Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-09-16

mind which may make clear that
there are powers Of the mind not now
understood. There may be a world Of
mental possibility beneath conscious
ness"
Pietro talked on, the silent Pietro, as
if delivering a lecture. he had reae
much and thought much; it was seldom
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 astonish
ment.
"Pietro!" You are-talking like a
book! But it is true: something of
that sort has come to me, too-which
proves it to be true. l nave felt always
that Francois had notes in him which
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.
leman I-care for, Is not commonplace.
thank o not to say it." she shot at
him, and then melting to a sudden in
tensity. she put a hand on each side of
his dark fac and spoke earnestly.
"Pietro. dear, listen. I believe 1 always
S4A "a " yOu. tV1lSII i was lllIl0 IL lluIC
me to have Francois forever the one to
do h daring things. Do YOU remember
how l used to scold at you because you
would not fight him?' Pietro smiled
again. h he was captain of the
school and you only a private. and 1
night. And when you went off to Italy
so quietly, with never a WORD said
about the danger, 1 did not know that
You We're doing a fine deed thought
it a commonplace that you should go
back to your country, till Francois
opened my eyes,"
'Francois?" Pietro asked.
Yes. The day before ne went to join
you we were riding together and he
told me what 1t e to be a patriot
in Italy under the Austrians. That day
1 realized how ~unbearable it would be if
anything happened to you. But /
thought 1 cared for Francois; IL he a
spoken that day I should have told him
that I cared for him. But he did not;
he went-and was in prison five years."
And all that time l believed you
loved him. and were mourning for
him." Pietro said gently.
Il half believed it too" Alike n
swered. Yet all the time 1 was jeal-
Gus for you, ?ietro. for it was still
Francois who was the hero-not you.
Then when there came a question Of
his rescue 1 was mad with the desire
to have you do it-and you did it."
1T was still Francois who was the
hero" Pietro said. "Only the common
place things fell to me, as is fitting"
NO." Alike cried. "I know better
now. Was 1t commonplace the other
day when you ave- little Antoinette
Tremblay m famed yourself for
months, maybe? That was enough for
a lifetime. Pietro. And you have never
failed my one-not once. AS Francois
said. you are a heart Of gold, a wall of
rock"
Her voice dropped. She laid her hand
quick, cautious way:
But all that is immaterial. 1 just
love y~ou-that's the point A m
later she spoke again. II want to fin
ish telling you-and then we need nev-
er speak OF it again. / did think you
in my heart you were not, for 1 resent
ed your seeming so. So I urged you
into danger. 1 wanted you to be a
hero. l had that echo of schoolgirls
and l chung, all along, to the idea that
1 loved him and that perhaps he Sc
cretly Owe me but would not say it
because he was poor and a peasant;
that he was waiting till his future was
made. Then. one day, only the other
day, he told me that he had asked three
wishes of life-'of the good fairies he
said. One was to make Prince Louis
emperor, one was to be marshal Of
France; the third she stopped.
"What?" Pietro demanded, his mouth
a bit rigid.
Alike flushed and smiled and took
Pietro's big hand and covered her eyes
with it. THAT I should-love you, mon
sieur. He said he had wished that all
his life"
May heaven grant him his WISH"
said Pietro f%ervently, and then, reflect
ing, 1T seems a strange wish for Fran
co.'s. You are sure, Alixe?"
Yes, he said So" Alike insisted.
'Our dear Francois she went on soft
ly, and the blue intensity of her eyes
grew misty. Dear Francois" she re-
peated. lit is only he who could have
had those three wishes. The single one
that was for himself was not because
he cared for 1t himself, but because it
was the emperor's prophecy"
Il always thought Pietro spoke
slowly, that 1t was not indeed for him
self that he wished to be a marshal
some day, but because it might make
him, in a manner, our equal. It was
for you"
For mel" Alike was astonished. 81
never thought of that. I think you
thought of it, Pietro. only because you
cared for me-and thought Francois
must care Also"
Yes. thought he cared" Pietro
considered. II can not believe other
wise yet"
you may believe it," Alike was
firm. For he said hat what he had
wished always vas that I should-love
you. / did it mostly to please Fran
co.'s" she added serenely.
And Pietro's response to that was
apt, but not to be given here. The minds