The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-08-31
A Change
Of Garments
BY JOHN C. LARNED

One morning Lita Giuccioli, an Ital-
ian girl aged eighteen, was placed in
a railway train at Naples by her IA
Their and mother, who bade her good
by with many kisses. She was going
to Rome to visit an aunt. The com
partment she entered was occupied by
one person only-a man. He was small
and clean shaver, and the train had
not gone far into the country when he
began to notice Lita, as if taking note
of her height and weight. Presently
he said:
"signorina, viii you please take of
your hat and give it to mef'
LAta looked at him as il she did not
comprehend his meaning. The man
jerked her hat off her head and put
his own on hers. By this time she
was thoroughly frightened and made
no resistance. The man forced her TO
exchange her outer garments with
him. and when this was done he pull
ed veil down over his face.
when we make a stop" he said, Il
will get out-that is, unless / see dan
ger. IL you betray me / will kill you.
am q bandit. ] have been making
rich haul In Naples. The police got
on to my being there, and am sur
prised that they have permitted me
to get out of the city. Indeed. l sus-
meet some game on their part, and
should not wonder If they were on the
lockout for me"
Idta was thoroughly cowed. Indeed,
II was all she could do to keep from
fainting. But she kept up till the train
reached the first stop, hoping then to
be relieved of him. When the train
pulled up at the station the man look
ed out, but drew back immediately,
and Lita saw that she would not be
rid OF him. The conductor came to the
door of the compartment and put
woman into It. Lita noticed that she
tfpped him for finding her seat. The
newcomer was comfort to the poor
girl, though she wished she had been
a man. She noticed, however, that
the woman was big and strong, while
the bandit was small. though wiry.
The train had scarcely pulled out OF
the station when the new passenger
began to look scrutinizingly at l1ta.
AS for the man, he leaned back In
corner with the veil over his face. and
no one would have had reason TO sus-
meet that he was not woman.
''where are you going, signorT' ask
ed the woman OF Lita in a coarse
voice.
ITO Rome, signora.'
The woman looked intently at the
girl. evidently being somewhat mys-
tilted at her appearance and especially
at her voice, which was thoroughly
feminine.
when the train left Naples" con-
tinued the woman, was there not
man in this compartment"
Lita. whose eye was fixed on the
bandit, saw his fingers twitching. She
interpreted 1t TO mean that she must
reply in the negative.
"There was no one. signora. except
we who are now here"
There was pocket IN the woman s
dress. and Lita noticed that she kept
her right hand In this pocket When
she asked the question she looked at
the figure leaning back in the corner,
apparently asleep.
"signora," called the new passenger,
"can you tell me the hour this tram
reaches Romer
The only reply was snore.
Iita would have warned the woman
that the person she addressed was a
man and a bandit and begged her TO
let him alone. fearing that he wouid
murder them both, but she dared not
do so. The woman made no furtner
attempt TO extract information from