
talking. as they had been doing, OF
/ Francois.
! And with that. here was Jean Phil
/ lippe Moison. forty now and fat but
| still beautiful in purple millinery. ad-
/ vanCing down the stone steps between
| the tall gray vases, making sym
| phony Of color with the rich red OF
| the flowers. He held a silver tray;
| a letter was on il.
| For mademoiselle."
]
! glanced at il. and with that both the
| footman and the Marquis Zappi were
astonished TO see her fall 10 shiver-
!, ing, as if in a sudden illness. She
Hcaught Pietro's arm. The letter was
! clutched in her other hand thrust back
! Of her.
( "Pietro,"
what is it. Alixe?" His voice was
/ quiet as ever. but his hand was
around her shaking fingers and he
| held them strongly. What is it,
! Alike %
She drew forward the other hand:
\ the letter shook. rustled with her
/ trembling 1T is-frOm Francois"
Jean PHILIPPE Moison. having stayed
| 10 listen. as he ought not. lifted his
J eyes and his hands 10 heaven and
! gave thanks in a general way, vOlubly
unre bukod. By now the unsteady fin
/ gers Of Alike had opened the paper