The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-04-02
Suddenly a Thought Shook Him.

dom he spoke of the speculations which
often filled his scholarly mind; today it
seemed easy to talk of everything. Joy
had set wide all the doors of his be-
ing. Alike opened her eyes in aston
ishment.
"Pietro! You are-talking like a
book! But 1t is true; something of
that sort has come to me, too-which
proves 1t to be true. I have felt al
ways that Francois had notes in him
which are not on our pianos" Pietro
smiled, looking at her.
"And yet, Alike, you do not love
Francois, with all these gifts and all
his power over hearts-but only COM
monplace me?"
Alike Strengthened against his arm.
Monsieur the Marquis Zappi, the gen.
tleman I-care for, is not common
place. l thank you not to say it." she
shot at him, and then, melting to a
sudden intensity, she put hand on
each side of his dark face and spoke
earnestly. "Pietro, dear, listen. be-
lieve l always cared for you. When I
was little it hurt me to have Francois
forever the one to do the daring things.
Do you remember how / used to scold
at you because you would not fight
him?" Pietro smiled again. Then he
was captain of the school and you only
a private, and l cried about that when
l was alone at night. And when you
went off to Italy so quietly, with never
a word said about the danger, did not
know that you were doing fine deed
I thought it a commonplace that you
should go back to your country, till
Francois opened my eyes,"
"Francois?" Pietro asked.
Eyes. The day before he went to
join you we were riding together and
| he told me what it meant to be a
patriot in Italy under the Austrians.
That day realized how unbearable 1t
would be If anything happened to you.
But thought l cared for Francois; If
he had spoken that day should have
told him that l cared for him. But he
did not: he went-and was in prison
five years"
"And all that time I believed you
loved him, and were mourning for
him." Pietro said gently.
81 half believed it too." Alike an.
swered. yet all the time was
jealous for you, Pietro, for it was still
Francois who was the hero-not you
Then when there came a question oi
his rescue 1 was mad with the desire
to have you do it-and you did it."
Her voice dropped. She laid hel
hand against his shoulder and spoke
In a quick cautious way.
"But all that is immaterial. / just
love you-that's the point" A mo
ment later she spoke again. II wan
to finish telling you-and then we neet
never speak of 1t again. I did thinl
you were-commonplace. And yet
knew In my heart you were not, fol
resented your seeming so. So
urged you into danger. wanted yol
to be a hero. / had that echo Of
schoolgirls romance about Francois
in my mind, and clung, all along, Il
the idea that loved him and that per
haps he secretly loved me but woul'
not say 1t because he was poor and
J peasant; that he was waiting till hi
: future was made. Then, one day, onl,
! the other day, he told me that he ha'
/ asked three wishes of life-'of tn
[ good fairies he said. One was to max
i, Prince Louis Emperor, one was to b
! Marshal of France; the third" sh
t stopped.
! "What?" Pietro demanded, hi
|, mouth a bit rigid.
t Alike flushed and smiled and too
8 Pietro's big hand and covered her eye
= with it. THAT l should-love yol
e Monsieur. He said he had wished ths
0 all his life."
!. MAY heaven grant him his wish,
o said Pietro fervently, and then, refiec
ing, "It seems strange wish for Fral
= cois. You are sure, Alixe?"
Eyes, he said So" Alike insiste'
o "Our dear Francois" she went on sof
r ly, and the blue intensity of her eye
grew misty. Dear Francois" she r
8, peated, "it is only he who could hay
had those three wishes. The sing
>. one that was for himself was not b