The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-12-01
Woman Versus
Woman
By SADIE OLcOTT


Florence, during the period when
the De Medlcl family fiouriShed, was
in many respects q sinkhole OF iniQui-
~. 1t was common practice 10 get
rid OF an enemy by means OF poison.
/ The De MediciS derived their name
/ from the fact that the founder OF the
family was what today would be
called q patent medicine exploiter.
This man who established q family
lived many years before that family
became the most prominent in Italy,
giving sovereignS to Europe as well as
popes. This story pertains to one Ce-
celia Del Carpo, whose mother was q
De Medici.
One evening q young artist named
Ricardo Cenc was strolling on the
street in Florence that leads from the
cathedral to the Ponte Vecchio, an an
cient bridge that crosses the River
AVno. AS he entered upon the bridge
he met Cecilia face to face. Ricardo
was as handsome as Cecilia was beau
tiful.
/ Ricardo was betrothed to Lucrecla
Marini, as lovely girl as there was
/ in Florence. He did not notice Cecilia
as he passed her, for he was going at
the time to visit Lucrecia and was
thinking of her alone. Cecilia In
/ quired of friend who was with her
who Ricardo was and learned not only
that he was promising artist but also
| where his studio was.
The next day Cecilia appeared at RI
/ cardo's studio and offered him a large
! price to paint her portrait. Ricardo
declined because he was expecting an
order to do some mural painting In
/ st. Peters at Rome. But Cecilia beg
/ ged SO hard, saying he could do her
work at such times as he chose, that
he yielded.
Cecilia, who had great influence at
/ Rome, wrote to a relative there to de-
/ lay the order for the mural painting
and her object was accomplished. She
came every day to Ricardos studio
and applied all her arts to win him.
Sometimes she would appear gentle
and innocent as a dove. Sometimes
! she would appeal to him through his
art. Sometimes she would attempt TO
master him by dominating his will,
and he resolved to foil her by marrying
someone else.
It was not long before Ricardo be-
gan to dread her power over him and,
fearing that he might wrong his be-
trOthed. proposed to Lucrecia that they
should be married. Lucrecia, who had
learned Of the situation, aSsented and
they went to a priest and were united
without the banns being published and
without witnesses.
The day Cecelia's portrait was en-
iShed Ricardo announced to her that
he had been married. She few into
q rage that caused the artist to fear
her more than ever, but In a different
way. She left the studio In this mood,
but presently returned In a different
one. She said that 1t was only selfish
of her to berate him for loving an
other, and since she could not possess
him she would claim him for her
friend. She hoped also to make q
friend Of his wife.
Ricardo was partly convinced by
these professions and asked her to call
on the woman who had VanQulshed
her. He did not think 1t worth while
to put LucreCia on her guard, for he
did not see any wrong that Cecilia
could injure her and he did not wish
to further incur the latter's enmity.
The two women met and, on the sur
face at least, were so friendly that
Ricardo believed there was no rancOr
between them.
Cecilia invited them to sup with
her In her palazzio, as they call fine
dwellings in Italy. Lucrecia did not
wish to accept the invitation, but her
husband desired to avoid offending
their wOuld-be hostess and persuaded
her to do so.
At the appointed time Ricardo and
his wife repaired to Cecelia's palazzio
and were received by the hostess in
the most friendly manner. Ricardo
was deceived. The only sensible thing
he did after meeting the woman who
was bent on bewitching him was to
acknowledge to himself that she would
succeed. But now he was acting very
stupidity.
Lucrecia, being woman matched
against woman, was on her guard.
She pretended to have taken a des-
perate fancy to Cecilia and hoped that
they might always be friends, but all
the while during the dinner, If Cecilia
forced upon her any dainty she de-
clIned III on the ground that IL would
not agree with her. She would drink
no wine because there was gout In
her family.
Finally Cecilia offered her a little
dish Of confections, saying: Surely
one of these will not hurt your Lu-
crecia took one Of the sweets, saying
that she loved something Of the kind
before going to bed. She would eat
1t at that time.
Cecilia turned pale, but she did not
oppose her guest. Soon after this all
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