The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-07-16


wrapped in the girl he was handing
into the boat that he did not even Sc;
the other. When the party returned
from the sail Lta was screened from
them by window. through which sh,
looked at Miss Twining with the eye,
Of tigress.
Julian after his meeting with Mis-
Twining made no more visits to tn,
wine shop. He did not realize the hOlo
his personality had taken upon Lita
but was aware that he should have
withdrawn from the latter's cOmpan!
sooner. Nevertheless he did not look
upon the sudden flame he had inspired
in her as of much importance. The
6erceness of southern women In such
matters did not occur to him. When
he looked on Nesuvius, with its crest OF
smoke hanging laZily on its summit. be
did not realize that down In the breast
Of the Italian girl there lurked fir
in the mountain.
One day when Julian and Mildred
were rambling about the grounds OF
the hotel where they stopped they
came upon passage way leading
down to the water. They concluded
to go through it. |On reaching the low.
er end they came upon a dock. There
they stood looking out on the water.
They were some distance from the
wine shop, but Lita saw a couple on
the dock and with the keen scent of
love surmised that they were Julian
and the girl who had stepped in be.
tween her and him.
Catching up dirk knife and thrust
ing IT into her bosom, she ran along
the shore, now clambering between the
water and the cliff. now STOPPING be
meath some object to conceal her ap
proach till she came near the dock OH
which the couple were standing un
conscious of her approach; then, duck
ing under the side of the dock, she ran
along it till she reached the margin of
the water There she stood listening
to the pair on the dock, who were
above her and a little farther out from
the shore.
Hemstreet was talking to his com
panion in English, language the Ital
ian girl did not understand. He was
well educated, and the ancient Romans
had always interested him. He was
pointing out different objects of inter
est within view-the island Capri near
by, Ischia in the distance to the north
and opposite what in old Roman times
was city of summer residences callel
Balae, owned and occupied by wealthy
Romans. He described the scene OIL
that night nearly twenty centuries be
fore when the bay spreading before
them was dotted with galleyS shooting
here and there in the lurid light of the
fires emitted by Vesuvius, those upon
them engaged In trying the dangerous
work of saving the fleeing Pompeiians.
who We're struggling in darkness un
der the cloud Of ashes raining upon
their devoted heads and burying their
city, which now. after having been
buried for twenty centuries, Is being
uncovered, to be visited every year by
thousands of a civilization far differ.
ent from that which passed slowly out
Of existence from the Italian peninsula
Then Hemstreet spoke Of the part
ings that took place on that eventful
night, when parents, children, lovers
lost one another in the darkness.
The only English word Lita knew
was love-" and this she heard spo-
ken by the man with whom she
had become infatuated to her rival
Finally she drew out from under the
dock where she could see them and.
drawing the dirk from her bosom,
aimed it at Mildred. Whether q slight
sound she made was heard by Julian
or whether there arose within him
premOnition of danger he turned just
as Lita started TO threw the knife and
barely in time to place himself between
ii and the intended victim. The knife
entered his side, from which the blood
gushed over the white summer suit he
wore.
Lita stood aghast at what she had
done, then with Il cry sprang up the
side Of the dock just as Julian, sinking,
was caught in Mildred's arms. Mil
dred, who had not seen the knife
only knew that it was in her
side, but before she could
act Lita pulled it out and threw it into
the water, then with q kerchief she
wore about her shoulders. began to
stanch the blood.
"Who did it?" cried Mildred.
at was an accident" said Julian
family.
Some men were working on q boat
not far distant and Lita beckoned them
to come. When they reached the dock
Julian had tainted, but he soon re-
vived and was carried to one of the
houses on the beach. There he re-
manned for a time, the surgeons un
decided whether or not he would re-
cover No persuasion could induce
him to declare how he had come by
the wound, and Mildred Twining had
not seen the knife thrown. Julian