Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-11-13
BY OSCAR cox

strength, rancor, bitterness. diabolism.
in 1t to suit me. / wrote 1t over. vivify-
ing the picturesque points and intensi-
flying the hate, Then I put 1t with my
manuscript in its place at the close of
a chapter and made my preparations to
leave my Don
Two reasons influenced my going. In
the first place, / suffered the Empower.
ishment usual to authors who have not
attained recognition as geniuses, and l
was expecting to be turned out for non
payment of rent, In the second place,
/ was in love and had promised to
spend the week end with my betrothed.
As to my poverty, l was expecting bet
ter things when my novel, The Ban
dts Revenge" should be published; as
to my ladylove. | hoped to conceal
from her the pitiable condition Of my
finances till began to receive my roy
alties.
My apartment was on the top floor OF
a building in which there were many
rooms. / possessed an old satchel. but
" ~dIulObG- eASGDG WId IL aE WOTt.
There were a number Of unsoId manu-
scripts in the closet, and in order to fill
out the bag | put them In it and, going
with it out into the hall, descended. A
man on the floor below, seeing me,
started toward me. Thinking he might
be intending to stop me for my unpaid
rent, | hurried on and succeeded in
eluding him. Emerging from the build
ing, felt satisfaction in knowing that
had all my worldly possessions with
me and had left nothing in my room
that the landlord could hold as secu-
rity for my debt. Alas, | had left one
little article that would bring me more
trouble than if ! had left abundant Sc
curity, but | did not know it.
| had in my pocket the wherewithal
to pay my way to the suburban town
where lived my beloved. / expended
so cents for a ticket and, having So
more. spent it for some roses to
take with me as q gift for her. leaving
me a cen for q newspaper. Then |
entered the train, laid my satchel on
the seat beside me, unfolded my paper
and. assuming u carelessness | did not
feel, began to read the news. My pow
erty did not trouble me. / was used to
that. But | dreaded lest my betrothed
should find it out.
Nina. who was aware of my coming,
was at the station to meet me and
took me to her home in a little auto
her father had recently given her.
tossed my satchel, containing no toilet
articles except a toothbrush. on the
floor of the vehicle and took my seat
beside my adored chauffeur. Instead
of driving me directly home. she made
a long detour into the country. 1t was
evident from her manner that she had
something Of Importance to say to me
and was making an opportunity to say
it. AS soon as we We're on a country
road she slowed down and said:
MY dear Luigi, | hope hat what /
am going to say to you will not lead
you to think that / do not trust you
implicitly. 1t is papa who is uncertain
about you. He would prefer that /
should marry a man born in America.
whose family and antecedents we
might learn about. You know that
you have 10 relatives in America. and
in order to learn of your ancestry and
status In Italy one must go there to
make an Investigation. / have told
papa what you have told me-that you
are a descendant of the historical Co
l%onnas; that your father is a member
| of fha ytolion porl;o p,ont o,l Roc bonn
a cabinet minister. Papa says. What
proof have you of this?' and l can only
reply that ] have your word for 1t.
And when papa asks me why / believe
you and ! say 1t is because I love you
he laughs at me"
my dear Nina / replied. ..have pa
tience. ! have written for such proofs
of who and what | am as shall con-
vince any doubter. Meanwhile. though
I do net expect your father to feel sat
isfed concerning me. it seems to me
that If you really love me you will
trust me-"
Had | not in my nature i
would not be a novelist. Romance led
me to take the ground that there is
something in true love to induce a
woman to trust the man she loves
without calling on him for his creden-
tiais. | went into a rhapsody about this
beautiful faith in a loved one and sue
ceeded in ~infusing the sentiment into
Nina. was all ! pretended to be and
was only %concealing from my betroth-
ed my poverty. which my hopeful dis
position led me to think would soon be
ended. But there was not q single rea-
son in my words why she should put
faith In n whom she saw only
through the tinged eyes OF q
lover. Yet l succeeded In drawing
from her an impassioned statement
that IL | were accused Of being a mem
Der Of the dreaded Camorra society, u
l were convicted Of being a perpetra'
tor Of Black Hand crimes. still would
she believe that I was maligned and
innocent. 1 kissed her again and again
telling her that her confidence In mi
had enhanced my love for her tenfold
Hours had passed when we returnet
to her home. Leaving me. Nina wen
straight to her father aud told hi.
that my credentials were fs,t,ee
shortly and TIL their ARRIVE