The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-05-19

of it except herself. Julian was so
wrapped in 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 window, through which she
looked at Miss Twining with the eyes
of tigress.
Julian after his meeting with Miss
Twining made no more visits to the
wine shop. He did not realize the hold
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withdrawn from the latter's company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 fame he had inspired
In her as of much Importance. The
fierceness of southern women in such
matters did not occur to him. When
he looked on Vesuvius, with its crest of
smoke hanging lazily on its summit, he
did not realize that down in the breast
Of the Italian girl there lurked a fire
equal in intensity If not in force to that
In the mountain.
One day when Julian and Mildred
were rambling about the grounds of
the hotel where they stopped they
came upon a passage way leading
down to the water. They concluded
to go through it. On reaching the low
er end they came upon 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. row STOPPING be-
meath some object to conceal her ap-
proach till she came near the dock on
which the couple were standing IN
conscious of her approach; then, duck
ing under the side of the dock, she ran
along 1t 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 a city of summer residences called
Balae, owned and occupied by wealthy
Romans. He described the scene on
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 were struggling in darkness IN
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 for 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,
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
it 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 cry sprang up the
side Of the dock just as Julian, sinking,
was caught in Mildreds arms. Mil
dred, who had not seen the knife
thrown, only knew that 1t was in her
companions side, but before she could
act Lita pulled it out and threw 1t into
the water, then with a kerchief she
wore about her shoulders began to
stanch the blood.
who did It'll" cried Mildred.
at was an accident" said Julian
family.
Some men were working on a 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 IN
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
gave out a theory that some one con-
cealed near him had thrown the knife
at him for the purpose of rendering
him prey for robbery. But although
there are many criminals in Italy the
theory was not believed, for 1t would
not be easy for any one to have lurked
a 49, rfntNf II