The Press., 1915-08-04
An Italian Girl'S
 Vengeance A Story of Sorrento
By E. A. MITCHEL

Sorrento, the famous Italian seaside resort, is built on cliff several hun dred feet high. The cliff is curved, the northern end fianked by Mount Ve- suvius, the southern end pointing to the Mediterranean sea. The town is composed chiefly of hotels and villas, some of them set in the center of or ange groves. At the base of the cliff are the homes of fisher folk, their boats moorel on a narrow beach. There is no sea view ill the world more beauti- full than that from Sorrento. One may gaze upoa the ever changing hue of the waters beneath, the islands of Is- chia and Capri, here and there a ship or the little white steamer that car ries passengers between Naples and the islands, while shoreward to the right is the cone Vesuvius with it's mist of smoke about its summit. Julian Hemstreet, young American of fortune who was travelling abroad previous to settling down to the man. agement of his estate went to Sor iento and was so charmed with it that
  | ing sailor instincts he was drawn to- ward the shore directly beneath where the fleet of fishing craft was either hauled up on the beach or nodding at l anchor.
 Entering wine shop, he asked d girl he found there how he should pro- ceed to hire boat. He knew enough of the Italian language to converse ! fairly well, and she gave him the nee | essary information. While she was doing so Julian ordered liter of wine, which she brought and set on Il table before him. There was nothing ill the shop to look at except the girl so Ju- | Han fixed his eyes upon her, and the longer he looked the more he found food for admiration.
 Lita-that was her name-was dress ed ill the costume of Italy, which has in it good deal of color. Like all, or | nearly all, Italians, she was brunette, with a wealth of black hair and eyes of a dark brown. She was comedy in her way, but not beautiful; nevertheless thcle was novelty for Julian in her makeup, especially her costume. 1t was not long before he was paying her l compliments, which meant little to him, but meant much to the girl. Julian, having learned where he could get a boat, went for a sail on l the bay, for he was accustomed to ing such craft, and when he re- tur..>i called at the shop for another liter of wine. He was q handsome fellow, entirely different from the men to whom the girl who served him had been accustomed. It is question how far a man is responsible for a girls falling in love with him. In this case Julian would not have prevented it even by refraining from the little compli- ments that he considered due any wo- man. She was confronted by that which dazzled her and was dazzled. Possibly if Julian had realized the damage being done he would have withdrawn, though later, when it be- came plain to him, he did no such thing. But then it would have been much more difficult to withdraw than at the beginning.
 One morning Julian was in the orange grove that surrounded his hotel plucking the ripe fruit, when from another part of the grove came a rip pie of feminine laughter, and a mo- mcnt later il girl appeared from among the trees. On seeing a young man her features changed from mirth to serious ness and she passed on into the hotel.
 There could be no greater difference between two women than between this girl and the Italian at the foot of the cliff. The former was a blond whose complexion was still soft as that of Il child, a rose tint mingled with it's whiteness. The eyes were blue, the hair what is commonly called golden. She was Mildred Twining, a member of an American family who were touring i'll Europe. Julian, who was of an age to be easily impressed with feminine beauty. was much pleased at the sud den change on the face of the girl, on coming upon him so suddenly. Sev- eral other persons with whom she had been in the grove, including a child, followed her into the house, passing bim closely, but so charmed was he with the girl that he took no note of tlln others
 Americans abroad are as prone to nuke friends with one another as the, are to stand apart at home, and it was not long before Julian formed the ac- quaintance of the party of which Miss Twtnins was member The ease with which tourists become friends is extended to the sexes, and there is no mere prolific source of uniting hearts than sightseeing in foreign lands. Ju- liam Hemstreet attached himself to the Iwining party, or, rather, to Mildred Twining. and everywhere they went he went.
 One day Julian proposed to his new found friends to take them to sail on the bay. They accepted his invitation and. having descended to the beach, stood waiting while Julian was making preparation for the debarkation. Lita, the wine shop girl, saw the party and went out to watch them. When Julian handed Mildred on to the boat Lita was watching him and saw an expres- sion on his face as he looked down into the blue eyes that caused within the Italians bosom commotion of jeal-
 
 of it excepl herself. Julian was so wrapped ill the girl he was handing into the boat that he did not even see the other. When the party returned from the sail Lita was screened from them by a window, through which she looked at Miss Twining with the eyes of tigress.
 n uyft N Twining made no more visits to the wine shop. He did not realize the hold l his personality had taken upon Lita, but was aware that he should have withdrawn from the latter's company sooner. Nevertheless he did not look | upon the sudden flame he had inspired ill her as of much importance. The l fierceness of southern women in such | matters did not occur to him. When | he looked on Vcsuvius, with its crest of |